Marty Seifert

Marty Seifert, a health-care executive from Marshall, Minn., had a reputation as a policy wonk when he served in the Minnesota Legislature from 1996 to 2006, first as state representative, then as minority leader for House Republicans.  In his campaign for the Republican endorsement to run against Gov. Mark Dayton (he won the straw poll conducted at last week’s precinct caucuses), Seifert is clear that his administration would take a different tack than Dayton’s.

“Frankly, in most areas, there’s going to be a change of direction,” he said in a question-and-answer interview with MinnPost. Here are excerpts from that interview.

MinnPost: What would be your approach to the state budget?

Marty Seifert: I think it needs to be above and beyond just cutting, spending or reducing taxes. It’s got to be about a growth agenda. I know everybody measures things by reductions and tax increases, but we do want to take a proactive approach of: How do we lift all boats to create more jobs, to have people working, less people on unemployment, less people on welfare, more people contributing to the coffers?

But obviously, we are looking at reductions and resizing downsizing, right-sizing government. Minnesota government costs too much, and amazingly everybody understands that. There’s very few people who would say, “I get a very good value for my state tax dollars.”  I think they are looking for a better style of leadership in terms of offering solutions.

I have been very aggressive on welfare reform, entitlement reform, reductions of state agencies, abolishment of the Met Council. It’s a combination approach.

MP: Both political parties have endorsed government redesign but little has changed. How would you accomplish it?

MS: I think my biggest redesign would be the Met Council abolishment and dismantlement.  I think it has to be major piece of the program.

The Met Council is going way above and beyond what it should be doing, particularly in the area of urban planning and zoning that is better left to local units of government that are held accountable with election certificates.

I look at the Met Council as a duplicative layer of government, over the top of local government that should be doing these things. Frankly, there are a lot of local government units that could be consolidating and performing joint services.

Metro transit authority, no doubt, it has to be centralized somewhere, but the Department of Transportation can do that. So there are some things that are going to have to be plugged into a state department. I’m not arguing that that’s not the case, but I just think there’s a lack of transparency and accountability.

MP: How do you grow the economy? What can government do?

MS: We’ve travelled the state extensively. We’ve had a lot of business roundtables that we’ve conducted. Most of the businesses that I’ve talked to say, “Yes, taxes are an issue.” But the bigger issue still relates to the vexing issue of permitting and regulation, license fees, unfriendly bureaucracies. There needs to be a big scissor approach.  Where are the other states around us that have fast-growing economies? Where are they on terms of regulations and license fees?  How do we become competitive again?

In the northeast part of the state, opening the mines again is part of the growth agenda. I think the ag economy is very important in the south and the west. The Mayo Clinic is important in the southeast. Certainly we want to do what we can to recruit businesses into the state but I think we have a great opportunity in growing with what we have.

MP: Gov. Dayton has boasted that the economy is growing, unemployment is falling and revenue is increasing. How do you counter his claim that we are already on a growth path?

MS: I think some of the economic data that shows growth is despite Mark Dayton and his policies, not because of Mark Dayton and his policies. The other thing about unemployment statistics is that a lot of people have given up looking for work and that a lot of people that should be in middle-class jobs are working at services-industries jobs that don’t pay very well.

If you look at the average middle-class family in Minnesota, a lot of them do not feel better off than they did when Mark Dayton took office. Their health insurance premiums are going up because of Obamacare. Their taxes are going up. Their property taxes are going up. Their license fees are going up. In the real world outside of the beltway of the Capitol, people are not feeling that great about things.

MP: What would you do to improve telecommunications and wireless access in greater Minnesota?

MS: They’ve been horsing around on this issue since I was in the Legislature years ago. They now have a broadband office. I would tell them as governor: You need to identify the critical areas that do not have access and get it done. How hard is it?

Obviously, there are some areas of the state that are isolated and there’s going to need some investment to bring them into the communications network. I think we need to put a benchmark out there and say at the end of two years, the entire state of Minnesota is going to be linked.

MP: What would you do with MNsure?

MS: I think the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce has given us a blueprint of the changes that need to be made. I would do everything possible to reflect free markets. I would look at the chamber blueprint as the initial changes that need to happen.

I think the MNsure board needs changing, the leadership needs changing. We need private-sector expertise from the insurances folks who actually understand how this works and then we also need private-sector input from IT people who understand how this works.  

MP: How would you improve education outcomes in low-achieving schools?

MS: I’m a former school teacher [four years at Marshall High School, teaching government civics, geography, and history]. I understand the challenges of being in a classroom. I want to show appreciation for the people who teach and work hard to educate our kids. I think the Republican Party has not always done a stellar job of saying, teaching is a tough field and we have some challenging kids and challenging situations.

I think you have to look at where the gap is. A lot of it is with kids unable to read and write English. We need to focus some efforts; we need to immerse children into reading writing and speaking English. If you can’t understand the teacher, how in the world can you expect them to pass the skills test?

Also, from first-hand experience as a teacher, we have had an erosion of instruction time in the state for the next 40 years. This is something that Arne [former Gov. Arne Carlson] used to talk about. How much time are kids spending in academic instruction in the state of Minnesota? At the end of the day, we have kids in school, less and less, every single year. We need to stop of the hemorrhaging of taking academic instruction time away from the school day.

I think, when people say this problem is going to be solved by just giving them vouchers, that is not going to solve it. We have to understand that 90 percent-plus of our kids go to public schools and they probably always will.

We need to get academic instruction time back to par. On testing, we do need to test periodically, but I do think we get a little overboard at times.

MP: Would you support raising the minimum wage?

MS: I ask, are you for raising youth employment opportunities? And the answer is no. The reality is that the Democrats are going to raise the minimum wage in this session. The only question is how much.

MP: How would you find common ground with the Senate Democrats?

MS: Just because we don’t necessarily agree on all the policies of the day, I do think personal relationships and respect mean something. I’m going to be looking at what are my highest priorities that I want to have done. They obviously have their priorities that they want. There's a framework that we are going to have to work with. I think we will find some common ground.

