| Plenty of happenings around the state this week, from union endorsements to announcements of candidacy to dumb quotes from congresscritters. Let's get to it!
 Senate: Al Franken's campaign was busy yesterday, announcing endorsements from the Operating Engineers Local 49, known (coincidentally enough) as the 49ers, and Education Minnesota, representing more than 70,000 educators across the state. These are politically potent endorsements for several reasons -- Franken had already garnered considerable union support, but the building trades unions had heretofore not endorsed in the race. A sweep of those unions, including the 49ers, for opponent Mike Ciresi would have represented a big momentum shift in the race for the DFL endorsement. In addition, the combination of EdMinn and AFSCME Council 5's endorsement means that an endorsement from their umbrella organization AFL-CIO is likely.
Unions aren't everything in a DFL endorsement race, but they help in organization, their members come out to caucus and run for delegate positions, and they vote as a bloc. Also, there are a decreasing number of big endorsement opportunities for Ciresi right now. Franken sits firmly in the driver's seat.
Congress: Michele Bachmann, representing Minnesota's Sixth district, has caused a little tizzy with comments that seem to suggest she is proud that many Minnesotans work two jobs. Given Bachmann's knack for putting strange contexts and altered realities into play, there might be some wiggle room in these comments to say she didn't mean what it looks like she meant. Nevertheless, one of the candidates seeking to unseat her this year, DFLer Bob Olson, released a statement last night condemning the comments. No word yet on whether "workingest" is a valid word for the Congressional Register.
State House: In a diary right here at MN Campaign Report, candidate Jeremy Morgan announced to the blog world and discussed his reasons for running in 37B, home to the retiring GOP Rep. Dennis Ozment. In his diary, Morgan says one of the first things he will do is get out in the district and listen: "Listening to ideas, listening to perspectives, listening to what the citizens like and don't like about the community, and what ideas they have on how to make it better. That's really what representative government is all about, isn't it?"
The DFL is five seats short of a veto-proof majority in the House, and suburban seats like 37B, covering parts of Apple Valley and Rosemount, will represent big pickup opportunities in 2008. |
