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.