MP: What are your top priorities?

MS: Downsizing and right-sizing of government is one. I think the job agenda has to be top priority, like assessing where in Minnesota we have major employers who would like to expand and finding what’s holding up the show.

There’s a few issues on the tax front that are going to be dealt with this session so I want to see what they end up doing. The average middle-class family is looking for tax reductions and I want to provide that for them. I don’t have detailed tax plan put together, other than I know that people need to keep more of the fruits of their labor.

MP: Would you support a gas-tax increase or metro-area sales tax increase for transit?

MS: No, on both counts. There is already a sales tax for transit now. There is never enough money for the people who want to keep spending it. We have to look at what the average family can afford in their budget.

I want to look at, why does it cost 20 percent more to pave a road in Minnesota as compared to a similar road in a state that’s next to us. Do we have issues of competitive bidding? Do we have issues with prevailing wage requirements, permitting, regulations, right of way, easements, etc.?

I think we need to halt any new construction of any new rail lines because none of them meets a cost-benefit analysis. Over 92 percent of the population needs roads and bridges. That’s where the money needs to go. 

MP: Do you envision any changes in the way the state approaches citizen privacy?

MS: There’s a large group of people in both parties that are concerned about privacy and Fourth Amendment-type stuff.  I am interested in going in the direction of having some accountability for law enforcement when it comes to the new technologies like cell phone spyware. People are concerned that government is getting bigger and more intrusive and this is an issue where the parties can work together.

Maybe it’s Presidents Day patriotism, or more likely, it’s the importance of Goodhue County for Republican candidates.

Almost all GOP candidates for governor and U.S. Senate — plus Congressman John Kline and his primary challenger, David Gerson, and the state’s Republican national committeewoman, Janet Beihoffer — say they will attend a Monday night forum at Cannon Falls High School.

“Apparently we have some pretty motivated candidates this year,” said Merle Larson, acting chair for the Goodhue County GOP.

Two candidates, though, will not attend — gubernatorial candidate Scott Honour and U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden.

The Honour campaign said the candidate has a scheduling conflict for the evening.

Tom Erickson, McFadden's communications director, said the campaign will send a surrogate and referred to the event as a fundraiser, not a forum.

“We will be asking for free-will donations. There will not be a charge to attend,” according to Jeff Hommedahl, treasurer for the party unit.

According to the volunteers who are organizing the event, it is definitely a forum, with each candidate allowed to make a seven- or eight-minute presentation, followed by questions from the audience.

“It is a limited time for them to present their arguments to the assembled,” Larson said. “Any one can attend — the more, the better,” he added, referring to both the public and the candidates.

Tina Smith, Gov. Mark Dayton’s new running mate in his 2014 re-election campaign, is in Week Two of her life as a candidate, a transition from her chief-of-staff role that she seems to be handling with confidence.

But Smith knows that her close working relationship with the governor and her role in helping develop policy priorities make her an election-year target for Republican opponents, and she even has to deal with some critics in her own party unhappy with an all-Minneapolis ticket.

She talked with MinnPost about how she intends to explain, amplify and defend the DFL ticket during the campaign. Here’s the transcript edited for clarity.

MinnPost: Did you have any concerns about becoming a public person?

Tina Smith: I have a lot to learn certainly, but I have spent the last 15 to 20 years working in the public arena, only in different roles. We certainly talked about that. We talked about that in our family. The governor and I talked about that, but it wasn’t ultimately a big factor in our decision.

MP: Had you ever considered running for office?

TS: Last year there was a lot of talk about whether I should run for mayor of Minneapolis, and I certainly gave that a lot of thought. I knew, though, that my work in the governor’s office and with the governor wasn’t done yet, and as I thought about it, knew I wanted to stay working with him.

MP: What are the chief differences between being a manager and being a candidate?

TS: I think being a good manager and being a good candidate require you to be an excellent listener. I just think a lot about that. One of the things I look forward to is being out and being able to talk to people and listen to how they think things are going and how Minnesota is doing. Being a good manager, you’ve got to listen really hard. I often would say, “Tell me something I don’t know that I'm not going to like.”

MP: What’s an example of something you didn’t like to hear?

TS: Well, in state government, think about how hard we’re working on trying to close the achievement gap. That is one of the biggest challenges we face. Tell me about where the challenges are and where we’re not getting it right. Tell me what we need to do differently so we can do better.

MP: What do you bring to the ticket that you think it needs?

TS: I think that better than most people, I really understand the priorities of the governor and how we need to take it to the next level. I am in a great position to tell Minnesotans about that. Because I worked right next to the governor the last three years, I bring a capacity to have those conversations with people that is pretty unique.

MP: How do you answer concerns — from within your party — that the ticket is too metro — the so-called one-city control?

TS: Anyone who knows Mark Dayton knows that he’s been representing the entire state of Minnesota since when he was appointed to run the Department of Economic Development under Rudy Perpich. He’s been representing the entire state his entire time in public service. To say that Mark Dayton is a Minneapolis person is shortsighted.

I’ve lived in Minneapolis and the western suburbs all the time I've lived in Minnesota. It’s my hometown. But I’ve also had the chance to work on issues that are statewide issues for quite a while. The other thing is, you get to a stage in your life [when] you know what you don’t know, and I certainly appreciate that.

MP: Have you heard directly from people, especially Iron Range legislators, about this concern?

TS: Interestingly, no, I've not had anybody talk to me about it personally. I’m certainly aware of the conversations that are out there, and I've actually asked questions of people. I’ve been proactive trying to understand it better. The legislators up on the Range are tenacious fighters for their region of the state, and that's why they’re so good. I don't take it personally at all.

MP: As a manager, how do you rate the management of MNsure?

TS: I agree with the governor that there have been some big missteps in the way MNsure has been managed. The level of service that they’re providing is just unacceptable, and it’s got to get better.

MP: But being the good, technical manager that you are, did it frustrate you to see what was happening?

