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COLEMAN, KELLIHER AND RYBAK CONSIDERING GUBERNATORIAL RUNS
By Ryan Flynn | June 5, 2009
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak have all confirmed they are considering running for Governor:
Three prominent Democrats confirmed today that they’re considering a run for governor in 2010.
Two days after Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty announced he would not seek a third term, an event marking solar energy legislation brought St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to the State Capitol. Following the event, all three said they were weighing campaigns. Kelliher says she’s been talking to a lot of people.
“I continue to have experiences like last night where my daughter and I were out for her birthday, and a random person comes up to me and says I hope you run for governor,” Kelliher said. “So, I am weighing those inquires that are daily very seriously.”
Kelliher says she thinks candidates will have to be in the race by this fall. Both Coleman and Rybak said they’re considering their options but are also focused on their current mayoral duties. Source: MPR: Polinaut, June 4, 2009.
The two Mayors appear poised to ask for the votes of their current constituents all the while thinking about ditching out on that job almost immediately after the fall election. Both cities are in a state of crisis caused by both Mayors and neither city can afford a Mayor that will be running for two separate offices the next year and a half.
Speaker Kelliher states that many people are approaching her saying, “I hope you run for Governor.” These people are clearly not middle class taxpayers, otherwise they know how badly the Speaker wanted to hose them during the Legislative session and how badly a Governor Kelliher’s agenda would be for them.
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24 Responses to “COLEMAN, KELLIHER AND RYBAK CONSIDERING GUBERNATORIAL RUNS”
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June 5th, 2009 at 8:45 AM
No DFL candidate who isn’t prepared to focus all of his energies on the gubernatorial race isn’t or shouldn’t be taken seriously. Mayors should stick to their day jobs as long as they are holding on to them.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Hiram, I hope they all run.
Why put “focus of all his energies” burden, only on sitting mayors? Don’t all elected officials have a job to do that gets in the way of running a fulltime campaign – including incumbents seeking reelection?
It would be wonderful to see RT and CC in a debate, each pointing out how much money the other one has wasted.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:20 AM
“Don’t all elected officials have a job to do that gets in the way of running a fulltime campaign – including incumbents seeking reelection?”
An excellent question.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:50 AM
In 2002, there were two candidates for governor who held leadership posts in the legislature. One was roger Moe, who was the Senate majority leader. The other was Tim Pawlenty, who was the House majority leader.
Neither one of them dropped their leadership posts before running for governor. I also don’t recall that their was a public fuss that the two of them retained their leadership posts while running for governor.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:19 AM
“Neither one of them dropped their leadership posts before running for governor.”
The state unquestionably would have been better off now if both of them had. We are now paying the heavy price of the terrible leadership choices made in 2002.
June 5th, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Something also to consider. In 2002 both Moe and Pawlenty were majority leaders, very influential posts. Marty Seifert is a minority leader, and that’s a position of very limited influence, particularly the way Marty defined it. He is also the leader of a divided and fractious caucus which can’t be very much fun. My guess is that his prevailing emotion in giving up the job was one of relief.
June 5th, 2009 at 12:50 PM
“We are now paying the heavy price of the terrible leadership choices made in 2002.”
Of course the alternatives were Moe in 2002 and Hatch in 2006….hmmmm, I’m pretty happy neither of them won and so is my wallet. Hiram, have your taxes gone up while no one else’s have or are you just unhappy about paying higher ‘fees’ for your cigarettes?
June 5th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
I’m pretty happy neither of them won and so is my wallet. Hiram, have your taxes gone up while no one else’s have or are you just unhappy about paying higher ‘fees’ for your cigarettes?
My taxes have gone up, meanwhile the state is in a much worse financial state than our neghbors largely because of the deals made between Moe and Pawlenty in 2002.
Essentially, Minnesota has become California without the surfing.
June 5th, 2009 at 1:51 PM
I am a middle-class taxpayer. I hope she runs.
June 5th, 2009 at 1:52 PM
Since when are Minneapolis and St. Paul in a “state of crisis”. Im sure their budgets suck to but I haven’t heard about some citywide crisis.
June 5th, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Kelliher claims a lot of people are saying, “I hope you run for governor of Minnesota.”
My guess is that those folks live in South Dakota…
June 5th, 2009 at 2:11 PM
Sean Wosyey Olson, I am a Republican. I hope she runs too.
June 5th, 2009 at 2:20 PM
Andrew,
You’re probably right considering Minneapolis is putting millions more into the Schubert and St. Paul is ramping up its birth control efforts for the pigeons.
