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Today I happened to catch a Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Tony Sertich press conference on the Omnibus Bonding bill. Margaret is working hard for us, and was so knowledgeable. Go Margaret!
So, will Governor Pawlenty use a line-item veto approach, thereby negating the legislatural process? And can he veto all but the sex offender facility funding, for example?
Anyway, here’s what I received today, via e-mail, from the office of Margaret Anderson Kelliher for Governor:
Dear DFLer:
Margaret began her campaign with a dedication to building a statewide, people-powered grassroots organization. Her focus has been on the fundamentals of creating a winning campaign – reaching out to Minnesotans one by one, listening to their concerns as well as their hopes and dreams for the future of our state. She has traveled all over the state and met people who have given great advice, and a lot of support.
It’s clear that her vision for Minnesota - her plan for creating jobs, improving opportunities in education, and providing better access to health care – is resonating with voters.
This week, a new Rasmussen poll of likely voters showed Margaret is running even with the top Republican candidates, former Minnesota House Minority Leader Marty Seifert and State Representative Tom Emmer. Margaret is the one candidate who has consistently climbed in the polls as Minnesotans get to know her and hear about her plan to ensure we live in a state where everyone has a fair shot at a good opportunity.
This latest poll shows that Margaret has the most room to persuade voters moving forward.
This election is a defining moment in our state. Democrats want a candidate who can win. Minnesotans need a Governor who can get results and lead our state on the road to economic recovery. Margaret is that person.
Margaret led the House DFL Caucus to a majority in 2006 and even more wins in 2008. She has knocked on doors and made phone calls to help elect local candidates in the toughest of districts. She knows the landscape and understands the issues. Margaret spent half of her life growing up in rural Minnesota, and half of her life raising a family in the metro. More than any other candidate in this race, she has a broad perspective on solutions for our state.
The most important job of Minnesota’s next Governor will be leading our state successfully to economic recovery. As a working mom with two kids in public schools, Margaret understands the challenges Minnesota’s middle-class families are facing. As an executive overseeing a staff of more than 250 people and managing a $60 million budget, she is the most qualified to lead this state.
Margaret will continue to work hard every day to earn your support and the support of voters across Minnesota. As our next Governor, she will work tirelessly to get Minnesotans back to work.
Margaret is leading in the delegate count and we need you to join us on the road to winning the DFL endorsement at the state convention in Duluth.
Best,
Jaime Tincher, Campaign Manager
Margaret for Governor
P.S. We need your financial support as we work to earn more support from voters across the state. Please consider a contribution of $50, $100, or $250, or whatever you can afford.
[...] read the rest of the letter click here (h/t Holly [...]
First off, MAK has the right blend of knowledge, experience and temperament to be a Great Governor. She should appeal to many Minnesotans, yet the assessment that was asked is most pertinent : “Margaret has the most room to persuade voters moving forward.”
So, who is going to make that argument ? Will it be her supporters or corporate/special interest groups ? Thus far, the public has not seen any negative commercials … unlike the 2008 Senate race when Al Franken was under early and constant attack … to such an extent that the media attention was about the ads instead of about the issues.
Looking at the Rasmussen poll that is linked in the article, there are only two aspects that are pertinent to the MN Governors contest : Favorability and JOBS.
Forget the overall “Who wins” as the poll essentially said that whomever carries the Republican banner is at 35%, the DFLer will get a comparable number with IP Tom Horner getting just under 10% with the rest undecided.
Kelliher does have some work to do to improve her rating as overall she is slightly unfavorable (41UF to 39F) but the key is that 22% rated her as “somewhat unfavorable” which implies that conversion is possible … plus there is another 20% that is not sure what to think …. (how co-incidental that the “Undecided” in the Governor’s race is also 20%).
Looking at the UF-F ratings does show some surprising information.
Entenza has been forgotten as 42% of the respondents have no opinion of him. Overall, it does not look good as he also has a slightly unfavorable rating ( 31UF to 27F).
On the other hand, voters’ minds are pretty clear on Dayton. Overall his numbers are also slightly negative ( 45UF to 44F) but the problem is the breakdown between “slightly unfavorable” and “very unfavorable” as a solid 30% have a Very Unfavorable rating … and there are only 11% unsure. Once the negative commercials are aired, he will be dead man walking in a November election contest.
Of the other major players, Rybak had the best rating … a solid +12 (49F to 37UF) which is augmented by 22% rating him as Very Favorable … very difficult to dissuade those voters. On the downside, only 14% have not formed an opinion … (sidenote : this would seem to discount the complaint that Rybak is not known outstate).
Unfortunately, the other major DFL candidate, Paul Thissen was not included in the polls but Ruk and Bakk were … both of which were largely classified as “Not Sure” on the favorability question.
Moving on to the Republicans, they really don’t have anything to crow about. Yes, their overall numbers are Favorable, but the big number is in the “Not Sure” column (Emmer at 36% and Seifert at 27%) That really shows that respondents said they would vote for a Republican candidate, not necessarily that person. Once voters learn that Emmer is a Gadfly and Seifert is your classical politician that is over-focused on winning elections and not on governing (if his choice of Rhonda Sivaraj as LtGov is an indicator of the credentials needed to run government, we’ve got problems … no wonder hardcore Conservatives label him as a RINO.)
The 35% polling number for the Republican candidate may be their high-water mark. The concern for the MN-GOP, as well as the DFL, is Tom Horner. There are plenty of socially-moderate/fiscally-responsible Republicans that will have a problem with the Republican candidate … much as the hardcore Republicans had a problem with Coleman … the result was Barkley getting 16%. For Rasmussen to get almost 10% of the voters to declare this early that they would vote for Horner should be a Red Flag Warning. If the DFL has a divisive primary with negative commercials being run by Democrats as well as by Republicans, voters will look closely at Horner. I see that 10% growing past 16% to 30%.
There was no Favorability question on Horner, but it is probably safe to assume that most voters don’t know him … so the political parties can shape his image as well.
Now, on to the real tidbit in the poll : JOBS.
Question – “Is it possible for anyone who really wants to work to find a job?”
Answer — 54% of the respondents said NO … what does that mean ?
How about the only issue that should count is JOBS.
What has Governor Pawlenty done to create Jobs ?
Which party is thinking of how to create JOBS and which party is thinking how to please the Taxpayers League?
you will win