TS: Deep frustration, deeply, deeply frustrating. And what happened was especially frustrating because we worked so hard to try to understand what was going on and that they had all the resources that were needed to accomplish the goal of a website that worked for Minnesotans on Day One. And to have tried to so hard, only to find out after the fact that there were just big parts of the site that weren’t working, was deeply frustrating.

MP: Were you deceived, in a way, about what was happening?

TS: Deceived would suggest that people, that the manager was purposely trying to keep information from us, and I don’t think that that was the case. I think they were trying to accomplish a technology goal that was incredibly challenging. I don't think they realized that it was going to go so bad on the back end.

MP: In hindsight, would you have not launched MNsure in the manner in which it was launched?

TS: In hindsight, the governor and I would have made big changes much, much earlier to make sure that the technology infrastructure was working. We didn’t know that at the time. But there’s no excuse. It should be much better, and it will be.

MP: How will you talk to labor about the administration’s position on non-ferrous mining in northern Minnesota?

TS: Our entire administration has said [that] we need to be the neutral arbiters here. We need to let the comment period and environmental impact process play its course before we make any statements about what we think. I think [the governor] is totally right about that.

MP: What if the campaign perceives you are losing critical political support because of this neutrality? Would that change anything?

TS: I don’t think it’s responsible to say that we think one thing definitely ought to happen on these mining projects until we have all the information in place. And I wouldn’t be afraid to say to anybody, that it’s just not responsible. Also, the governor and I have been unwavering in our belief that you can have environmental protection and job creation and you don’t have to pick between those two things. This doesn't have to be a win-lose situation.

MP: Will the financing mechanism for the new Vikings stadium be viable?

TS: We have a strategy for paying the debt on the stadium [$468 million procured through state revenue bonds] through closing corporate loopholes and through this one-time revenue that was gotten because of the cigarette tax. E-pulltabs could be supporting revenue, but we’re not counting on e-pulltab revenue to pay back the stadium.

MP: Why did you decide to stay on the Destination Medical Center Board, the oversight board for expansion of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester?

TS: The governor and I talked a lot about that. It is a unique partnership between the state, county, city of Rochester and Mayo Clinic. The governor appointed me to that job; the board members elected me to be chair. When we knew that I was going to be a candidate for governor, they all asked me to stay. It’s a great project, and I think it’s exactly the kind of project I hope to be more involved with when I’m lieutenant governor.

MP: Do you worry about possible conflicts — very simply put, a perception that the position allows a candidate to trade beneficial decisions for votes?

TS: The Destination Medical Center effort is going to be focused on putting together a development plan for this district in Rochester. Where is development going to happen? How are we going to market this opportunity? How are we going to finance this opportunity?

MP: And in doing so, won’t you get a lot of pressure from outside groups?

TS: I don’t see this as a political opportunity. I don’t see this as a Democratic opportunity or a Republican opportunity. I see it as an opportunity to really grow jobs and expand the Mayo Clinic. I’m not going to be personally picking projects, one project over another project. My job is to chair that board and make sure that the development project gets done correctly.

MP: How much time will you spend campaigning?

TS: I’m going to be campaigning full time. That’s why I resigned my position as governor’s chief of staff. We always knew that the governor would be spending a lot of his time in late winter and spring at the Legislature. This is an incredibly important legislative session in that his attention was going to be quite focused on this session — bonding bill, raising minimum wage, the “un-session” effort that we’ve been working on. I’m expecting to spend a lot of time on the phone, a lot of time fundraising. I am really looking forward to getting out of St. Paul.

MP: Do you see stepping in more, given the governor’s recovery from hip surgery?

TS: He’s definitely going to be less mobile in the next month or so. So I'm going to be out there working and talking to people. After the legislative session is done, I'm sure we’ll both be out on the road.

MP: When the campaign vetted you, did anyone have concerns about what popped up in your background?

TS: We did a thorough vetting, which I really welcomed and was grateful for. The campaign had me fill out a big questionnaire. There was nothing. No skeletons [laughter].

MP: Will you run for governor one day?

TS: One thing I’ve learned in politics is that you just never know what’s going to happen. Four years ago, I was the campaign manager for Mayor [R.T.] Rybak, working hard to get him elected governor. If somebody had told me four years ago that I was going to be sitting here with you talking about a campaign for lieutenant governor, I would have told them they were crazy. So you just never know.

State Rep. David FitzSimmons, one of four Republicans to vote in favor of gay marriage last session, has decided not run for re-election, making the announcement over the weekend at his party’s endorsing convention.

(The weekend’s other GOP district conventions also made political news. Pat Garafolo, Republican representative from Farmington who also voted for gay marriage, unanimously won endorsement. Meanwhile, Republican state Rep. Mary Liz Holberg of Lakeville announced at her district convention that she will not run for a ninth term.)

Of his situation, FitzSimmons said in an interview:  “It was very evident that the forces that wanted to force me out had solidified people in their opposition to me.”

Instead, House District 30A endorsed Dayton City Council Member Eric Lucero, who made FitzSimmons’ gay marriage vote the linchpin of his campaign. 

FitzSimmons had been expected to lose the GOP endorsement, despite being considered a party leader in Wright County and having the support of such stalwart conservatives as Tom Emmer, a congressional candidate in the 6th District. 

But FitzSimmons’ district, which includes St. Michael and Albertville, is considered one of the most socially conservative areas of the state.

The Minnesota Family Council, a strong opponent of gay marriage, immediately targeted FitzSimmons after his vote last spring.

The Family Council efforts were enhanced by activists who engaged in “some pretty rough campaigning, both political and personal,” according to Amy Koch, a former state senator for the district and a FitzSimmons supporter who attended the Wright County convention Saturday.

FitzSimmons acknowledged he felt bruised by the battle, “after a lot very half-truths and outright lies and fabrication.”

 He said he hoped that by withdrawing from the endorsement contest, delegates would have opted for a third candidate, Senell Jaster, instead of Lucero, whom FitzSimmons describes as “very much out of the mainstream.”

Lucero’s website featured a section on “Strength of Family,” which since has been taken down.