My point is that these are local decisions and I don’t want to hear any of you bitch when your property taxes go up.
June 5th, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Why does no one mention the millions of dollars Minneapolis has spent in settling lawsuits against the police, or wasted money by the park board on various pie-in-the-sky projects? Fancy drinking fountains. A past fire chief that kept getting sued. It all adds up.
Mr. Rybak can’t even manage a city. How is he going to oversee the state?
June 5th, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Newton,
RT didn’t even fire Bonnie Bleskachek after she was found to have engage in sexual harassment and sexual discrimination.
June 5th, 2009 at 4:25 PM
That whole episode was pathetic. Didn’t she get “demoted” to a supervisory role, even though there was no one for her to supervise?
June 5th, 2009 at 6:05 PM
If she had been a white male she would have been hung out to dry by the press and the city. Why do we continue to have a double standard when it comes to sexual harrassment?
June 5th, 2009 at 11:45 PM
California without the surfing–and about 25 billion less debt. Guess all that sand has a price….
June 6th, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Newton, she was demoted to Captain but was supposedly not have any supervision of employees. The created a new positon for her with the salary that was double that of a rookie firefighter.
R.T. wouldn’t fire her even though the city had agreed to multiple settlements for her some of her victims.
When RT selected BB, was trying to one-up his buddy Gayvin Newsom who’d recently picked a (non-openly gay) female for SFFD chief, Chief Joanne Hayes-White.
So much for affirmative action …
Hayes-White tenure has included: A 911 call from her husband after she hit him over the head with a bottle, a grand jury finding that she allowed wide spread drinking on the job, and has been accused of disriminating against gay males.
June 6th, 2009 at 11:21 PM
The Minneapolis Park Board is independent of City Hall. Crime is down on all levels (put a price on that!) and the Mayor is actively trying to clean up the police force (personal lnowledge). Oh….forgot to mention the budget is balanced, has been balanced since day one, and without constant financial crises that reminds us all of…..wait, wait,…..that’s right-the state capital (both parties on that one). The Shubert is from stimulus dollars meant for the arts and the Mayor has cut programs that were a waste-only to be villified by many in his own party! Next time find the facts, use the facts, and this will be unnecessary!! Thank you.
June 6th, 2009 at 11:33 PM
One more critical error in the story-”neither city can afford a Mayor that will be running for two separate offices the next year and a half.” The election for the Mayor of Minneapolis is this November (2009). So this is a factual error. Please if your publishing stories like this, try to get at least the facts straight!! And don’t worry we still expect spin, so you can still have your diatribes.
June 7th, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Chris N.,
“Both cities are in a state of crisis caused by both Mayors and neither city can afford a Mayor that will be running for two separate offices the next year and a half.”
You read that paragraph with a closed mind. If either mayor runs for re-election and then runs for Governor is that not running for two seperate offices in the next year and a half?
Given that error on your part I won’t bother to research your comments in post #20 since you are obviously looking to defend the mayor of Minnapolis with twisted logic.
To quote you “Next time find the facts, use the facts, and this will be unnecessary!!”
June 7th, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Coleman has been recognized as one of the best mayors in America and maintaining a great bond rating based on his fiscal management.
I’d like to believe that RT is trying to clean up the police department but, so far, its the same ol, same ol. Going after the civil rights department is just plain stupid. He’s been tone-deaf at times with portions of his city that can hurt him in an internal endorsement battle.
I don’t see what RT brings to a gubernatorial campaign. He’s already looking at prominent elected officials, funders and activist from his city supporting others.
Cris Coleman can ironically run on the same thing Norm Coleman did, bettering St Paul.
Margaret will run. The governor handed her her ass at the end of the session but, up to that point since being speaker, she has proven to be a strong and savvy leader. Pawlenty just happen to win this last go round.
Bachman would be the DFL dream candidate. Please run her. DFL will win that governor’s seat and Elwyn will be in Congress. She and Kiffmeyer can go an figure out how to keep the race and party pure together.
Ramstad can’t win his party’s endorsement or a primary. He’ll have to run as an independent.
Dayton, Thissen and Entenza are stil the DFLers to watch as of today.
June 7th, 2009 at 2:44 PM
DJZ, please explain why you think Rammer can’t win the endorsement. Pawlenty was said to never have a shot the Republican endorsement, yet he edged out Brian Sullivan. Pawlenty is now leaving office as the greatest governor ever!
If Rammer wants the job and is willing to work for it, it’s his.
Note to Chris N: An election in November 2009, and November 2010, will be 12 months apart a well within “a year and a half” time frame.