Yesterday, online sources took note that Congressman Walz had decided to run for re-election to Congress rather than switch to the pursuit of the governor's mansion, as MnPublius and MinnPost first reported on Sunday.
Walz had never formed a committee to pursue the seat, but many DFLers had asked him to consider a run, he told us in an interview in November. Instead, he will run for Congress in 2010.
Our two favorite posts about the news come from opposite ends of the political spectrum. The Political Muse's observations at the end of his the daily romp through the blogosphere at Liberal in the Land of Conservative are worth a read.
Over at Joe Repya's The Eagle's Nest Blog: Congressman Tim Walz Won't Run For Governor in 2010 is a fascinating snapshot of the growth of Walz's reputation. Repya writes:
. . .Tim Walz would be the most formidable candidate to have surfaced on the MN DFL side. He is likable, has name recognition and unlike Mike Hatch, he doesn't stick his foot in his mouth.
. . . I see no other viable MN DFL candidate capable of defeating Tim Pawlenty.
Read the entire post at the Eagle's Nest.
That's a distinctly different take on Walz from Repya that what made it into the Mankato Free Press when Repya was campaigning for former Congressman Gil Gutknecht in 2006:
Gutknecht appeared around noon before a small crowd outside Mankato Place. It was one stop on a bus tour that would later take him to St. Peter, New Ulm and St. James.
With him was retired Army Lt. Col. Joe Repya, who warned of dire consequences if the Democrats take control of Congress. The 60-year-old veteran — who recently spent time in Iraq during a voluntary return to active duty — said Democrats would “cut and run,” leaving the country to terrorists.
“What is at stake is literally the survival of Western civilization,” Repya said.
Other reports of Walz's decision to remain in Congress:
City Pages: Walz won't run for Minn. governor, so who will?
Beltway Blips: Walz decides not to run for governor - Politics
The Hill: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room » Rep. Walz Passes on Run for Minnesota Governorship
Swing State Project: MN-01: Walz Won't Run For Governor
Minnesota Independent: Walz not running for governor
The Washington Monthly
In honor of civilization as we know it, a pleasant tune from REM to warm your hearts this chilly morn:
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