It cited a government “assault against the family unit,” including “gay marriage and the homosexual lifestyle” and “blending the gender distinctions such as women in combat and homosexuals openly serving in the military.”

Lucero has not yet responded to an email request for an interview.

“Absolutely not” was FitzSimmons’ response to a question about whether he would have changed his gay marriage vote if he knew it would cost him a legislative seat. 

He said he intends to pursue a full agenda when he returns to the state Capitol this week to complete his term.

“There’s a few things I’m going to continue to work on -- education funding, issues with my local district,” he said. “I also have a bill in to allow Sunday liquor sales.  Maybe without reason, I’m optimistic that that is something that could get done.”

Another Republican legislator will not run again for another term in office, but this one intends to stay at the Capitol in a different job.

State Rep. Kurt Zellers of Maple Grove, a candidate for governor, said Monday he will not run for re-election.

“It’s a way to show people that I’m all in for governor’s race,” he said. “I’m not going to hold on to two offices.  It’s either up or out.”

Zellers, one of six Republicans running for governor, has said he intends to run in a primary if he does not receive the party’s endorsement.

The high point of Zellers’ six terms in the Lgislature came when he served as speaker of the House after he led Republicans to majority status in the 2010 elections. Things were reversed, though, in 2012 when Republicans lost their majority, resulting in DFL control of the governor’s office and the Minnesota House and Senate.

Zellers presided over the Minnesota House during the 15-day state government shutdown in 2011. Ultimately, Republicans prevailed in their demands for no tax increases in the budget.

He said that tax issues are still on his agenda for the new legislative session, pledging to help repeal the business-to-business taxes that were passed last year.

 Two Republican candidates already have said they will run for Zellers’ 34B House seat — Dennis Smith, the treasurer of his gubernatorial campaign, and Dean Henke, a member of the Osseo school board.

Courtesy of Christopher Koch

Christopher Koch

Christopher Koch, ex-husband of former Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, was the boldfaced name that the Libertarian Party of Minnesota had hoped would be its candidate for governor.

But late last night, Koch, a small-business owner and Republican activist, decided to end his candidacy.

“I’m prepared as a candidate, but I have small business in a moderate-growth mode and I fear [a run for governor] could ruin my small business,” he said in an interview.

Koch has an 18-year-old daughter who also factored into his decision. “I had to really ponder whether I wanted to spend my last year with her, before she goes to college, on the road as a candidate,” he said.

Koch said he has nothing but respect for the efforts of the Libertarian Party.

“There’s a real hunger for alternatives to the Republicans and Democrats,” he said.  “The Libertarian Party is an appropriate home for me.”

The Republican Party in which he and his former wife became involved in the mid-’90s had become too focused on social issues, he said.

Koch said he still is a strong supporter of the GOP’s fiscal conservatism but falls more in line with the less-government approach of the Libertarian Party.

“More and more, my social beliefs were diverging from the Republican Party. I saw that with the marriage amendment,” he said. “My personal belief is that same-sex marriage is perfectly valid.  I don’t know why we would consider a constitutionally enshrined bias against a group.”

Had he continued his campaign, Koch said he would have made personal liberties the cornerstone and emphasized the need for a strong third party.

“I think people need an alternative party choice,” he said.  “I think there are lots of people that don’t fall neatly into categories.”

In the interview, Koch also broke his silence about his relationship with his former wife, whom he met when both served in the U.S. Air Force. The couple divorced in 2012 after Amy Koch acknowledged a romantic relationship with top Senate staffer Michael Brodkorb, an affair that cost her the Senate leadership and Brodkorb his job.

“Amy is still a dear friend of mine. I respect her very much,” he said. “She’s a skilled leader and a good public servant. She’s a good person, and she and I have raised a good daughter together.”

Koch said he informed leaders of the Libertarian Party of his decision early this morning.  As of this morning, the party’s Facebook page still mentions a Thursday news conference to announce a governor candidate.

For women who may have aspirations to be the governor of Minnesota, their status has been a version of “‘always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”

And there's no immediate change in sight.

In 2014, three of the male candidates for governor — the DFL incumbent Mark Dayton and two of his Republican challengers, Dave Thompson and Marty Seifert — already have selected women as their running mates.

It’s highly likely that Republicans Scott Honour, Jeff Johnson and Kurt Zellers will do the same.

The past six lieutenant governors have been women.

The few Republican women who expressed interest in taking on Dayton for the state’s top job never materialized as serious contenders.

Groups like Voices for Conservative Women were actively encouraging women to try for the GOP nomination, with no luck. Earlier, state Sen. Julie Rosen and Karen Housley signaled that they might join the competition, but both backed away.

“I think it’s tough, especially in my party,” said Pat Anderson, a former Republican state auditor who tried a candidacy for governor in 2010, only to switch back to the auditor’s race, which she lost.

“It’s harder for a female candidate to get nominated [for governor],” she said.  “There’s still some heavy testosterone in the party.”

In 2010, it proved tough for a DFL candidate as well. Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, then House speaker, won her party’s endorsement but lost the nomination to Dayton in the primary.

Minnesota's lack of women gubernatorial candidates has been striking, given that the state has elected women as secretaries of state, auditors, U.S. senators and congresswomen. This year, 28 women in 19 other states (PDF) are candidates for governor.

Both Voices for Conservative Women and womenwinning, a Minnesota group that backs pro-choice female candidates, declined to comment on the state's track record, with both groups clearly wanting to avoid undermining a woman's candidacy.

But Lauren Beecham, executive director of womenwinning, offered this observation in an email exchange: “Looking at political science research, women tend to fare better in open seats. I suspect that the next time the governor’s seat is open, we will have a number of women running across the political spectrum.”

Still, the women currently running for lieutenant governor are leaving positions where they had more power, influence and accountability.

Dayton's running mate, Tina Smith, was his chief of staff. 

Sen. Michelle Benson, who is Sen. Dave Thompson’s running mate, is the ranking Republican on the Senate’s health and human services committee.  Rep. Pam Myhra, Seifert’s choice for running mate, is the Republican lead on early childhood education in the House.

