Political Party

Pelowski's reaction to AFSCME's endorsement of opponent

Minnesota Public Radio has a reaction from Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, on AFSCME's decision to back his DFL challenger Debbie White.I wrote about it yesterday on the blog. I did put in a call to Pelowski yesterday but have not yet heard back. So here is what MPR reported. You can read it here.

In statements to MPR, Pelowski said he was never invited to screen for the AFSCME endorsement, contrary to what union officials said in a press release. Here are his comments:

"For the record I was not invited to the AFSCME endorsing event on November 30th at 3pm at WSU which I found out about for the first time today. I was told today that three people attended this event and that the AFSCME lobbyist from St. Paul told them that I stated I did not want to attend. This is not true! I knew nothing of the event! My home or office has no record of being contacted. Since this took place before White announced she was running it is even more curious."

AFSCME backs Pelowski's DFL challenger

The state's largest union today announced it was endorsing the Democrat running against veteran DFL Rep. Gene Pelowski.

In a news release, AFSCME representatives praised Pelowski's DFL opponent Debbie White, a member of Winona City Council.

“Debbie impressed us as a strong leader who campaigns hard and listens well.  She wants to work in partnership with state employees to deliver the best possible public services to the people of Minnesota," said Violet Belter of AFSCME Local 945.

The news release also quotes Paul Bissen, chair of AFSCME's screening committee, attacking Pelowski.

“Twelve terms is enough for Rep. Pelowski, who treats his constituents with contempt. He ignored hundreds of calls to raise revenue fairly and invest in our community.  Instead, he helped Gov. Pawlenty’s allies protect tax breaks for the wealthy, while cutting the vital public services that working families need most when they’re losing their jobs, their homes and their health care.”

Pelowski has bucked the DFL Party line at times. Last session, he voted against a $1 billion tax bill and also voted against overriding the governor's veto of that tax bill. Pelowski's had a 43 percent AFSCME voting record during the 2009 legislative session.

Pelowski has explained that he did not support the tax bill because he knew the governor would veto it and that there were not enough votes to override it. He said DFL lawmakers instead should have spent last session looking to balance the budget strictly with cuts so that residents would have a real understanding of the impact. Instead, he said Democrats poured energy into a tax bill that they knew would be vetoed and residents did not get a real sense of just how deep the budget cuts would have to be to balance the budget.

The news release states that Pelowski declined an invitation to screen for AFSCME's endorsement.

More candidates jump into local House races

December has proven to be a busy month for candidate announcements.

Republican Chuck Bradford is expected to announce Tuesday in Rochester that he will run for the House seat currently held by fellow Republican Rep. Randy Demmer of Hayfield.

Demmer is seeking the Republican endorsement for the 1st Congressional District seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Tim Walz. Demmer has already said he does not plan to run for re-election.

Bradford, of Mantorville, ran for the seat during the last election but dropped out after Demmer failed to get the GOP endorsement for the congressional seat and decided to run for re-election to the House
District 29A seat. Bradford current serves on the Mantorville City Council and is chair of the Dodge County Republicans. He is also an active member of the Rochester Tea Party Patriots.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, veteran DFL state Rep. Gene Pelowski is getting some competition from within his own party. The Winona Daily News reports that Winona City Councilwoman Debbie White plans to challenge Pelowski for the District 31A
House seat.

The Winona Daily News quotes a statement from White as to why she is running.

“At this time of great economic challenges, we need a leader who will
listen to the needs of the people in the district. We can no longer afford
to ignore the needs of the people of our district — it is time for new
leadership.”

Rhett Zenke has announced he will seek the Republican endorsement for the
seat.

Rybak touts support for Roch high-speed rail

During a campaign stop yesterday in Rochester at Daube's Cakes and Bakery, DFL gubernatorial candidate R.T. Rybak emphasized that he supports efforts to make sure the city is on a high-speed rail line.

The current Minneapolis Mayor said he has long supported the idea of connecting the Rochester airport to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He said he believes that type of connection is critical for the future of both IBM and Mayo Clinic.

"It must connect Rochester, period. I have supported that since before I became mayor, and I am more passionate about it now. It needs to connect to the Minneapolis airport," he said.

There has been plenty of wrangling statewide as to where a potential high-speed rail line from Chicago to the Twin Cities should go. Communities along the Mississippi River including Winona are pushing for the route to run along the river where the existing Amtrak route operates. Backers of this option include U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, a Democrat from St. Paul. Supporters also have their own lobbying group, OnBoard Midwest.

But Rochester supporters have also been out in force. Mayo Clinic, the city of Rochester and Olmsted County are all members of the Southeast Minnesota Rail Alliance. The group also recently launched a naming contest for a possible train.

Rybak made clear during his visit that if elected governor, Rochester's rail ambitions would have his full backing.

"Rochester is a critical piece of Minnesota's economy, and I think it's essential that to attack my No. 1 goal, which is to create jobs, to tie Rochester more directly to the state," he said.

Here is a link to today's story.

Tea Party attracts more voters than GOP, new poll finds

Here is an interesting new survey that finds candidates identified with the Tea Party movement draw more voters then the Republican Party.

