Lori Swanson set to run for MN Governor, with Rick Nolan as running mate.

[Jeppe]

Swanson is the strongest GE candidate though. She’s won statewide 3 times in a row, all by double digits, usually running the strongest of the statewide DFL candidates, and in tough environments like 2010 and 2014. If you want somebody with a long history of winning elections, then Swanson’s your candidate.

[Badger]

This is crazy. She probably could have got to the 60% endorsement Mark after winning majority in the first ballot by peeling off enough delegates. Even if it's stuck to no endorsement or pelikan still beat her if she didn't withdraw, she still would be the hands-down favorite to win the primary.

I agree this reeks of being a hastily spite filled move. The results of such actions in or out of politics are rarely positive, and frequently disastrous.

I will mend this to note that, although from what little I know about Minnesota politics she has a right to be pissed off at the convention Wingnuts shutting her down like that, the proper and measured response under any circumstance would be anything but saying " f*** it all, tomorrow I'll just quit my long-term job and run for governor"

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

This is crazy. She probably could have got to the 60% endorsement Mark after winning majority in the first ballot by peeling off enough delegates. Even if it's stuck to no endorsement or pelikan still beat her if she didn't withdraw, she still would be the hands-down favorite to win the primary.

I agree this reeks of being a hastily spite filled move. The results of such actions in or out of politics are rarely positive, and frequently disastrous.

I will mend this to note that, although from what little I know about Minnesota politics she has a right to be pissed off at the convention Wingnuts shutting her down like that, the proper and measured response under any circumstance would be anything but saying " f*** it all, tomorrow I'll just quit my long-term job and run for governor"

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Convention loons are the worst


Also Swanson got jipped when she wasn't appointed senator.

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

I like Walz but this ticket actually seems super strong. Both Swanson/Nolan and Walz are probably better than Murphy, though, based on my limited knowledge of MN politics.

[KingSweden]

Dayton endorses Murphy.

Wow.

Most interesting primary, either party and any office.

Personally, I want Walz to win only because I don’t want him to lose his congressional seat for nothing.

That’s my rationale too. Really wish they’d given the Senate seat to Swanson, who I also quite like.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

My prayers have been answered. Hopefully this starts off a chain reaction to get Ellison out of his seat and Ilhan Omar into it.

There's literally dozens of potential candidates, including many women, far more qualified and likely to take this seat than Omar.

[Canis]

Swanson/Nolan Ticket officaly in
https://minnlawyer.com/2018/06/04/swansonnolan-ticket-set-to-announce-for-governor/

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I kind of suspect Swanson was offered the Senate seat and declined.

I have more thought for at home, although Badger already touched on them.

[Rhenna]

Word is Keith Ellison is going to jump into the AG race.

Why would any sitting Congressman, from a safe seat no less, run for a lesser statewide office is just beyond me.

Xavier Becerra did it. Jeff Landry did it on the Republican side.

[KingSweden]

Word is Keith Ellison is going to jump into the AG race.

Why would any sitting Congressman, from a safe seat no less, run for a lesser statewide office is just beyond me.

Xavier Becerra did it. Jeff Landry did it on the Republican side.

Landry came back after losing a Congressional race, though.

[Dr. MB]

Can't we get rid of primary nominating conventions already?

[Minnesota Mike]

Word is Keith Ellison is going to jump into the AG race.

Why would any sitting Congressman, from a safe seat no less, run for a lesser statewide office is just beyond me.

Xavier Becerra did it. Jeff Landry did it on the Republican side.

Adam Putman ran for FL AG commissioner.

[Adam Griffin]

Can't we get rid of primary nominating conventions already?

Nah, more states should move to adopt them (except that the results should be binding, rather than the dumb "recommendation/endorsement conventions" that states like MN & CA have).

[Minnesota Mike]

My prayers have been answered. Hopefully this starts off a chain reaction to get Ellison out of his seat and Ilhan Omar into it.

There's literally dozens of potential candidates, including many women, far more qualified and likely to take this seat than Omar.

Qualified? Maybe. Likely? Doubtful.

Omar is a national figure and  a natural fit for a very liberal district.

[Dr. MB]

Can't we get rid of primary nominating conventions already?

Nah, more states should move to adopt them (except that the results should be binding, rather than the dumb "recommendation/endorsement conventions" that states like MN & CA have).

The voters and not the parties should be the sole deciders of who their candidate is. American parties are not meant to be the highly organized top-down structures that other countries employ.