“I am willing to walk away from my House district because I believe in this team,” Myhra said.  “I love the relationship side of politics. Principles and people are more important than position or power or a paycheck.”

Pat Anderson

Anderson believes the perfect lieutenant governor pick is someone who enjoys the supportive role. “It’s a position with zero power,” she said.  It’s ribbon-cutting and supporting the governor.”

According to Beecham, also limiting the field is that too few women choose to run for political office. She referred to a study (PDF) by American University that cites reasons as diverse as child care concerns, perceived bias in the political system, dislike of campaign practices, and negative reactions to Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin.

And that’s too bad, Beecham and Anderson agree. “When women run for office, women win at the same rates as men,” Beecham said.

“If a Republican woman got nominated [for governor], she would get elected,” Anderson maintains.

Myhra — and Smith, in an earlier interview — refused to reflect on whether an eventual run for governor is in their future.

History is not in their favor.  Only nine of the state’s lieutenant governors went on to the top job. They were men.

But observers of both parties believe that 2018 will be the time for a woman at the top of at least one state ticket.

It would be a case of image and opportunity, they say.

The DFL for sure will have an opening, given that Dayton has said that if successful this fall, he would not seek a third term. Democrats could trumpet their party’s inclusiveness by choosing a woman.

And if Republicans are unsuccessful in defeating Dayton this fall, they could confront the party’s “war on women” image.

Dennis Nguyen

Citing commitments to his businesses and family, Republican Dennis Nguyen withdrew Monday from the race for secretary of state.

The Republicans, however, may not be without a candidate for long.

Former state Sen. Ted Daley is considering running for the office. He said he became interested in the race before Nguyen’s announcement because it’s an open statewide office and because of concerns he’d heard about Nguyen’s candidacy.

“There’s been some recent news about the candidate,” Daly said. “The news has prompted my exploratory committee to begin looking at the possibility of another candidacy.”

Daley said he was referring to reports that Nguyen was a frequent patron of strip clubs. Those reports include articles in City Pages and from Republican blogger Jeff Kolb.

A Nguyen spokesman — Branden Petersen, who is also a Republican state senator — confirmed that Nguyen made such visits before and after he had announced his candidacy.  

“Dennis Nguyen has been at a strip club, yes, in his life,” Peterson said. He said Nguyen had participated in the activity, “like tens of millions of other Americans.”

Nguyen’s announcement to end his candidacy appeared on his Facebook page and mentions only his family and business concerns. 

“My four young children require my active involvement in their lives. Additionally, global equity markets are on the upswing and I need to focus on bringing a number of New Asia Partners’ investments to the market in 2014,” he said in a news release posted on the page.

State Reps. Deb Hilstrom and Steve Simon are seeking the DFL endorsement for the office now held by DFLer Mark Ritchie, who is not running again.    

Daley, an Iraq and Gulf war veteran with a West Point degree, served two years in the state Senate, representing District 38 in Eagan. He was defeated in 2012 by DFLer Jim Carlson. Daley is the treasurer for Republican Scott Honour’s campaign for governor.

“That’s yet another consideration,” Daley said. “I’ve made that commitment, and before I make another commitment, I want to make sure I have a replacement.”

He said he would likely make his decision “sometime this week.”

John Howe

Former state Sen. John Howe, a Red Wing businessman, said Tuesday that he is running for Republican endorsement for Minnesota secretary of state.

Howe’s announcement comes a day after Republican businessman Dennis Nguyen dropped out of the race, citing business concerns, but there also had been revelations that he had frequented strip clubs.

Howe, who was previously mayor of Red Wing, was elected to the Senate in 2010 but defeated in 2012 by DFLer Matt Schmit.

He attributed his loss to what he called “friendly fire.” The state Republican Party had mailed fliers depicting a mug shot of Schmit after his arrest for drunk driving.

Howe is the second former state senator — defeated in the last election cycle — to express interest in the office. Former Sen. Ted Daley of Eagan said he is exploring entering the race and will decide by the end of the week.

The secretary of state office is an open, statewide seat. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a DFLer, is not running again.

Two DFLers are trying for the office — state Rep. Deb Hilstrom of Brooklyn Center and state Rep. Steve Simon of Hopkins.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Dario Anselmo

Republicans in Edina presented a view of their party not often seen at this year’s endorsing conventions — two candidates seeking endorsement for the District 49A House seat who hewed to the middle, instead of the right.

While GOP delegates in St. Michael and Eden Prairie recently denied endorsement to two state representatives who had voted for same-sex marriage, the delegates in 49A endorsed a declared social moderate.

Dario Anselmo, former owner of the Fine Line Music Café, defeated Polly Peterson Bowles, an attorney who was a Met Council appointee of former Gov. Arne Carlson and whose father served as a state Supreme Court justice and, earlier, represented the district.

With Anselmo’s endorsement, the voters in 49A will now choose between two candidates who reflect the district’s centrist leanings. On Saturday, incumbent state Rep. Ron Erhardt, formerly a Republican, received the DFL endorsement.

Erhardt, in switching parties in 2012, made it clear he did not agree with the GOP on such issues as gay marriage and abortion. He also maintains he’s a fiscal conservative and voted against most of the tax increases the DFL passed last year.

Anselmo, asked how he would differentiate himself from his DFL opponent, said: “I’m more conservative than Erhardt from the fiscal side, and being from business, I know the effect of too many taxes, too much regulation and too much government. Fiscally conservative and socially moderate.”

Rep. Ron Erhardt

Like many Republicans today, Anselmo said he was opposed to the Republicans’ proposed 2012 constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as a heterosexual union.

And he’s equally clear on his position on abortion rights. “I grew up with Roe versus Wade,” he said. “This is not hard for me.”

What was trickier in securing Republican endorsement, he said, was explaining why he had contributed to candidates who were Democrats. “I’ve been stressing inclusiveness. I’ve been talking about it for years,” he said. “How do we bring more people into the tent and keep our principles?”

Both Anselmo and Erhardt know how expensive the race will be.

