TPMDC
Marty Seifert

Norm Coleman Keeps Door Open To Run For Governor Of Minnesota

Eric Kleefeld | October 5, 2009, 1:05PM

Fmr. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN)

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), who lost to Democrat Al Franken in the heavily-disputed 2008 Minnesota Senate race, is still keeping the door open on a possible run for Governor of Minnesota in 2010.

Coleman told Minnesota Public Radio: "I'm doing what I want to do right now but sometime early next year I will reflect on [a gubernatorial run] and if it makes sense for Minnesota, if it makes sense for me and my family then I can move in that direction. But I have deliberately not put a lot of thought into it."

If Coleman is going to run, though, time could be running out. The state Republican Party convention this past weekend held a straw poll, a key sign of activist support in a state where the party conventions have a serious role in picking nominees. The straw poll was won by state Rep. Marty Seifert -- and Coleman's name was not on the ballot, though he did receive a few write-in votes.

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Topics: MN-GOV, Marty Seifert, Norm Coleman

Tea Party

GOP Pols Losing Control Of Tea Party Movement?

Eric Kleefeld | July 6, 2009, 12:33PM

Thousands of right-wing activists across this country rang in the Independence Day holiday with yet another round of tea-party protests against President Obama, inadvertently highlighting an interesting divide in the Republican Party. On the one hand are the hard-line activists who attend these things, versus the more mainstream politicians who want to win elections and are looking for their votes -- and are running into all manner of conflicts as a result, or finding themselves taking on some rather interesting policy stances along the way.

Most notably, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was booed at the event in Austin -- on the grounds that he's part of the problem in Washington, having voted for the Wall St. bailout last fall. "I'm not part of Washington," Cornyn said in his own defense. "I happen to work there, but on behalf of Texas, and I can vote 'no' on these reckless spending bills, on the refusal to cut taxes."

Gov. Rick Perry -- who famously seemed to raise the specter of Texas seceding from the union during the April Tax Day protests -- was also booed at the same Austin event as Cornyn. Attendees saw him as yet another tax-hiking tyrant, because he supports toll roads in order to relieve traffic congestion.

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Topics: John Cornyn, Marty Seifert, Rick Perry, Tea Party

MN-GOV

Potential Coleman GOP Rival: I Love Norm, "But He Lost To Al Franken, For Goodness' Sake"

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 11:51AM

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."