If they nominate a bad candidate, so be it.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

My prayers have been answered. Hopefully this starts off a chain reaction to get Ellison out of his seat and Ilhan Omar into it.

There's literally dozens of potential candidates, including many women, far more qualified and likely to take this seat than Omar.

Qualified? Maybe. Likely? Doubtful.

Omar is a national figure and  a natural fit for a very liberal district.

Considering just how thick the bench is here there are tons if other heavy hitters who'd want to jump in and have more clout than a one term State Rep.

[Maxwell]

love that literally any talent in the House jumps at the first chance to get out of it. Very healthy.

[henster]

I see Murphy's running mate made an E85 gaffe today, she didn't seem to know what it was. E85 cost Hatch the race in 2006, needless to say it doesn't inspire much confidence in the Murphy ticket.

[Adam Griffin]

Can't we get rid of primary nominating conventions already?

Nah, more states should move to adopt them (except that the results should be binding, rather than the dumb "recommendation/endorsement conventions" that states like MN & CA have).

The voters and not the parties should be the sole deciders of who their candidate is. American parties are not meant to be the highly organized top-down structures that other countries employ.

If they nominate a bad candidate, so be it.

The loss of party influence in favor of supposedly giving it "to the people" has done anything but; instead, it has resulted in huge outside spending by shadow entities and special interests dominating the nomination, election and governing of candidates and politicians. The reason so many other countries still manage to actually pass meaningful policy is because of those "organized top-down structures" and politicians being accountable to them rather than random billionaires, as opposed to the faux populist sentiment that has permeated this country's electoral system for the past few decades.

Add to that the fact that the majority of supposedly well-informed primary voters in most cases have a surface-level understanding of the candidates and policies at best, and you're really just watching a coin-flip lottery system unfold with the odds tilted to whoever can afford to blast their message the loudest and/or who is already the most well-known.

Politicians should be accountable to their parties - and when I say that, I'm including the concept of open-caucus systems filled with activist weirdos and extremists wandering in off the street just as much as the faux populism. If only those who have a vested interest in a party's good fortunes (i.e. elected party members at the precinct, town, county, congressional and state level) are allowed to decide who gets their party's nomination, it will inevitably produce better results in the aggregate.

[BBD]

Lori Swanson seems like a bitter egomaniac. Butthurt over losing the endorsement for AG, now jumping into this race and making a mess. Tim Pawlenty ain't winning, but it sure doesn't look good on the Democrats' part...

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Lori Swanson seems like a bitter egomaniac. Butthurt over losing the endorsement for AG, now jumping into this race and making a mess. Tim Pawlenty ain't winning, but it sure doesn't look good on the Democrats' part...

She didn't even really lose the endorsement. She had a majority of delegates, just not the required 60%. She could've fought to peel off delegates to get to 60, or exhausted all ballots to force no endorsement. Instead she withdrew from the endorsement race, thus allowing Pelikan to be endorsed b acclimation. Even then she could've ran in the primary and won.

This is just bizarre. And also why there's no chance of me supporting her.

[Jeppe]

Lori Swanson seems like a bitter egomaniac. Butthurt over losing the endorsement for AG, now jumping into this race and making a mess. Tim Pawlenty ain't winning, but it sure doesn't look good on the Democrats' part...

She didn't even really lose the endorsement. She had a majority of delegates, just not the required 60%. She could've fought to peel off delegates to get to 60, or exhausted all ballots to force no endorsement. Instead she withdrew from the endorsement race, thus allowing Pelikan to be endorsed b acclimation. Even then she could've ran in the primary and won.

This is just bizarre. And also why there's no chance of me supporting her.

I think that Swanson was just itching to move onto higher office, and being snubbed by the delegates at the convention gave her the fire in her belly to actually make a bold move.

I’m pretty surprised that Nolan agreed to be her running mate though. He endorsed Walz way back, and retired because of health issues in the family, so he must be pretty confident about their chances of beating Walz & Murphy in the primary.

[Rhenna]

Word is Keith Ellison is going to jump into the AG race.

Why would any sitting Congressman, from a safe seat no less, run for a lesser statewide office is just beyond me.

Xavier Becerra did it. Jeff Landry did it on the Republican side.

Landry came back after losing a Congressional race, though.

Still a downgrade. Some people would lose a congressional race and say "Gee, how about I run for Governor or the Senate."

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The Attorney General is typically the second most powerful office in a state after the Governor (or legislative leader who can neuter the Governor ala Massachusetts.) Arguably more powerful than being 1/435 of the House.