"Made in Minnesota moderate" DFLer Maureen Reed says she'll bring Democrats, Republicans and independents together to topple U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and that may be true, but she probably won't be doing it with the backing of the Independence Party -- a notion she had floated earlier in her campaign.
At its state convention today in Brooklyn Park, the IP voted to do away with cross-endorsements after a number of activists expressed disappointment over the way things played out in 2008 with Elwyn Tinklenberg, who won the IP endorsement a couple months after earning the DFL's backing in the 6th Congressional District.
"I'd much rather have an Independence Party candidate who will work with me rather than a Democrat who won't," Stephen Williams, the IP's endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate, said last summer. Today his message was along the lines of "I told you so," as he noted the next day's media coverage was all about Tinklenberg getting the cross-endorsement rather than Williams' own victory.
(Trivia: Williams lost the IP primary last September to former U.S. Sen. Dean Barkley. Extra credit to those who remember I worked for the senator.)
Speaking of the 6th District, Bob Anderson was at North View Junior High School this morning basking in the glow of the 40,643 votes he received last time around as the IP's non-endorsed candidate. As you may remember, Anderson lost the IP endorsement to Tinklenberg, but claimed the party's ballot line anyway because state law allows candidates to file under one party only and Tinklenberg was officially the DFL's candidate. Despite an under-the-radar campaign, Anderson claimed 10 percent of the vote while Bachmann eeked out a three-point win over Tinklenberg.
I didn't get a chance to speak with Anderson, but I heard him mention to several people that he'll have a vast "middle" to shoot for against ultra-conservative Republican Bachmann and liberal DFL State Sen. Tarryl Clark. Apparently Anderson isn't the only one writing off Reed's long-shot effort.
If I was advising Reed (and I'm not), I'd say "take your money and file as an IP candidate." Clark's going to win the endorsement on the first ballot and should cruise in the primary, too. But with some money in the bank, Reed, who ran for lieutenant governor on the IP ticket three years ago, could present a ton of problems for Clark and possibly Bachmann as a third-party candidate in the topsy-turvy 6th District.
This time we focus on the role of independent voters in the Sixth District, and the important part they play in delivering this MN district into the hands of Congress' number one nut, liar and bigot--again and again.
Dave Mindeman did a nice analysis of the role that independent voters play in the Sixth. Aubrey Immelman, a sometime GOP opponent of Bachmann, did an even better one that discusses all the factors leading up to Bachmann victories.
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How was your National Night Out? I fed the peanut Nicollet Avenue Pothole ice cream courtesy of Kingfield Neighborhood Assn and Sebastian Joe's. What a beautiful evening.
Sorry I missed this. Margaret Anderson-Kelliher was the winner of MNDEM's Guv poll.
Brilliant analysis by Dave Mindeman about MN-06 voting trends. Think Independence Party.
Rachel Paulose, the unqualified, incompetent who Rove-Cheney-Bush appointed as MN US Attorney is still getting paid.
Here's a little fight back from the DNC. I appreciate their straight talk in this ad. Transcript here.
Death by Stupid. Joe Conason points out facts and Pat Buchanan is ... well ... himself.
The Independence Party has been busy this year. Amidst all the speculation about whether Jesse Ventura would run for Senate, IP found the time to endorse some Congressional candidates. Of course two of them, El Tinklenberg and Steve Sarvi, are actually DFLers.
I'm glad that El and Steve won the IP endorsement, which should help them out (although, as Chris Truscott noted, the IP endorsement will change hands after the primary). But to me, there's a bigger issue here: if the Independence Party can't field candidates for Congressional seats, is it losing its relevance? The biggest thing IP had going for it this year were the weeks of speculation over whether Jesse Ventura would run for Senate. Now that he isn't running, there's a question lingering: was IP just a one-trick pony?
Below is a look at the votes IP has garnered statewide since Jesse's run (in 1998, it was still the Reform party, RP). Because IP has never run a ton of candidates, it has never received a large share of the total popular vote -- even when Ventura won the Gubernatorial race, IP only had about 10 percent of votes statewide. Since that time, though, it just keeps getting worse. The high points come when there's a Gubernatorial campaign, but even IP's candidates for Governor have been losing steam.
As a standard bearer, Jesse Ventura could simply walk into a room and make news. He was a lightning rod. And even though he was controversial, the IndependenceParty had someone who could, at the very least, command attention. But, Jesse didn't transfer his fame to his party. He enjoyed the limelight a little too much and was probably a bit too conceited to allow others in the third party movement to share in his success.... With the success of Ventura, there should have been efforts to build party units at the local levels. There were token structures but they were left isolated and unsupported. Enthusiastic candidates received no help and were left on their own...financially and structurally.
By now, unfortunately, it may be too late. Dean Barkley wll surely do well enough in the Senate race to keep IP alive to field there next candidate for Governor. But I have to wonder, if the trend continues over the next 4 years, will 2010 (or perhaps 2012) be IP's last election?
DFLer Steve Sarvi has been endorsed by the Independence Party of Minnesota in his congressional bid against incumbent Republican John Kline.
Sarvi's cross-endorsement comes in the wake of a similar endorsement for Sixth district DFL candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg against Michele Bachmann. The IP now allows cross-endorsements of candidates from other parties if they meet certain thresholds of agreement with the party's platform positions and there is no IP candidate. The IP previously endorsed David Dillon in the Third district race against DFLer Ashwin Madia and Republican Erik Paulsen.
In response to questions about how the relationship between the local MN-IP and the DFL-endorsed campaign will work, Sarvi campaign spokeswoman Bridget Cusick told me that the campaign already has an Independent Party member on its volunteer steering committee, and "[w]e also look forward to having Independents help in the same ways Democrats are throughout the district: by knocking doors, making phone calls, and hosting events to introduce Steve to their friends and neighbors."
MN-IP spokesman Gerry Drewry added that conversations about how the IP and the Sarvi campaign can best collaborate and work toward victory have already begun, and more details will be finalized soon.
The cross-endorsement has to be seen as a win for Team Sarvi, who have gotten some political watchers outside the state thinking about the race, but still face significant questions about fundraising against Kline, who has a significant advantage in cash on hand. The more individuals who are volunteering on the candidate's behalf, regardless of party affiliation, will help make the campaign more successful.
Sarvi's cross-endorsement comes in the wake of a similar endorsement for Sixth district DFL candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg against Michele Bachmann. The IP now allows cross-endorsements of candidates from other parties if they meet certain thresholds of agreement with the party's platform positions and there is no IP candidate. The IP previously endorsed David Dillon in the Third district race against DFLer Ashwin Madia and Republican Erik Paulsen.
