Potential Coleman GOP Rival: I Love Norm, "But He Lost To Al Franken, For Goodness' Sake"
I just got off the phone with Minnesota Republican state Rep. Marty Seifert, who recently stepped down from his position as state House Minority Leader to run for Governor, about a very important topic: What might happen if former Sen. Norm Coleman runs for the GOP nomination, too. And Seifert gave a sneak preview of what lines of attack Coleman will face from his intra-party rivals if he makes the race, as he's reportedly looking at.
Seifert struck a careful balance between praising Coleman, but also making clear that he himself won't step aside. "Well certainly, his name ID and the ability to raise money is gonna be there, but we're Republicans and we believe in the marketplace and choices," said Seifert. "So I'd say the more people in the race the better. I believe in a multiplicity of choices -- it's not the Politburo, it's the Republican Party."
As for what lines of argument Seifert might take with state Republican caucus-goers, to show that he's the better candidate: "I think my appeal is that I'm electable and that -- you know, the bottom line is, I love Norm as a person and as a public servant, but he lost to Al Franken, for goodness' sake."
I asked Seifert about a thought experiment I'd been doing, putting myself in the shoes of a Minnesota Republican activist -- that I would think "we was robbed" in the 2008 Senate race, and a Coleman candidacy for Governor would immediately be an appealing way to put things right again.
"It never should have been close, there never should have been a recount," Seifert responded. "So most people in the party, I think, are looking at the analysis and saying, we should have never had 42% against Al Franken. It should never have been close to start with. And that's with all due respect to Sen. Coleman, but it never should have been close."
But he made sure to finish our call in as nice a way as possible. "I consider Sen. Coleman a good friend. I campaigned with him and worked with him, and it think he's a good public servant," said Seifert. "I don't want anything construed about him that's negative, and if he gets in the race we're all gonna have a good friendly competition."
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Seifert is so full of crap. Like he would have been anything other than a Bush rubber stamp like Coleman was. NOT.
July 2, 2009 12:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Minnesota blogosphere has been talking about reports, maybe just rumors, that Seifert has been trying to undermine potential opponents with whispering campaigns. http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/3512/breaking-accusations-made-against-seifert
I'm not promising it's true. Maybe Seifert's opponents are trying to smear him by accusing him of secret smears. Anyway, "lost to Al Franken" remark, though it's open, shows the contempt they had for Franken, and refusal to acknowledge he --- and the DFL grassroots quite frankly --- did a lot right.
July 2, 2009 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Whaaat? How dare someone play politics with politics!
July 2, 2009 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Its seems to me that Norm's biggest problem should be the fact that he challenged the Senate election as long as he did. He went from saying that Al should concede and not pursue a recount to, once the recount didn't go well for him, challenging the election all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Frankly, the Minnesota DFL did not do enough to pound on this issue, to permanently foul Norm's name. As it is now, this election challenge issue is there, but it isn't fatal.
July 2, 2009 12:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wish they'd start talking up Michelle Bachman for MN Gov. That would be the funniest of all.
July 2, 2009 12:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's see. He lost to a professional wrestler and a television comedian. What's next? How about a rock star? Let's see, which rock stars are from Minnesota? How about Prince?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)
July 2, 2009 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
In all fairness, Norm >did beat a former Vice President. Of course, Mondale had to step in at the very last moment due to Wellstone's death, but still...let's give Norm that much.
July 2, 2009 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bob Dylan
July 2, 2009 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
We're going to pull a Mel Carnahan and elect Judy Garland.
July 2, 2009 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
On the home page, Josh asked "An ex-porn star? Ex-juggler? Someone help me here. How much worse could it get?"
We have roughly ten candidates for the DFL endorsement, or at least that many are taken seriously. I understand the question though, because Minnesota politics is never boring. No porn stars, though I've no idea if any of them ever juggled. There are a bunch of legislators, both former and current, including the speaker of the House, and a senior state senator who ran in 1994 and is the state's foremost advocate for single-payer. We also have both Twin Cities' incumbent mayors, a county attorney, and a former US senator. Sorry, no one goofy.
We do however have a competitive third party, the only one in the country. It was Ventura's party, so it gets taken seriously and grabs 5-15% in most elections, more from the DFL side than Republicans. So even with Republicans down in the dumps, a strong Independence Party candidate mean the Republican has a chance, and that's the only reason Tim Pawlenty won to pluralities.
Here's a general guide: http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2009/06/29/9821/gubernatorial_candidates_ins_and_outs_and_maybes_of_the_race
July 2, 2009 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
An excellent summary. I think that Josh's comments were a little over the top (porn star etc.).
