"COUNTDOWN TO A FLIP-FLOP" #6
It’s Official: Pioneer Press Confirms Hatch will Break Word and Run for Governor a Third Time
"After vowing 'never' to run for governor a third time, Mike Hatch has officially broken his word and again demonstrated that he is willing to say one thing and do another. Hatch has a long record of changing his positions when he thinks he can score political points. Unfortunately for him, Minnesotans aren't going to trust a candidate with that kind of opportunistic and inconsistent record."
-Ron Carey, Chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota
October 1998: Hatch Done Running For Governor. “Both Weaver and Hatch say their political aspirations end with attorney general. Hatch, though, tried to secure the DFL nomination for governor in 1990 and again in 1994. ‘I’ve run twice and I’ve lost twice. That’s enough for me,’ Hatch said.” (Chris Hamilton, “Hatch Takes Aim At Health Insurers, Weaver,” Duluth News Tribune, October 29, 1998)November 1998: Hatch Claimed Running For Governor “Out Of My System.” “Hatch’s TV ads touted him as a tough consumer advocate who would fight abuses in managed health care. He said Wednesday that he will pursue that agenda vigorously after he takes office in January. But he said he won’t use his new office as a political springboard. 'I have no interest in running for another office,’ he said. 'I’m turning 50 this month. I’ve run for governor. I’ve got that out of my system.’” (Conrad deFiebre, “In Year Of Mavericks, DFLer Mike Hatch Finally Wins,” Star Tribune, November 5, 1998)
January 1999: Hatch Vowed “No More Running For Governor.” “Political watchers say the determined and persistent Hatch will aggressively dive into his work as the state’s chief legal officer while letting his gubernatorial ambitions simmer in the back of his mind. For now, though, the 50-year-old Duluth native is firm when he declares he is happy where’s he is at. ‘No more running for governor,’ Hatch said recently. ‘We all come into this office and say, “Jeez[,] it looks good over there.” I don’t want to have that stress with my governor.’” (Brian Bakst, “Finally At Home At The Capitol,” [Grand Rapids] Herald Review, January 24, 1999)
March 1999: Hatch Insisted “I’m Never Running For Another Job.” “‘This is the end of the road,’ [Hatch] insists.‘I am never running for another job. My role is to make sure that as the great people pontificate, real people don't get hurt.’” (Britt Robson, “See You In Court,” City Pages, March 3, 1999)
August 1999: Hatch “Too Old” For Third Gubernatorial Bid. “Hatch’s critics contend that his staff cuts and policy changes are meant to feather his record for another run at the governor’s office. He emphatically denies that, saying he plans to seek a second term as attorney general. ‘I am not running for governor,’ he said. ‘Running for governor is awful. It’s a proctoscopic exam. I’m too old for it.’” (Conrad deFiebre, “Hatch Keeps Vow To Shake Things Up - Starting With His Office,” Star Tribune, August 1, 1999)
April 2001: Hatch Refused To Rule Out Third Gubernatorial Bid. “‘I’m not going to say I’ll never run [for governor],’ he said, noting with a laugh that no Minnesota attorney general in modern history has successfully made that leap, although several have tried. ‘I don’t need it,’ Hatch says of the governor’s office. ‘I’m 52, I want to go back into private practice, I want to run [for] one more term.’” (Dane Smith, “Mike Hatch: Publicity Hound, Or Consumers’ Best Friend?” Star Tribune, April 1, 2001)
October 2005: Hatch Mailing Confirmed Third Gubernatorial Run. “In a fundraising letter to about 5,000 supporters this week, [Hatch] wrote, ‘I will announce my candidacy for governor on Oct. 24, and I ask for your support.’” (Bill Salisbury, “Mailing Confirms Hatch Candidacy,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 19, 2005)
Source: Republican Party of Minnesota, October 19, 2005
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