In 2012, Erhardt and his GOP opponent, Bill Glahn, together spent more than $100,000. With this suburban district considered a plum for both parties, both expect campaign spending to be much higher this year.

Scott Honour

Trackers for the Republican campaigns for governor have been especially busy during this season of local conventions, trying to catch the opposition in a moment of misspeak.

One videographer captured Scott Honour — at two conventions — implying he had an inside track with the Republican Governors Association. I’ve viewed the segments, and here’s what they show.

At Grace Church of the Nazarene in Inver Grove Heights, Honour told the delegates at the March 15 House District 52B convention:

The Republican Governors Association would like me to be the candidate. They had me speak at their annual meeting in November. I’m one of two candidates in the country that they invited to speak. The reason is they see this as a winnable race. They know our governor is vulnerable, and with the right candidate, they’ll put in the resources to help us.

He made similar remarks the same day at the Senate District 39 convention in Mahtomedi:

I’ve had support from the Republican Governors Association. I’ve been to speak at their annual meeting last November. They did so because they see this state as one that’s winnable. They know the governor is vulnerable. They’ll put the resources, both in terms of money and people, to help us win if I’m the candidate.

Update: Honour campaign spokeswoman Valentina Weis said that he did not mean to suggest that he had the RGA endorsement. "Scott's point is that the RGA is interested in a well-funded candidate like him and more likely to get involved if a candidate can raise money and get a great campaign team," she said.

The RGA did not respond to several requests for comment, but a spokesman, in an interview about the four-way race for the GOP nomination in Illinois, is quoted as saying the group does not get involved in competitive primaries.

In that race, candidate Bruce Rauner won Tuesday’s primary election. The RGA immediately sent him hearty congratulations and a check for $750,000.

The Minnesota primary, in which at least three of the GOP governor candidates say they intend to compete, is Aug. 12.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Julianne Ortman has notched another endorsement from a national conservative standard bearer as she continues a rightward swing to gain GOP endorsement to run against Sen. Al Franken. 

Citizens United (the same group whose lawsuit against the Federal Elections Commission resulted in unrestricted political spending by corporations and unions) not only endorsed Ortman but also slammed one of her GOP opponents, Mike McFadden.

“Minnesotans deserve a clear choice – and Julianne Ortman can best articulate that choice because liberal Mike McFadden is just ‘Franken-lite,’” Citizens United President David Bossie said in a news release. “Unfortunately, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and other Washington establishment fixtures are supporting McFadden as if Minnesotans have already made their decision.”

Former Alaska governor and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin took a similar swipe at McFadden in her Ortman endorsement announcement last week.

There could be questions

Undoubtedly, those endorsements would be used against Ortman in a general election campaign against Franken. Should Ortman get the state party endorsement, she might even face questions, particularly about Palin’s backing, in the Republican primary that McFadden and candidate Jim Abeler say they will enter.

But for now Sarah Palin and Citizens United can only help Ortman with her finesse to downplay the more moderate reputation she had as state senator from Chaska, a reputation that includes legislative proposals to raise taxes when the state was facing budget deficits.

In 2011, Ortman authored a bill to tax some online sales, although she made it clear she wanted the bill introduced for the sake of discussion.

In 2009, Ortman proposed a tax increase on predatory lenders – credit institutions that charged more than a 15 percent interest rate. Again, she qualified, saying that she hoped the new revenue would be used to drop rates in the low- to middle-income tax brackets.

Those actions cost Ortman the Republican endorsement for her state Senate seat in 2012.  But they may not affect her support today among delegates who will determine the U.S. Senate endorsement at the party convention in May.

Jack Rogers, president of the Minnesota Tea Party Alliance said, “Voting records in office is a thing we look at.” Although the Tea Party doesn’t formally endorse, its members tend be active in the GOP Party structure that leads to earning a delegate slot at the state convention.

Rogers said Tea Party support is earned by ranking a candidate on his or her position on a list of issues. Among the U.S. Senate candidates, “Julianne is in the top two of those people right now,” he said.  He declined to name the other candidate.

Taking no chances

Ortman appears to be taking no chances in misinterpretations of her positions.  At a debate earlier this week sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, she was unequivocal in her support for military spending, opposition to NSA spying, and support of a "personhood" proposal to grant legal rights to fetuses. 

She also changed her position on the Affordable Care Act. “I'm not a full repeal person,” she told the Star Tribune in a September 2013 interview.  In Tuesday’s debate, she joined her fellow candidates in calling for an end to Obamacare, with no exceptions.

Ortman’s strategy to polish her conservative credentials appears to be working. Several polls show her as the top Republican candidate to beat Franken. And, in the contest that’s most important for now, Ortman is leading among delegates who will choose a party endorsee next month.

The Republican Party of Minnesota reports $706,000 first-quarter 2014 income and $75,000 cash on hand. The state GOP is one of the first campaigns or parties to hit an April 15 deadline.

“We are doing pretty well,” said MnGOP party chair Keith Downey.  “We are well funded for what we’re trying to do.”

Downey says that to-do list has three priorities: advancing strong candidates, building Election Day infrastructure and “delivering a more compelling message.  These are three areas, frankly, we got beat at in 2012.”

The Republican Party is also got beat on fundraising.  At the end of the 2013, the DFL Central Committee reported nearly $100,000 cash-on-hand from $2 million-plus in annual contributions.

GOP overhead was higher due to debt repayment from the 2010 cycle. The party reported $753,800 in a March 20 filing with the Federal Elections Commission.  Downey also noted upfront costs from a move into new Minneapolis headquarters.

Moving forward, Downey said that the party will be spending more on outreach, “listening to constituents, presenting our message in a way that people understand has a direction connection to their lives.”   

However, expect Republicans to use a portion of the party’s funds to aggressively raise integrity questions about their opponents. With Gov. Mark Dayton, Sen. Al Franken, and the House of Representatives up for re-election, Downey was clear the party will seize upon the mistakes in MNcare and controversies  such as the new Senate office building and Dayton’s medical marijuana statements:  “We will ask, ‘Can the Democrats be trusted?’”

