On Thursday, Bluestem raised our eyebrows a bit at this passage in Derek Sullivan's article in the Rochester Post Bulletin--and not just because U.S. House Committee on Veteran Affairs Jeff Miller is a Republican:
Jim Hagedorn, who ran unsuccessfully for GOP nomination in Minnesota's First District in 2010 and this year, questioned Walz during a press conference at the VA Outpatient Clinic. Hagedorn asked about the work of the House Committee on Veteran Affairs and more specifically the committee's chairman Jeff Miller, D-Florida. Walz, who also sits on the subcommittee on oversight and investigations, said he can't say enough good things about Miller and the rest of the Committee on Veterans Affairs.
While campaigning for party endorsement in 2013, Hagedorn showed up at a constituent listening session Walz held at the St. Peter Co-op about a coming vote on a resolution in favor of American military action in Syria. Walz voted "no" and Hagedorn lost the endorsement to Aaron Miller earlier this spring.
We'll let readers decide the propriety of Hagedorn inserting himself into news conference at the Rochester VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic. The Veterans Administration frowns on campaigning at its facilties. The Walz tour of VA facilties on Wednesday was part of his service on the veterans committee.
We'll see if Hagedorn uses his cameo in his campaign now that he's jumped in. At the Mankato Free Press, Josh Moniz reports in Hagedorn re-entering 1st District race"
Blue Earth resident Jim Hagedorn will announce today his re-entry into the Republican race for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District.
The decision puts him on a collision course with endorsed Republican candidate Aaron Miller of Byron in the August primary. Both candidates are seeking to become the official Republican candidate to challenge Democrat incumbent Rep. Tim Walz of Mankato in the November elections.
. . . He said he wants to focus the majority of his primary run on pressing the attack against Walz, similar to his pre-endorsement convention campaign. He said he believes working hard early in the year will pay off in the general election.
Was the VA appearance part of Hagedorn's "insurgent" style campaigning? If so, Hagedorn might ask Miller campaign adviser Brad Biers just how well campaiging at the Veterans Administration works. While serving as an adviser for 2008 Walz challenger Brian Davis, Biers tried crashing a meeting then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi held at the Minneapolis veterans hospital with veterans, county veteran service officers and other state officials concerned with veterans care.
If Bluestem recalls correctly, several VA staffers grew concerned with Biers lurking on the scene and called security. He wasn't removed from the building, as he is a veteran himself, but he wasn't allowed in the meeting. As we say, no campaigning on VA grounds.
Given Biers' learning experience years ago--and Miller's own understanding as a command sergeant major in the Army Reserves--we doubt Hagedorn will get much traction if he tries it.
Moreover, the irony of Hagedorn running a double insurgency campaign against Miller, who served in Iraq, and Walz, who supported the war in Afghanistan from a base in Italy, might give many Southern Minnesotans reason to pause, regardless of their political stripes.
Who's helping the Southern Minnesota insurgency? Moniz reports:
Hagedorn said he will retain all of his original staff for the primary race. He said the only new development will be heavier coordination with the Minneapolis-based consulting firm P2B Strategies. The firm, which is associated with political consultant Gregg Peppin, was utilized by Hagedorn prior to the endorsement convention.
Moniz reports that Miller's side, for its part, offers this list of supporters in rebuttal to Hagedorn's claims of disstisfaction among the Republican ranks:
Biers also provided a letter signed by 78 Republicans that support Miller, which will be sent to Stevenson on Monday. Notably, the letter included signatures from Republican state chair Keith Downey, Minnesota College Republican chair Angie Hasek and state lawmakers Rep. Greg Davis, Rep. Steve Drazkowski, Rep. Duane Quam and Rep. Mike Charron. It also included signatures from Tea Party Patriots coordinator Cindy Maves and the Republican county chairs for Olmsted, Rice, Dodge, Jackson, Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties. The remaining signatures were largely concentrated around Olmsted County, Winona Couny and Fillmore County.
This is a curious list, suggesting support largely in the population-heavy eastern part of the sprawling district, although Mankato and Worthington are missing.
As for Maves' signature, perhaps the Rochester Tea Party Patriots might put some distance between her endorsement and the group, which touts its self as non-partisan and has protested IRS scrutiny in its application for non-profit status. Bluestem hopes that the group continues to act in good faith and invite all conservatives to speak at its events.
Photo: A friend likes to call Jim Hagedorn Fossie Bear. We'll run with it.
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