Back Home in Minnesota

Back Home in Minnesota - There's still some politics going on.

A well-placed source in the MN GOP reports

The NRSC has Coleman up 46-42% which in my book makes this race a dead heat and dead heats lean towards the incumbent. I wouldn't be surprised if Tricomo (sp?) gets a visit from Wellstone to get him out of the race.

I'd have to wonder how likely that'd be - since the Senate race may be the only one in which the Green Party could draw the 5% vote it needs to retain major party status. Ken Pentel would seem to be polling (from what I've seen) below 5%. I've always suspected the Greens were a flash in the pan, buoyed in 2000 by the celebrity candidacy of Ralph Nader and the free publicity his candidacy got, in droves. Pentel's creating no buzz - a reporter friend of mine said sitting in a Pentel meeting is like being in a Puritan church service. The closest thing the Greens have to "buzz" outside Dinkytown is the fracas over Ed McGaa's bizarre Senate candidacy. Were the Greens to back out...what then?

The source goes on: "A prominent DFL Lobbyist tells me:

a Republican poll" shows the Gov Race has Moe with 28% Penny 26 and Pawlenty 20. I cannot get this confirmedby my contacts.

Jason Lewis was bemoaning Tim Pawlenty's lack of visibility in the gubernatorial race last week - and, as reported in this space a week ago, the GOP is working on it.

Pawlenty's ad is now out and all the insiders are very pleased. I feel that it is OK. The problem is that now is a little late to be building name ID. Tim needs to be on the attack.

I continue to wonder if Minnesota Republicans know how to attack. Maybe we were all raised right, and it's totally foreign to us. I don't know, but Minnesota needs its own homegrown Lee Atwater.

Hmmmm. I have been called abrasive...

Again, the source reports:

The endorsed Republican lost in 67A by 12 votes. Our candidate also lost in he Dist. 1 judge race. This is an excellent showing and continues to show the strength of the Republican endorsement. We also were able to remove Rbertson and Kiscaden, although Kiscaden has to be the favorite in Rochester. I hope the Party has the resources to put into this race.

One hopes indeed. That's one of my favorite unrequited threads - What Is A Republican. Why do people who are pro-tax, anti-life, anti-gun-rights, pro-lax-sentencing and pro-big government Republicans at all? Because it's easier to get nominated than at a DFL caucus?

Anyone?

Posted by Mitch at September 12, 2002 09:59 AM