| May as well start this post with a disclaimer: I got my start in Minnesota politics working on the early stages of then-State Sen. Steve Kelley's 2006 gubernatorial bid. I couldn't stay on the campaign due to economic concerns, but remained a strong supporter of that bid, which ended in an exciting floor fight against eventual DFL nominee Mike Hatch.
Kelley told me in an interview earlier this week that he sent out a letter to his fundraising list just before Christmas, got a good response, and has been working since then to raise money and make himself a part of the race.
My first question for him was (hopefully) obvious: Why? After a 2006 generally considered catastrophic for his political fortunes (an unsuccessful gubernatorial endorsement campaign and a primary loss against Lori Swanson in the Attorney General's race), why is he exploring another run?
His response: "Teaching at the Humphrey School, I've interacted with so many students, seen why they're there and what they hope to accomplish - they want to make a difference in the world, particularly around climate change and environmental issues. Talking with them about the responsibilities of leadership, it's been a real privilege to help the see and think about issues in different ways ... but it became apparent that I couldn't just talk about leadership and not take another run at it again."
Sounds reasonable enough. Once someone gets the political bug, it's my understanding that it's difficult to shake. But the 2010 field is very different from 2006 -- there are approximately four times as many candidates exploring a run this cycle as last. What will Kelley's approach be?
Much more after the break |
| "One thing I've learned from past campaigns and from Humphrey: we can and ought to be a lot more creative. One of my strengths is that I'm logical in parsing out problems, but it's also important to build on creative strengths that campaign folks have and use those strengths to appeal to Democrats and voters generally."
Kelley told me about some upcoming events his campaign has planned, and they are definitely outside the box -- entitled "Creative Conversations," they seek to combine political talk with philosophy, the arts, and innovation.
"Outside the box" may be a necessity, both for Kelley personally and for any candidate to have an advantage in a crowded field. The biggest critique in his 2006 campaign was his policy-wonk approach to the issues and a deliberate, almost plodding campaign style. Supporters framed "deliberate" as "disciplined" but detractors complained that it was difficult for Kelley to rouse a crowd. Ultimately, he did prove an ability to inspire, closing well ahead of the DFL State Convention and giving one hell of a speech before the delegates. Was it not quite enough just a tad too late?
Opinions vary.
Of his time away from elected politics, Kelley spoke highly, talking about learning a "systems" approach to public policy: "the Bush administration blamed public schools for what was happening with kids, but the public school system is just one of the systems that touches kids' lives - housing, health care, transportation, all these systems touch and influence kids' lives. If we're going to help kids succeed, we've got to pay attention to most cost-effective ways of changing all of those systems that deal with kids so that we're not just helping them do better in school, but in neighborhoods, in families, all aspects of their lives."
Are draconian cuts to education programs necessary to help close the pending state budget gap? No, says Kelley. If things had gone differently and he had become Governor, "we may have had to use the shifts Governor Pawlenty is proposing, there may have been no way around that. But I would be engaging the school districts in conversations, which is something the governor never does. He hands out ultimatums, doesn't try to work with the school officials, and blames them for inefficiencies in the system. I would be engaging local officials in finding innovations for their school systems together - if state could be more helpful in buying materials, negotiating better deals for groups of school districts, that's what we should be doing, not blaming them outright for the inefficiencies in the system."
How to win a statewide race? Ah, that got Kelley out of policy-wonk mode and a bit more fired up. "I've lived through three campaigns by Democratic gubernatorial candidates who said they were going to win by hitting the L [the rural "L" formed by the 7th and 1st Congressional districts]. The loss in 2006 was not just a last-minute screw-up by Mike Hatch -- it was a fundamental error in thinking about how to win the gubernatorial race. I suppose some Dems will disagree, but Barack Obama and Amy Klobuchar have demonstrated that we can run statewide, run a campaign that appeals to everyone, and win. To run a gubernatorial race where we don't even try to compete in the suburbs is just nuts. We've tried it three times, we've lost thre times, and we cannot win that way."
Will he abide by the DFL endorsement as he did in 2006? Kelley said it sounds like several candidates are planning to run in the primary: "if that's the assumption, if I'm going to serious about this, I have to be prepared to run in a primary. It would be great if everyone abided, but that doesn't look like it's happening."
Are things in the 2010 cycle different than they were in 2006? Definitely. Are the challenges for Steve Kelley perhaps even greater than they were then? Definitely. But he still speaks well of his record and accomplishments on education and environmental issues, and believes he brings a winning formula that can win in 2010. |
