We have to confess that we didn't get Dick Day's press release announcing that he's going to skip the endorsement race.
But that rascal Brian Davis emailed us (from his Mayo Clinic address no less) to ask for our response to "the news." We were scratching our head about what he meant (Castro retiring? Pile-ups on 52?) when we thought to check the PB's Political Party blog.
And there "the news" was in Day to skip endorsement race
For Immediate Release
Contact: Dick Day
507-676-1030
February 20, 2008Day Announces Primary Bid
OWATONNA – State Senator Dick Day (R-Owatonna), Republican candidate for Congress from the first district, announced today that he will bypass the formal Party endorsement process and go directly to the voters in a primary election.
“I have always believed that primary elections, in which all the voters of a district get a chance to pick their candidates for political office, are far more democratic than the current system in which Party insiders hand pick the candidates,” said Day. “The chaotic caucuses a couple weeks ago prove that the system is broken. Thousands of voters went out on a cold February night because they thought their votes meant something. They are frustrated and angry that their votes for president didn’t even count.”
Day added, “There are 375,850 voters in the First District, and the important decision about who their candidate is should not be left to 250 people meeting on a Saturday morning. Anybody who wants to pay their $100 to run for office ought to have an equal chance to make their case to voters. That’s what I plan to do, the old-fashioned way: work hard to earn your vote.”
Day, who has raised more money for his campaign than the other two Republicans in the race, will run a positive, issue-oriented campaign. He is particularly concerned with immigration, repealing No Child Left Behind, ending earmarks, controlling wasteful spending, strengthening agriculture, and lowering taxes.
“I will see you in the coffee shops and along main street, and at parades, festivals and other events throughout southern Minnesota over the coming months,” Day said. “I want to get to know you, and I want you to get to know me, so that I win your vote in the September primary.
“My Democrat opponent, Tim Walz, is the most liberal congressman we have had in southern Minnesota in generations. It is crucial that we send to Congress someone who doesn’t vote like they live in San Francisco.”
Since GOP endorsement seeker Brian Davis asked for our commentary, we'll happily share. In conversation among ourselves, several lefty bloggers have lamented the coming CD-1 GOP convention on March 29, since we'd missed any one of the candidates. After all, each supplies limitless entertainment value.
This will go on now until September 9. We thank Our Maker for the coming abundance and to Davis for the tip.
Great work once again Ollie!
Posted by: Hal | February 20, 2008 at 09:00 PM