For a candidate with name recognition, who’s raised more than $800,000 for his 2014 campaign, and had a serious 2010 gubernatorial run, Tom Emmer is encountering some unusual intra-party friction in his GOP bid for Congress from the strongly Republican Sixth District.

Phil Krinkie

“Tom Emmer would be a drag on the statewide ticket.  Look at the public record,” said Phil Krinkie, also a Republican candidate for the sixth district congressional seat being vacated by Michele Bachmann.

Krinkie says he is skipping Saturday’s convention in Monticello, where Emmer is the heavy favorite to win endorsement, and will likely go to primary or even challenge Emmer as a third-party candidate. 

While Krinkie admits he’s still weighing his options, a third Republican candidate, Anoka County commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah, says she’s definitely heading to the Aug. 12 primary.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Rhonda Sivarajah

“I think voters deserve a voice,” she said.  “It’s a rare opportunity to decide between two kinds Republicans — one with a record of accomplishment versus someone who talks about things.”

In response, Emmer pointed to some inescapable facts about his campaign. “We’ve raised the money,” he said.  “We identified voters to come out on a cold night in February to caucuses, and we got almost 70 percent in a straw poll.  Plus, we came within 8,300 votes on 2.2 million cast [in the 2010 governor’s race] at the top of the ticket that elected a Republican majority in the [Minnesota] Senate for the first time in decades.”

Sivarajah and Krinkie maintain that Emmer has political liabilities. 

“There’s lots of people that want to throw out the red meat and rile up the base, but that doesn’t get anything accomplished,” Sivarajah said.

“What I believe about Mr. Emmer — the fatal flaw — is that he doesn’t know how to apologize and admit he made a mistake,” Krinkie said, citing Emmer’s DWI conviction that became the subject of DFL attack ads in the governor’s race.

Both have also expressed philosophical reasons for contesting the Sixth District endorsement.

Krinkie says the Republican Party needs to change its “top-down process” in picking a nominee.  “Attendance at Republican caucuses is down almost 30 percent,” he said.  “You’ve seen the numbers nationwide with regard to political identification.  More and more people regard themselves as independent.”

Sivarajah has concerns about the party’s gender gap.  “I’m really running on my record of accomplishment rather than my gender,” she said.  “But at the same, it’s a well-known fact that Republicans need to do more to earn the support of women.”

Emmer had a different take on the effect of a primary contest.  “It’s easy for people to talk other people down,” he said.  “That’s one of things Republicans have got to stop doing.  We’ve got to stop shooting at each other.”

The real target, he suggests, is the DFL candidate that will emerge from that party’s primary contest.  Three DFLers are running for the party's nomination: Judy Adams of Circle Pines, Jim Read of Avon, and Sartell mayor Joe Perske.

Minnesota’s six Republican gubernatorial candidates together out-raised DFL Gov. Mark Dayton’s campaign in 2014’s first three months. However, Dayton is still on a bigger pile of cash than his opponents combined.    

Here’s how the newly reported first quarter 2014 numbers break down:

Dayton raised $189,000, and has $733,114 cash on hand and unpaid bills of $1,700.

Collectively, gubernatorial Republicans raised $493,700 and have $462,180 in unpsent cash.

Businessman Scott Honour's campaign out-raised Dayton, receiving $236,075, including $50,000 Honour loaned to the campaign.  Honour's cash on hand is $13,693 more than the loan, or $63,693.

Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson and former state Rep. Marty Seifert are nearly tied with each other in retained cash — Seifert leads the GOP field with $141,700, while Johnson has $139,000.  Seifert raised $64,127 during the quarter while Johnson raised $32,000. 

State Rep. Kurt Zellers took in $91,407, including a $20,000 personal loan.  His campaign has $79,777 cash on hand.

State Sen. Dave Thompson’s campaign took in $66,889, with $37,695 cash on hand and unpaid bills of  $27,000.

Hibbing teacher Rob Farnsworth raised $3,335, including a $500 personal loan, with cash on hand of $315.

Also of note: the Dayton campaign still has on its books $3.9 million in loans that Dayton made to the campaign during his successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign.

Who gave how much to whom?

That’s one of the games political junkies play when candidates file with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board.

For the 2014’s first quarter, gubernatorial campaigns feature bold-faced names, big contribution amounts, and some trends.

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton collected $169,961 in cash and in-kind contributions, much from donors affiliated with the arts:

• Bruce Coppock, president St Paul Chamber Orchestra, donated $1,000
• Tom Hoch, president of the Hennepin Theater Trust, donated $500.
• Garrison Keillor had an in-kind contribution of $3,000 for hosting a fundraiser, plus $1,000 in a cash contribution.
• Ruth Huss, an arts philanthropist  gave the maximum of $4,000.

Dayton’s list of donors also includes Marilyn Nelson of Carlson Companies, who gave $1,000 and John Noseworthy, CEO of  Mayo Clinic, who also gave $1,000.

Wheelock Whitney is a well-known Republican who himself ran for governor. He’s also a Dayton family friend. He gave $750.

And speaking of family, the Dayton list includes a number of donors surnamed Dayton, including Lucy Dayton of Helena Montana who gave the maximum of $4,000. H. William Walter and Judy Walter of Minneapolis, and Matthew Walter of Edina also gave $4,000.

For this cycle, six donors gave the Dayton campaign the maximum contribution, including Wayzata's Edison Spencer.

On the Republican side, businessman Scott Honour raised the most of all candidates, including Dayton, with receipts $251,071.01, including a $50,000 personal loan.

Hnour had the most donors (seven) giving the $4,000 maximum: St. Peter’s Laurie Davis and Mitch Davis; Jack Helms from Edina; Wayzata’s Patrick Hughes; Connie Hayes and Doug Hayes of Los Angeles; and Jonathan Chan of Singapore. 

Former Eighth District congressman Chip Cravaack gave the Honour campaign his donor list for an in-kind contribution valued at $824.50

Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson raised $32,027. One donor, Brandy Darcy of Wayzata gave the $4,000 maximum contribution. 

Former State Rep. Marty Seifert raised $64,127. His list contains two maximum contributions, each from prominent Republican donors Joan and Bob Cummins.

State Rep. Kurt Zellers raised  $91,407.14 with no maximum contributors.  His list includes a representation of political insiders: GOP consultant Elam Baer gave $500 as did former Gov. Tim Pawlenty chief of staff Bob Schroeder. Pawlenty’s communication director Brian McClung gave $550.

State Sen. Dave Thompson raised $67, 066.07 and was second among Republicans in donors who gave the maximum. Four donors contributed $4,000: Ashley and Brenton Hayden of Minnetonka; Ian McDonald of Lakeville; and Gary Polzin of Northfield. Timothy Pearson of Lakeville contributed $3,950 to the Thompson campaign.

A final candidate, Rob Farnsworth, took in $3,335.

State Rep. Jim Abeler ended speculation that he would abandon his U.S. Senate campaign and run again for his Anoka-Ramsey seat. Instead, he introduced his potential successor Tuesday and pledged he is “fully committed” to winning the Republican nomination to challenge DFL Sen. Al Franken in November.

The new Republican name in Abeler's increasingly swing district is Abigail Whelan, a former legislative assistant.

“It’s the right step to take,” Abeler said of his decision to seek the Republican U.S. Senate endorsement although “more likely than not I would run in a primary.”

According MinnPost’s Campaign Finance Dashboard, Abeler has just under $14,000 cash on hand — well below all of his GOP rivals except Julianne Ortman, who has not reported her campaign’s cash on hand.

Fundraising is always a concern, Abeler said, but predicted “pure money will not be successful,” perhaps a reference to millionaire GOP rival Mike McFadden.

Abeler added that his advantage over Republican competition is that “the problems of our time are the deficit, debt and health care. My experience and expertise is in those areas.”

Abeler said that 57 legislative colleagues asked to him to run for re-election to his House seat, an acknowledgement of that expertise — and the risk of losing a newly open, competitive district.

The state Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board has closed the book on charges of illegal activity by the DFL and Republican parties in 2012.  The verdict is — not guilty.

Each party had filed complaints against the other on independent expenditures that require outside groups supporting a candidate to report how much money they spent, and forbid any coordination with the candidate’s campaign.

The Republican party claimed that the DFL had coordinated with four candidates by staging photos of them that later appeared in DFL-paid literature.

The board ruled: “Where the DFL was unable to obtain the desired images, they obtained images at public events held by the candidates. In the cases of those candidates where images were obtained at public events, the candidate had no prior knowledge of the DFL’s planned attendance or that the pictures would ultimately be used for the subject independent expenditures.”

The DFL’s complaint alleged that the Republican Party, which had distributed similar literature on behalf of its candidates, had fudged reporting by not including the cost of mailing.

Here, the board determined that the Republican party had erred — “the report did not clearly indicate that the cost included postage” — but the omissions  “were inadvertent and were not done to avoid disclosure of the independent expenditures identified in the complaint.”

With a new poll from Suffolk University in Boston showing Gov. Mark Dayton leading his potential Republican opponents by 12 to 18 points, it’s clear the GOP field has some catching up to do to create a statewide resence.

At this phase of their campaigns, the six Republican candidates are still working at the retail level – catching up with voters at coffee shops and local political gatherings in advance of the Republican state convention in Rochester on May 30. But props for imagination, creativity and a dash of chutzpah go to Marty Seifert, the former state legislator from Marshall, who is acting like he is the man to take on Dayton in November.

Seifert has consistently injected himself into statewide debates that don't involve his candidacy. He testified in favor of mining expansion at a hearing in Duluth. He testified against the Southwest Light Rail plans at a Met Council meeting in Minneapolis.

He’s told reporters that he will be offering a statement and taking questions outside the House chamber immediately after Dayton’s state of the state address on Wednesday.

And he’s moving in on the sacred ground of the Governor’s Fishing Opener. While Mark Dayton casts his line into waters of the Brainerd Lakes area on May 10, Seifert will be holding his own Seifert for Governor 2014 Minnesota Fishing Opener in Otter Tail County. Via news release, he invited reporters to witness his first catch on Saturday morning.

Seifert’s efforts may be giving him a small bounce, at least among Republican voters. The poll published by Suffolk University showed him leading in a primary contest. But the bad news for all the GOP contenders (and good news for Dayton) is that 67 percent of the primary voters surveyed said they remain undecided.

Two congressmen, two former U.S. Senators, and the minority leaders in the Minnesota House and Senate are part of unusually high-powered group of hosts for a fundraiser on behalf of a state representative.

Norm Coleman, Rudy Boschwitz, Tom Emmer, David Hann, Kurt Daudt, Erik Paulsen, and John Kline are supporters of Eden Prairie Republican Jenifer Loon. Loon is running for re-election after failing to receive her party’s endorsement because of her vote last year to make same-sex marriage legal in Minnesota.

Sheila Kihne, an activist who may challenge Loon in a primary, led the fight to deny Loon’s endorsement. “I will make a decision on running in primary after the legislative session ends and before June 1,” she said in an email.

Kihne indicated that Loon’s vote on gay marriage would be an issue in a primary campaign. “It’s no surprise that Jenifer Loon would continue to use her vote to redefine marriage in Minnesota as a fundraising opportunity,” she said in the email. “Her largest donors have shifted from friends and neighbors in our district to out-of-state liberal donors to Democrat causes.”

The hosts of the Loon fundraisers are neither Democrats nor non-Minnesotans.

In addition to elected officials, former Republican party chair Ron Ebensteiner and co-chair Annette Meeks (Tom Emmer’s running mate during his 2010 gubernatorial campaign) are among the co-hosts of the May 20 fundraiser.

The legislature is scheduled to adjourn May 19. 

Loon was one of four Republican state representatives to vote for gay marriage. David Fitzsimmons of St. Michael was also denied GOP endorsement and is not running again. Andrea Keiffer of Woodbury did not seek re-election. Pat Garafolo of unanimously won Republican endorsement in Farmington.