EXPOSED: THE DFL CANDIDATES FOR SECRETARY OF STATE

I have become increasingly surprised at the words and actions of the DFL candidates for Secretary of State.

If you seek a party endorsement while running for office, it's dishonest to claim you are non-partisan. Both Mark Ritchie and Christian Sande are seeking the DFL Party's endorsement for Secretary of State, but it seems both of them want you to ignore that fact, or are they trying to hide it?

Christian Sande

"I am running for Secretary of State as a Democrat, but it is important to me that every Minnesotan trusts me to oversee our elections in a fair, open and non-partisan way." Source: Christian Sande for Secretary of State website.

Non-partisan way? Was Sande acting in a non-partisan way when earlier this week he falsely attacked Minnesota Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer?

"We need a Secretary of State who will protect everyone's rights and not be viewed as a partisan politician." Source: Christian Sande for Secretary of State website.

Partisan politician? Does Sande not think he was acting like a partisan politician when earlier this week he falsely attacked Minnesota Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer?

Mark Ritchie

"We must restore integrity and non-partisanship to the office of Secretary of State." Source: Mark Ritchie for Secretary of State literature.

In 2004, Ritchie worked for the self-proclaimed "non-partisan" GOTV November 2 campaign. The November 2 campaign included members from Project Vote, ACORN, NAACP National Voter Fund, People for the American Way Foundation, USAction Education Fund, Clean Water Fund, Earth Day Network, and the Southwest Voter Education Registration Project.

I would not refer to most of these groups as "non-partisan." In fact, the Minnesota ACORN Political Action Committee has endorsed Ritchie's DFL candidacy.

I will remind Sande and Ritchie that the most partisan Secretary of State in modern history was DFLer Joan Growe.

Growe, elected Secretary of State in 1974, was the DFL endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1984 WHILE SHE SERVED AS SECRETARY OF STATE.

Do you think the DFL Party would allow a Republican Secretary of State to run for another office while serving also serving as Secretary of State? No way!

DFL Growe , not GOP Kiffmeyer, was the most partisan Secretary of State.

But Ritchie and Sande will both claim they are non-partisan while at the same time launching partisan attacks against Kiffmeyer.

Ritchie and Sande will both claim they want to restore integrity to the Secretary of State's office while at the same time falsely accusing Kiffmeyer of ethical lapses.

Ritchie and Sande will both use the word partisan as a negative when describing Secretary of State Kiffmeyer, while they both seek a partisan endorsement in their quest to become Secretary of State.

I think you get the picture.