Minnesota Public Radio just announced that Pawlenty is calling a press conference to announce he won’t be running for re-election.
Making those budget cuts (because he wouldn’t negotiate with the legislature) would have hurt him in Minnesota but it will look good for his national political aspirations. I wonder if not running also signals he won’t be signing Franken’s election certificate.
Who will come up to bat for the Republicans? Norm Coleman? Mark Kennedy? Jim Ramstad? Michelle Bachmann?
I think overall this is good news unless Ramstad jumps in.
supposedly about health care, but who on Earth knows? She might be crazy enough to think she actually has a chance.
Minnesota’s never elected a governor to three consecutive terms, and he probably felt that given his declining numbers he might get George Allen-ed and blow his presidential prospects on a botched re-election. It also alows him to not worry about facing the wrath of Minnesota voters should he choose not to sign Franken’s certificate.
As for who will replace, the frontrunners would be Brian Sullivan, a wingnut businessman (and my former neighbor) who narrowly lost to Pawlenty in the 2002 state GOP convention and State House Minority Leader Marty Seifert. Ramstad may run, and would be killer against Democrats, but the question is whether he is too moderate for the party activists at the convention. Bachmann could make an interesting candidacy and could theoretically win the nomination but would get crushed in a general. Other candidates include former Senator Rod Grams and Rep. John Kline (although neither would make much of a dent).
Coleman may run again, but he lost in 1998 to Humphrey and Ventura. Beyond just pissing off Minnesotans with this recount nonsense, he’s only 1-3 in statewide bids – great for baseball, terrible for politics. That will likely scare off state GOP’ers.