Given the voting results in 2008, we should actually be very hopeful for 2010. Obama took 52.41% to McCain’s 45.99%, while Paulsen took 48.48% to Madia’s 40.85%. The outlier? An independent candidate taking 10.56%.
So, who are our best candidates going into 2010 to unseat this incumbent?
-Terri Bonoff (D), State Senator
-Ashwin Madia (D), Iraq War Veteran, past candidate in 2008
-Jim Hovland (D), Mayor of Edina
-Paul Rosenthal (D), State Representatives
All three of these candidates, except for Rosenthal, have “run” in the past, and are known in the community. If one has to handicap the race, it is clear that Madia was a disappointment to DFLers, which would give Bonoff the clear opportunity to step up and challenge Paulson.
See below for bios and more analysis.
Probable Candidates:
Terri E. Bonoff is a Democratic Farmer Labor Party member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 43 since a special election in November 2005. Her district includes portions of Minnetonka, Plymouth and Medicine Lake.
Bonoff serves as Vice Chair of the E-12 Budget Division, and as a member of the Education Committee, the Business, Industry and Jobs Committee, and the Transportation Budget and Policy Committee. Her stated legislative interests include education, transportation, health care and the environment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T…
Madia was endorsed by VoteVets.org.[6] He was also endorsed by the Teamsters Local 120[7] and the United Auto Workers Minnesota State CAP Council.[8] Because of his progressive views on LGBT issues, Madia also received the endorsement of Minnesota StonewallDFL [9] LGBT group and eQualityGiving.[10]
According to Madia’s website, he hoped to “draw on his record of leadership, service, and advocacy to represent the 3rd District in the U.S. Congress. Madia ran on positions such as ending the war in Iraq responsibly, balancing the budget, addressing global warming, expanding access to health care, renewing the federal commitment to education, and safeguarding constitutional liberties”. He also said that he will abide by the endorsement of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Ashwin Madia earned a majority of delegates at the senate district conventions that took place across the 3rd District on March 1[11], March 8[12], and March 15.[13]. At the 3rd District DFL endorsing convention, which took place on April 12, 2008, Madia and his final opponent, State Senator Terri Bonoff, competed with indecisive results through eight ballots. Following the eighth ballot, Bonoff dropped out.[14]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A…
I am not going to post much about Hovland because I don’t think he has a chance given he didn’t get a delegate in the DFL race.
Here is the person I think could come out of nowhere. Paul Rosenthal, newley elected State Representative of 41B.
Altogether, my personal and professional experiences have introduced me to many issues that create either opportunities or roadblocks for our state, businesses and neighborhoods. My parents taught me that one person who stops complaining and works hard can achieve solutions. Now, I want my own children to see that lesson in action.
I was drawn to Minnesota 17 years ago because I saw it as a model of social progress, good jobs and fiscal responsibility. Working together, we can make state government work for Minnesotans again in the 21st century.
Now, I don’t want to relive the battles of 2008, but there were a lot of discussions about Paulsen’s education stances, and if Rosenthal really delved into education as Vice Chair of the Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division, then he could attack Paulsen very easily, either in 2 or 4 years.
The typical route the DFL goes, from what my memory serves, is that they will go back to the next strongest candidate as opposed to looking to new ones. That means that State Senator Terri Bonoff will be the person that most people see as the front runner.
Also, Bonoff is slated to be the main person, according to my friend in her district, on education reform, which would lend to her ability to counter Paulsen.
So, who is missing here? Any other surprises that we could expect?
Also, what suggestions do you have for me for these threads?
I don’t know if she would’ve won either this year but with the primary and an Independent in a race, but I sensed a lot of people feeling that she should’ve been the candidate.
I think primaries are a problem in Minnesota because unlike the other states, there is a strong Independent party that siphons votes away from the Democratic candidate. In MN-03, it’s clear the Independent candidate siphoned Bonoff voters away from Madia, it may have been vice versa if Bonoff got the nomination.
I think Bonoff, having already run, is the strongest candidate
From what I gather Paulson was basically Ramstad’s heir apparent and is quite moderate as Ramstad was. Do we really have much chance at taking him out now that he’s an incumbent? Hate to say it but Paulson sounds like a good fit for the district. He might be very hard to dislodge.