Polinaut: January 20, 2006 Archive

As Waverly goes, so goes the 2nd?

Posted at 7:45 AM on January 20, 2006 by Bob Collins

Given the increasing number of polls showing voters are noodling on the idea of taking "it" out on Republican incumbents, one wonders whether there's pressure on the DFL in the 2nd District where Coleen Rowley is taking on incumbent John Kline. Rowley has not done well in fundraising and her message, thusfar, has focused on her expertise -- the September 11th terrorist attacks. And some DFLers are frustrated with the status of the race, to the point that state Sen. Sharon Marko is rumored to be ready to jump in against Kline.

On Wednesday, Rowley was speaking in ... Waverly, Iowa, telling 50 who gathered at a dinner at Wartburg College (she's a '77 grad), "radical Republicans have hijacked the party, and the 2006 election is the time to stop their efforts."

Myelectionanalysis.com notes:

don’t have this race on the “watch list” yet, though some have suggested it should be. This turn of events only makes me more confident in my decision. A nasty primary fought over the war is the last thing the Democrats need.

THIS N' THAT

Jeffers as Libertarian candidate

Posted at 12:29 PM on January 20, 2006 by Bob Collins

Sue Jeffers, who has made a bit of a name for herself fighting a smoking ban in Minneapolis, announces her candidacy for governor on Monday. I just finished the Sue Jeffers candidacy page on our Campaign 2006 site. MPR's Capitol reporter, Tom Scheck, talked to Jeffers on Thursday and the audio of that conversation is posted as well on that page.

Wetterling withdraws

Posted at 3:13 PM on January 20, 2006 by Bob Collins

Here's the announcement (RealAudio).

Here's the story.

Letting the blogging begin!

MnPublius has an interesting take, noting that Betty McCollum was on the stage, and Mike Ciresi and Betty McCollum are close and appeared to suggest that McCollum wouldn't endorse Wetterling endorsing Amy Klobuchar if Ciresi were likely to jump in the race at some point.

Minnesota Democrats Exposed says Wetterling and her campaign manager's stories don't add up. One says the decision was made last night. The other says it was made a week ago.

At Kennedy vs. the Machine there's this analysis:

With Mike Ciresi increasingly looking like he’d observe the race from the sidelines, Wetterling was one financial quarter away from irrelevance. And while the fourth quarter numbers aren’t out yet, one can easily surmise Patty either lost money or only kept her head above water.

The Minnesota Republican Party says :

"Patty Wetterling has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Mike Hatch, but it's hard to see how a liberal idealist like Patty Wetterling and her supporters could stomach a well-known political opportunist like Mike Hatch."

And the DFL counters with a press release tying Mark Kennedy tightly to the White House, attempting to refute reported claims from Kennedy of his independence.

In other words, situation normal on the political planet as the week ends.