Erin Murphy endorsed by DFL for Governor

[Maxwell]

it's almost as if the party is in need of new blood, new energy, and new voices instead of just re-arranging deck chairs. Swanson ran for governor and realized she didn't have the support or enthusiasm so she dropped back to her safe job expecting to just sail through and not get challenged and she probably still won't face too much of a challenge she'll just one kind of embarrassing set back when the most enthusiastic of activists want someone new.

Swanson never ran for Governor.

well oops. not sure why i thought she did.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

And why Murphy over Otto? If you are going to back a women for Gov at least pick the strongest one, Otto has won 3x statewide!

Murphy didn't win it for being a woman, she did because of her very strong progressive credentials and campaign and union background. She's actually a pretty impressive candidate even if one has doubts about her GE electability and just reducing her to "she's a woman" is doing her a disservice.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

For an example of a comparable nationally known politician to Murphy think Elizabeth Warren.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Walz is okay,  but it's nice to see competition, especially if Pawlenty is the GOP nominee.

Endorsed Erin

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

it's almost as if the party is in need of new blood, new energy, and new voices instead of just re-arranging deck chairs. Swanson ran for governor and realized she didn't have the support or enthusiasm so she dropped back to her safe job expecting to just sail through and not get challenged and she probably still won't face too much of a challenge she'll just one kind of embarrassing set back when the most enthusiastic of activists want someone new.

Swanson never ran for Governor.

well oops. not sure why i thought she did.

There was a lot of speculation she might and she didn't declare for reelection to the AG office until relstively late which many saw as a sign she was at least considering. But she never declared for any office but AG.

[KingSweden]

I hate to give legitimacy to this obnoxious caricature of activist feminism above me, but you must've been paying zero attention to the complaints of Clinton supporters in 2016 to think the 'abolish caucuses' crusade started a few weeks ago.

[Former Kentuckian]

I haven't been paying attention to this at all: What's wrong with Murphy? I realize Walz is a US Representative and Otto has won statewide before, but why couldn't Murphy win statewide (especially against Pawlenty)?

[ON Progressive]

I haven't been paying attention to this at all: What's wrong with Murphy? I realize Walz is a US Representative and Otto has won statewide before, but why couldn't Murphy win statewide (especially against Pawlenty)?

MN is a state where Dems can and need to do decent in rural areas to win statewide, and Murphy would be a terrible fit for the rural areas of the state compared to Walz/Otto.

[smoltchanov]

My first "axiom" of politics: conventions and caucuses are BAD! Always, without exceptions. Because they give disproportional power to small groups of radical "activists" ("idiots", in my language) of all sorts at the expense of normal people, and lead to promotion of idiotic candidates....

[Former Kentuckian]

I haven't been paying attention to this at all: What's wrong with Murphy? I realize Walz is a US Representative and Otto has won statewide before, but why couldn't Murphy win statewide (especially against Pawlenty)?

MN is a state where Dems can and need to do decent in rural areas to win statewide, and Murphy would be a terrible fit for the rural areas of the state compared to Walz/Otto.

Would a coordinated campaign with Erin Murphy, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith work? Murphy is a former union leader and nurse, right? Would focusing on those aspects of her life (and the focus on healthcare) help her, too?

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

WALZ WALZ WALZ.

[136or142]

I read this thread as "Eddie Murphy" for a second there.

Heh, there is even more of an Eddie Murphy connection here.

The winner of the Republican Governor convention endorsement is Jeff Johnson. In the movie, The Distinguished Gentleman, Eddie Murphy played a person named Thomas Jefferson Johnson.  When the incumbent U.S House member, Jeff Johnson dies, Murphy's character ran as 'Jeff Johnson' essentially claiming to be the incumbent.  

He campaigned in a van with a speaker on top saying "Ask you to vote for Jeff Johnson. Good old Jeff. The name that you can trust. The name that you know. Jeff Johnson."

It would be funny if Eddie Murphy endorsed Jeff Johnson.

Unfortunately, as with most Eddie Murphy films, it's not a very good movie.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Walz and Otto tried to team up for some rather childish antics when it was clear neither would win the endorsement yesterday, but ultimately they ended up losing that cause on ballot 6.

[VPH]

WALZ WALZ WALZ.

[ON Progressive]

WALZ WALZ WALZ.

[fridgeking]

WALZ WALZ WALZ.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I haven't been paying attention to this at all: What's wrong with Murphy? I realize Walz is a US Representative and Otto has won statewide before, but why couldn't Murphy win statewide (especially against Pawlenty)?

MN is a state where Dems can and need to do decent in rural areas to win statewide, and Murphy would be a terrible fit for the rural areas of the state compared to Walz/Otto.

Would a coordinated campaign with Erin Murphy, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith work? Murphy is a former union leader and nurse, right? Would focusing on those aspects of her life (and the focus on healthcare) help her, too?

It doesn't quite work that way. While the DFL runs coordinated campaigns, that's more for things like GOTV mobilization, I can't see Klobuchar campaigning for Murphy doing much, though it may happen. But if Murphy basically completely links her campaign to Klobuchar it'll look bad.

For the record, I'd say that in the general election Murphy is at worst a slight favorite against any Republican including Pawlenty, she's a lot stronger than Hillary Clinton in some ways, she's far more charismatic for one, and her background is more appealing to a lot of those Trump-trending areas like. But I'm still voting for Walz based on residual loyalty from the first campaign I worked on, and to make it all the more certain. It's also going to be an interesting question to see how those affluent Twin Cities suburbs who swung hard against Trump will vote for in a race between a vocal single-payer advocate and a guy they've already voted for, even if demographics in those areas have changed a lot since the last time they did.

[kph14]

Now Swanson is running for Governor with Rick Nolan (!) as her running mate.

https://minnlawyer.com/2018/06/04/swansonnolan-ticket-set-to-announce-for-governor/

[Canis]

Is it to late for ellison to launch his bid for AG? I remember he was considering doing it when Swanson looked likely to run for gov but she announced she wasn't going to. Ellison would make a great AG!

[136or142]

Is it to late for ellison to launch his bid for AG? I remember he was considering doing it when Swanson looked likely to run for gov but she announced she wasn't going to. Ellison would make a great AG!

No, he's expected to announce tomorrow (one way or the other.)