There are a fine group of candidates on the DFL side. I think that Susan Gaertner, Ramsey Cty (St. Paul) prosecutor, might have a shot of following her Hennepin (Mpls) counterpart (Amy Klobuchar) to higher office. I will not comment on Mark Dayton. ;-)
There are also some dangerous Republicans - both whack-job and talented. Jim Ramstad would be formidable - name recognition and not-a-nut. OTOH, Mary Jo Kiffmeyer, Pat Anderson? Both have held statewide office, and both are nearly on par with Michele Bachmann.
July 2, 2009 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I took it that Josh was joking. And in truth, we do have a history of untypical candidates not only running, but winning. If Franken had lost the endorsement, the runner-up was a college professor with no prior elected experience. And no, I don't mean Wellstone came back from the dead.
July 2, 2009 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Given I hear tell Michelle Bachmann is planning to run for MN governor, too, Coleman could not only post losses against an ex-wrestler and an ex-comedian, but he could also aspire to lose a primary against a full-time active crazy person.
July 2, 2009 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps Mary Tyler Moore would consider a run. She's not a Minnesotan, but she played one on TV.
July 2, 2009 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Coleman ran an extremely dirty campaign. Add in that he was known for putting his finger to the wind rather than as a man of principle and that explains his loss.
July 2, 2009 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not only did Norm lose to a wrestler and a comedian, but the only time he won he essentially beat a dead man.
July 2, 2009 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
By making fun of Ventura's and Franken's professions, and extrapolating, Seifert and others go for the easy attack and the easy joke.
I know less about Ventura than I do Franken, but I certainly respected Ventura's recent comments on torture.
More importantly ,Franken was a valid, serious, intelligent candidate and will be a committed, serious senator. Deriding him because he had a career in entertainment is ridiculous.
(I was especially appalled at the Inhofe's comments about the senate getting the 'clown'. Is that any way to welcome a new senate colleague?)
if you write off Ventura and Franken you also underestimate
Coleman. Personally I think he would be a lousy governor, he was a lousy senator, winning only on the heels of Wellstone's death, then changing his tone the minute he got to Washington.
So he may not have a Minnesota snowball's chance in el Paso, but not because he ran against an ex wrestler and an ex comedian.
July 2, 2009 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know a lot of Republicans who voted for Jesse because they hated Norm. Nobody likes the guy. I think Al had some problems to overcome. He had only recently moved back to Minnesota after 30 years or so out of state. He wrote some offensive stuff as a comedian. I think that he'll be an effective senator and will become more popular over time. But, Norm was a sitting Senator and he should have creamed Franken, even if there was an anti-Republican wave.
In actuality, Republicans did fairly well in Minnesota. They held an open seat in the 3rd District fairly easily. Shelly won despite being a nut job. Obama won by only 10 points. But, Norm only polled 42% as an incumbent. That's pretty poor. That Dean Barkley got 450,000 votes should tell you everything. People don't like Norm.
July 2, 2009 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Jesse is that, and Al is this, what is the guy that lost to both of them. They are trying to poke fun of the fat man after the fat man beat them in a running race.
July 2, 2009 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't forget how Coleman got his ass handed to him by George Galloway. Maybe he could run for the British seat held by Galloway.
July 2, 2009 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I say let him run. I can't think of anyone who'd be easier to beat.
July 2, 2009 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lucas Davenport for Governor!
July 2, 2009 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
"We was robbed?"
Sure this black hole meme (sucks down sanity) is being pushed in a certain bubble chamber but what percentage of Republicans in Minnesota (or include former Republicans in Minnesota) actually buy into this? It is so transparent that Coleman when he thought he had won a squeaker tried to bluff Franken into not running a court challenge and when Coleman lost a squeaker he immediately turned around and ran a court challenge which he lost. And in the process deprived Minnesota of 8 months of Senate representation. I'm all for court challenges after elections if there is a reasonable possibility of challenging the results but not for purposes of pure harassment as appears to be the case in this instance.
July 2, 2009 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
It should never have been close to start with. And that's with all due respect to Sen. Coleman, but it never should have been close."
And with all lack of respect to Senator-elect Franken.
July 2, 2009 2:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Keep in mind that the intended audience for state Rep. Seifert's comment is not folks like us here at TPM. I just happen to have been lucky to hear it on the phone and report it.
The real audience are the Republican activists in Minnesota who decide the party's nominee for Governor.
July 2, 2009 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Diablo Cody, who wrote the screenplay for Juno, goes back to MN, she could run against Coleman as an ex-stripper/lap dancer.
The campaign would be even more fun if Cody and Coleman had, er, run into one another back in the day....
July 2, 2009 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alan Page, former Viking great and current justice on the MN Supreme Court, could run against Coleman and easily win. He'd be very qualified too.
July 2, 2009 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink