2010 Minnesota Governor Race

You’ve got until Tuesday, June 1, to pick a running mate and file your candidacy for governor in Minnesota.

Your list of opponents will surely grow in the next week, but here’s the lineup so far:

Tom Emmer & Annette T. Meeks (Republican)
Ole Savior & Todd “Elvis” Anderson (Republican)
Margaret Anderson Kelliher & John Gunyou (DFL)
Mark Dayton & Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL)

Congratulations to Ole Savior for being more hilarious than ever this time around.  Elvis Anderson? Really? Wow.

By the way, in Wisconsin the list of candidates for governor is up to 20 already. Lieutenant governor candidates run separately in Wisconsin. There are 10 of them, including Superior Mayor David Ross.

And how about the crazy scramble to run for Prettner Solon’s Minnesota Senate District 7 seat now that she’s running for lieutenant governor? No one has filed yet, but that one is bound to get interesting.

Oh, and I apologize in advance for provoking a discussion of politics.

21 Comments

TimK

about 14 years ago

When you click on the Dayton/Prettner Solon link, you go to the Anderson Kelliher site. Provoking indeed! On the other side of the aisle, Tom Emmer makes Pawlenty look middle of the road! If you think 8 years or regressive taxes was fun, elect Emmer and let Armageddon begin!

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

Thanks for the heads up, TimK. The link is fixed now. And thanks for the alarmist comment. That outta get things going. Or is May too early for this?

TimK

about 14 years ago

50 kids in a classroom, turning down all federal healthcare (including Medicaid and Medicare) dollars, eliminating MNFHA, abolishing regulations governing chemicals in food and toys, etc.  Yeah, that's not alarmist.

TimK

about 14 years ago

Sometimes the Onion IS reality.

B-man

about 14 years ago

I vote that all of them get a real job and stop screwing up my state.  Elected officials need to be restricted to two term limits, cumulative, for life.  That way others will have a chance to screw up the business of screwing up the state.

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

With governors like Pawlenty and Doyle, who needs term limits? Both of them are bowing out on their own.

But yeah, we don't have to go back too far in history to find three-and-a-half-term Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson and three-term (though not consecutive) Minnesota governor Rudy Perpich.

Hopefully the new blood in 2011 will do us good. Say what you want about Jesse Ventura, but at least he put in his four years and then disappeared to Mexico. That's a political role model if you ask me.

Resol

about 14 years ago

I'm having trouble getting excited about MAK.

But, the most galvanizing force in this race is Tom Emmer.  This guy will motivate me to work my ass off for anybody I think will beat him. He's like Tim Pawlenty, but without the slippery charm.

So here's to MAK, Dayton, or hell, anybody else.

edgeways

about 14 years ago

I was not thrilled that Dayton was running, I didn't find his Senate performance all that inspiring. But, the initial polling numbers say he is the top of the field both in primary and in the general. 

Emmer, just seems like a male Bauchmann.

No mention of Rob Hahn, Tom Horner, Matt Entenza, Bob Carney or Leslie Davis.. of course non of them have picked a running mate yet so a few may drop. 

Gotta say I am not too sorry to see Solon go.

edgeways

about 14 years ago

Per Facebook, looks like Roger Reinert is going to run for Prettner Solon's seat

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

As if having an Elvis impersonator as a candidate for lieutenant governor isn't weird enough, there are identical twins running for seats in the Minnesota Legislature.

Republicans Jeff and Jay Backer filed yesterday. Jeff is running in Senate District 9. Jay is running in House District 20A.

Bob

about 14 years ago

Mark Dayton = Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Guilt and medication are not a winning formula for a leader. He's no Lincoln.

Tom Emmer = slave to wingnuts, angry baby boomers and oblivious northern suburbanites of the Twin Cities. Same thing.

M. Anderson Kelliher = um, a back filled Scandinavian surname will win votes in 1910, but not 2010. A bad trend started by Joan (Anderson) Growe.
------------------------------
The nomination system for both parties is killing middle-of-the-road politics in our state. Arne Carlson was the best to beat the DFL and IR political machines. Ventura was the worst and his own worst enemy.

TimK

about 14 years ago

The only things in the middle of the road are dead skunks.

Ernest

about 14 years ago

You know who hates bi-partisanship and middle-of the-road? Chubby, middle age guys with dead end jobs, and wealthy talking media heads who exploit middle age guys for their own gain. 

Thanks for continuing to weakening men. Now, go back to your flat screen TV and watch Sports Center and your mentor, Peter Griffin.

Resol

about 14 years ago

I'm confused.  

Who is exploiting chubby middle aged men? Who is "continuing to weakening men?" Why? What does this have to do with bipartisanship?

TimK

about 14 years ago

I made a reference to Jim Hightower's book about the "middle of the road" and Ernest did a classic Karl Rove and flipped the meaning 180 degrees. The political right wing and corporate media in the US have dragged the meaning of moderate (or bi-partisanship or middle-of-the-road) so far to the right that it doesn't mean anything anymore. Call me a liberal -- hell, call me a socialist. I believe that taxes should be PROgressive and that the government exists to serve the people, not corporations.

dbb

about 14 years ago

I think the most interesting thing about this gubernatorial campaign season so far is that both of the major parties endorsed candidates who are less electable than others which sought the endorsements.

Emmer is obviously a right-wing crank who will spur the left to massive efforts to elect anyone other than him.   

MAK has spent the past four years being consistently outmaneuvered by Pawlenty and republican legislators. Demonstrated incompetence is hardly a desirable trait in a candidate. 

I hope that Horner runs a good enough campaign to force the others to engage in substantive discussions not just bang on the same talking points over and over.

Terry G.

about 14 years ago

I just think it's funny that whatever gender the gubernatorial candidate is, they feel obligated to select the opposite gender as their Lt. Gov. (well, except for those rogues Ole Savior and Leslie Davis)

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

The Independence Party candidates are the late filers this year:

Rob Hahn & Thomas Harens   	
Tom Horner & James A. Mulder 
Phil Ratté & Gayle-Lynn Lemaster

An updated list of candidates in all the statewide and St. Louis County races pertinent to Duluthians is available by clicking on this sentence.

Today is the last day to file. Happy politicking. 

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