UPDATE: Matt Entenza contributed another chunk of change to his campaign, Rachel Stassen Berger reports in Entenza poured $622,000 of his own cash into auditor bid:
According to public records, he has already spent $622,000 of his own money in the last two months, with $367,000 coming in the last week alone. He may spend more.
"In the last eight days you may see some additional funds coming into the campaign if it it's needed," said Dave Colling, Entenza's campaign manager.
UPDATE: Matt Entenza contributed another $15,000 to his campaign on July 31, bring the total to $498,118.61 from his personal fortune and change left over from from his last, largely self-funded and unsuccessful race for governor.
On Wednesday morning, the sun rose from the west.
In Auditor candidate Entenza visits Bemidji; Primary race is only high-profile statewide DFL contest, the Bemidji Pioneer's Zack Kayser reported that the former Minnesota Minority Leader shared with him that his ambition in running for state auditor is to work hard:
Entenza was DFL minority leader in Minnesota's House of Representatives from 2003 to 2006 and also served as Gov. Mark Dayton's advisor on economic issues. He ran unsuccessfully in the 2010 DFL primary for governor, as well as a failed bid for attorney general before that. Otto has claimed Entenza aims to use the position of state auditor as a jumping-off point for another run at the governor's office, but Entenza dismissed that claim Tuesday.
"I think it's interesting that she would want to criticize me for wanting to work hard and do a good job," he said. "To me, it's a criticism that says that the office (of auditor) should continue to be a quiet office and I think Democrats want a more active, aggressive auditor."
Active and aggressive. In this 2014 world, Bluestem will leave it to readers to decide if that's code for gender.
How does Matt Entenza know what Democrats want?
Mostly, we're curious just how Matt Entenza came to know what Democrats want in the 2014 auditor's race.
As he didn't go through the endorsement process--or jump in a year before the election to sell his case to Democratic voters directly, as Mark Dayton did in 2009 in the last governor's race--we're puzzled just who these Democrats were calling for a "more active, aggressive auditor" and where Matt Entenza heard these voices.
Indeed, the only group of Democrats whose minds he knows that Entenza cites in Briana Bierschbach's excellent No love lost: how the Otto-Entenza race became the most contentious campaign in Minnesota, are pro-mining people on the Range critical of one of her more activist votes:
According Entenza, this set of Minnesotans (we have no reliable data which suggests that those displaying "Dump Otto" signs were indeed Democratic voters) are the only ones who even know what the auditor does:
The Iron Range is the only part of the state where, when I say I'm running for auditor, they seem to know anything about the auditor at all,” said Entenza . . .
Telling voters they're ignorant wins primary elections.
However, looking over Matt Entenza's campaign pre-primary finance report, we haven't found throngs of Rangers rushing to support him, unless it was delivered as nickels and dimes in that $428 in non-itemized contributions. He did receive under $10,000 in itemized contributions from seventeen individuals (one $1030 contribution came in on July 28 from a Met Council employee)and $550 from lobbyists, but $255,000.00 of the $266,696.61 he took in came in the form of contributions from Matt Entenza.
And on July 29, Matt Entenza received another $227,000 contribution from Matt Entenza. It's still a drop in the bucket compared to the $5+ million Entenza spent in his 2010 gubernatorial bid, in which PIM's The Weekly Report for August 13, 2010 estimated cost him $62 for each vote he received in his third place finish (via Nexis All News, accessed August 1, 2014).
Perhaps he means the Minnesotans for Matt campaign, his committee for the 2010 governor's race. Those Minnesotans cleaned out their account to give the Matt Entenza for Auditor campaign $1,118.61.
Minnesotans respond to $191,037 worth of direct mail
The bulk of the $255,000 Matt Entenza gave the Matt Entenza for Auditor campaign went to Gold Communications, a out-of-state direct mail firm used by Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum and the state DFL.
The latest piece, received after the panel of three administrative law judges shot down Entenza's complaint about incumbent auditor Rebecca Otto, continues to muddy the waters about decade-old votes on implementing HAVA in Minnesota and the 2012 Voter ID amendment, which Otto and her spouse publicly opposed.
While it's unlikely that most voters know how much Entenza has spent on those mailers, it's easy to view the reaction.
Here's what's happening on twitter:
Another piece from Mr. "Money Grows on Tree" Entenza pic.twitter.com/bGHpEUq6DD
— Melissa Jamrock (@jamrockstar) August 1, 2014
Poor Matt @Entenza4MN He needs a job - he decides to just take someone else's. Least he could do it honestly. http://t.co/1VgBhFfRoy #bully
— Mark Wayne-Hart (@WebEnk) July 31, 2014
that amount of $$ Entenza's campaign has spent on mailings in one week makes me think balancing the books isn’t one of his strengths either
— Robin Marty (@robinmarty) July 31, 2014
Serious question - based on the mailers and his vitriol, does Entenza understand what the job of Auditor is & what powers the office holds?
— David Kaplan (@DavidKaplanMN) July 31, 2014
Entenza 2. Hi, I'm Matt. Uninspiring. Meh photos. pic.twitter.com/LUY7ATSOXe
— Kevin Watterson (@kwatt) July 28, 2014
Entenza mailer 1 goes after Otto on photo ID. State arm of Politifact ruled it true but false. pic.twitter.com/8vZUjlPJse
— Kevin Watterson (@kwatt) July 28, 2014
It's disappointing because on paper Entenza v Otto had so much potential. But instead of carnage we got a Twins weekday afternoon game.
— Kevin Watterson (@kwatt) July 28, 2014
Another day, another campaign mailing from the Nixonian Matt Entenza, running his sneak-attack campaign for Minnesota State Auditor
— Doug Armato (@noctambulate) July 31, 2014
@wrusche @Rebecca_Otto I've lost so much respect for Matt Entenza. I thought he was a different type of rich-guy politician. Fooled me.
— Adam Bürnside (@arburnside) July 31, 2014
Entenza sends another deceptive mailer http://t.co/jkPW9SeAKY #MattEntenza #RebeccaOtto #MNAuditor
— Eric Ferguson (@ericmferguson) July 31, 2014
Dear Matt Entenza, please stop sending stupid mail pieces to our house. I am voting for Rebecca Otto. Sincerely, Zack
— Zack Farley (@zackfarley) July 31, 2014
@Rebecca_Otto Entenza will say anything. http://t.co/WVVxmTPZWg
— Todd Kolod (@ToddKolod) July 30, 2014
I have known both. To quote another gentleman: "Matt Entenza is no Paul Wellstone" @Rebecca_Otto #DFL @bbierschbach
— Sheri Smith (@s225) July 29, 2014
Who’d win a Matt Entenza-Shiela Kihne election?
— David Brauer (@dbrauer) July 29, 2014
It's not all negative. One Entenza supporter offered a cheery view of post-primary unity:
If Matt Entenza wins it will cause so many twitter aneurysms.
— Peter Nikolai (@neatpickleye) July 31, 2014
Would all those exploded heads create an advantage for Randy Gilbert?
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