A new Rasmussen Reports Poll found that in a three-way generic ballot test, a national survey found Democrats attracting 36 percent of voters. The Tea Party candidate drew 23 percent and Republicans finished third with 18 percent. Another 22 percent were undecided.

But perhaps even more significant is the Tea Party's popularity with the all important independent voters. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, the Tea Party garners the most votes. Thirty-three percent of voters questions preferred the Tea Party candidate and 30 percent were undecided. Twenty-five percent said they would vote for a Democrat and 12 percent preferred the Republican.

Here is a link to the new poll.

Walz to hold townhall on Afghanistan

1st District Rep. Tim Walz will host a townhall on Monday to gather input on the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

The event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at South Central College, Conference Center B, 1920 Lee Boulevard, in North Mankato.

President Obama announced earlier this week his plan to send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Walz, a Democrat, has said he wants to learn more about how exactly those troops would be used before he decides whether he backs the proposed surge. This is Walz's second townhall on the War in Afghanistan. He previously had one in Winona in October.

Walz is a retired Army National Guard member and the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Here is a link to an interesting Washington Post article about the views of Winona residents when it comes to the War in Afghanistan.

DFL attacks Demmer for opposing "jobs and growth"

Minnesota DFL Party Chair Brian Melendez released the following statement regarding Hayfield Republican Rep. Randy Demmer's announcement he would run for the 1st Congressional District seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Tim Walz.

“As a state representative, Randy Demmer gladly accepted federal Recovery Act money for southern Minnesota. But now he is speaking out against all the jobs created by federal recovery money to gain favor with the Tea Baggers and ultra conservatives — even calling the 7,000 teaching positions created or saved a waste. He believes the construction jobs created by highway work in Rochester were a waste; he believes the jobs created by replacing Highway 169 in St. Peter were the result of a free-for-all, and he believes that the jobs created by rebuilding the water plant in Waseca simply weren’t worth it. Do voters in southern Minnesota really want a representative who opposes jobs and growth?"

The statement goes on to praise Walz.

“Representative Walz is working to create jobs, fire up the economy and curb out-of-control health-care costs. He is focused on getting the job done and delivering for southern Minnesotans. Representative Walz has a proven record in Congress as a leader for Minnesota values, and his constituents will remember that record when they reelect him in November.”

Demmer focuses attacks on Walz

Rep. Randy Demmer made his bid for the 1st Congressional District seat official this morning at a press conference in Rochester. About 20 supporters gathered at the Olmsted County Government Center to hear the Hayfield Republican announce his second run for the seat.

Demmer spent the bulk of his speech attacking the seat's current holder — Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Mankato. The campaign hopeful told the crowd that "this campaign is going to be about individuals, about empowering individuals."

He criticized Walz for supporting the growth of government instead of the rights of individuals. He said voters can choose to stick with Walz or vote "for someone who has a belief in the individual."

Demmer opted not to lob any criticism at his Republican opponent, former state Rep. Allen Quist. He was expected to head to Mankato this afternoon for another announcement.

 Several local Republican leaders turned out for the announcement including former state Rep. Fran Bradley, former state Rep. Bill Kuisle, Republican Party of Olmsted County Co-Chair Bruce Kaskubar and First District Republicans State Vice Chair Duane Quam.

Here is a link to today's story about Demmer's announcement.

Coleman tops GOP gov candidates in new poll

 

Even though he has not announced plans to run, former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman topped other GOP candidates running for governor in a new poll. A Rasmussen Reports poll founds that Coleman would get 50 percent support from likely Republican voters in the state.

That gives Coleman a sizable lead over the other contenders. State Rep. Marty Seifert, who stepped down as House Minority Leader to run for governor, comes in second with 11 percent support. State Rep. Laura Brod, who has not ruled out running for governor, received 5 percent of the vote. State Rep. Tom Emmer got 1 percent. Republican voters backing other candidates amounted to 7 percent.

One of the most interesting numbers in the poll is that 26 percent of GOP voters are undecided. That could leave the door open for a new candidate -— especially if Coleman opts not to run. It begs the question whether Commissioner of Labor and Industry Steve Sviggum might toss his hat in the ring. The former House Speaker found out that federal law prohibited him from running for office while keeping his day job. But he left open the possibility of stepping down and running for office closer to the election.

Among DFL candidates, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak tied for the top spot, each netting 30 percent of the vote from likely Democratic voters. House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher got 8 percent and former state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza received 6 percent. Another 5 percent prefer a different candidate and 20 percent are undecided.

Here is a link to the poll results.

House DFL jumps into unallotment lawsuit

Minnesota House Democrats voted this morning to wade into the legal fight over Gov. Tim Pawlenty's unilateral budget cuts this summer.

Members of the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee voted in favor of filing a friend of the court brief in a lawsuit brought by six Minnesotans who are suing Pawlenty over his use of unallotment. The vote was on a party line basis — 14 to 8.

Meanwhile, Rochester Democratic Rep. Tina Liebling has said she thinks the legislature is not going far enough. She said she supports the idea of the legislature suing the governor.

"I believe that there is a very strong legal basis for it. I believe what the governor did was illegal and possibly unconstitutional and needs to be challenged in court," Liebling said.

Here is a link to that story.