Polinaut: July 9, 2009 Archive

Daily Digest

Posted at 7:11 AM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (2 Comments)
Filed under: Daily Digest

Congress

Michele Bachmann got a shout out from Politico about the role of kids in political careers. She says her five weighed in on her run. (She also has 23 foster kids - practically a winning Senate race margin right there.)

Speaking of the 6th District Republican, Politics in Minnesota says the state Senate's assistant majority leader, Tarryl Clark, of St. Cloud, may be edging from the race for governor to a Bachmann challenge.

And the Humphrey Institute's Smart Politics blog asks how blue the "Blue Dog" Democrats like Collin Peterson really are. Here's the money shot:

Meanwhile, Minnesota's lone Blue Dog Representative, Collin Peterson, voted with the President's stated position 81 percent of the time - tied for the 16th lowest percentage among House Democrats

And one we overlooked yesterday, in all the Jonas Brothers excitement: The Pioneer Press's Ross Raihala pegged U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar's teen crush as The Partridge Family's David Cassidy. "What I most remember is the album cover (1971's "Up to Date"), with all their birthdays on it," remembers the senior Senator. "I still remember David's birthday -- April 12."

Other

City Pages has the latest installment of one of Minnesota's longest running political dramas. They profile Bob Fletcher again.

The Strib is reporting that a state computer snafu has pulled more than 18,000 traffic convictions out of mothballs, and they're now catching up with drivers. Phyllis Kahn's House State Government Finance committee is also talking about a state IT audit this afternoon.

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Survey: Coleman hurt by recount

Posted at 11:09 AM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (2 Comments)

Public Policy Polling says Republican Norm Coleman's prospects have dimmed since November. They're out with a new poll you can find here. It says Coleman's numbers are 38 percent positive, 52 percent negative.

Says Dean Debnam, president of PPPL "Clearly the recount saga damaged Norm Coleman's chances at being elected to office again in Minnesota. You have
to wonder how much more goodwill he would have been able to earn with voters in the
state if he had decided to take the high road and concede six months ago."

The poll also pitted R.T. Rybak, Mark Dayton and Margaret Anderson Kelliher against Coleman in a touch-tone auto survey of 1,491 voters on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rybak led 43-37, and Dayton 41-39. Kelliher trailed 34-42. No mention of other prospects, like St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman, former Rep. Matt Entenza or Ramsey Co. Attorney Susan Gaertner.

Public Policy says they'll have numbers on Barack Obama and Tim Pawlenty tomorrow.

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Reed has raised $230k for CD 6

Posted at 1:22 PM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

Maureen Reed said she's raised "more than $230,000" for her bid for the DFL endorsement to run against Republican 6th District incumbent Michele Bachmann.

Reed staffer Emma Olson declined to release specific numbers ahead of the July 15 reporting deadline, but Reed herself sounds like she's going to have most of that cash on hand when she files next week. "I'm working out of my briefcase," Reed said of her penny-pinching efforts thus far. "It's important to keep expenses low."

[2:30 Update: Olson says they expect to have about $213,000 cash on hand.]

"It's wonderful to have this kind of financial success and know that people are so supportive of it. It's not just the number itself, as much as it is an indication of how many people just want a change and are confident that this effort is going to be the change they want," Reed said.

She'll need the dough. Bachmann reported having $224,000 in the bank last quarter and raising money at nearly $100,000 a month in a non-election year. Her last opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg still reports $184,000 in the bank, but raised only $120 in the first quarter.

The reports due July 15 will total money raised by a June 30 fundraising deadline.

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HUD Secretary in town tomorrow

Posted at 1:42 PM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan will be in town tomorrow. He's going to "assess the foreclosure crisis in North Minneapolis and attend a groundbreaking ceremony at the Minneapolis Housing Authority's Cedars Apartments."

The project is getting stimulus money for "energy efficiency upgrades." Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak will be escorting Donovan through town.

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Pawlenty in Aspen, the Video

Posted at 3:05 PM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

Minnesota's paripatetic Governor Tim Pawlenty sure made the rounds at the Aspen Ideas Festival. It looks like he did about four interviews at last week's gathering, including the one aired on MPR on Monday. The Atlantic put up a video interview with him.

He does directly address a potential presidential run. Sort of. It's at about the 7 minute mark:

"I don't know what the future holds, but I am going to try to continue to speak, both in Minnesota and nationally, about how to improve the Republican party and see if there's some support for what I propose. And we'll see where that leads. But I don't know what I'm going to be doing three years from now."

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