In Saturday's Star Tribune, Associated Press reporter Brian Bakst writes in Entenza's entry makes for intense race as Otto defends Minnesota auditor seat:
. . . He [Entenza] has the backing of U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and other lawmakers he's worked with over the years.
Bluestem finds this "backing" to be quite mysterious, since we have only found evidence that Ellison, Entenza's old law school chum who served or worked with him in the Minnesota House, former Crookston area state representative Bernie Lieder, and apparently Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) have publicly endorsed Entenza.
UPDATE: A Hmong friend has posted an Entenza mail piece which includes a statement of support from former state representative Cy Thao, who served from 2003-2011. Otto appears to enjoy the support of current state senator Foung Hawj, who speaks to the race in this August 4, 2014 clip from Suab Hmong News. [end update]
Only Ellison's endorsement appears on his campaign website endorsement page, along with that of three labor unions.
Entenza claims on a YouTube interview with Hiawatha Broadband that he has the support of Representative Gene Pelowski. While we can't find any other public declaration of Representative Pelowski's support in this race, the veteran DFL legislator was on the Entenza for Governor leadership team in 2010, announced after the DFL's endorsement of Margaret Anderson Kelliher for the office.
Although the video isn't "written campaign material," we're assuming that Entenza indeed has Pelowski's support, given the statutory requirement for claiming support:
211B.02 FALSE CLAIM OF SUPPORT.
A person or candidate may not knowingly make, directly or indirectly, a false claim stating or implying that a candidate or ballot question has the support or endorsement of a major political party or party unit or of an organization. A person or candidate may not state in written campaign material that the candidate or ballot question has the support or endorsement of an individual without first getting written permission from the individual to do so.
So there's Lieder and Pelowski.
But there's more on that YouTube than just Entenza's assertion that Pelowski supports his bid for auditor. Mysterious insiders support him (here's the excerpt; full clip from July 7, 2014, here):
Matt Entenza says:
. . .I'm pleased to have have the support of Representative Gene Pelowski, from Winona, and the support of many other folks from this region, the support of people like Congressman Keith Ellison, and you know, I can tell you, a lot of the political insiders who publicly might be saying one thing are telling me privately, "We know that we need a strong ticket in November and we know you're going to create a more public, active auditor's office and that's going to be better for the DFL which why we believe that you're a great candidate for us in the DFL."
Who are these secret lawmakers?
UPDATE: Rep, Poppe replies: "I like a number of posts on Facebook.' End update. Austin area representative Jeanne Poppe, who was first elected in 2004 when Entenza served as minority leader and who backed Entenza for Governor in 2010 (Post Bulletin blog) likes a lot of his campaign Facebook page posts. We have contacted her to ask if that implies endorsement, but have not heard back.
CBS Minnesota reported in early June that Representative David Dill couldn't support Otto because of a vote on mining exploratory leases, but stopped short of endorsing or publicly supporting Entenza, whereas Jason Metsa declined to take sides. Bill Hanna at the Mesabi Daily News in Virginia later claimed that Metsa could not support Entenza; however, we find no evidence of an endorsement in the race by either Range legislator.
But none of these folks have said anything publicly and done another thing privately, nor endorsed Entenza as far as we can determine from looking at Facebook, twitter,, Google searches and the Nexis database, and thus our mystery endures.
Does Bakst have an off-the-record list of "other lawmakers he's [Entenza's] worked with over the years"? Should it count enough to be reported if they're not willing to go on the record? Should that be clarified in an article published so close to the election--and one that will appear across the state, as Associated Press content is wont to do?
Big in Minnesota: Otto's list of public endorsements
It's curious that the Associated Press article doesn't mention that Otto enjoys the support of dozens of current and former lawmakers, many of whom worked with Matt Entenza before and after he served in the Minnesota House.
We suspect that few of them are saying one thing publicly and another thing privately to Matt Entenza, but perhaps these aren't lawmakers that the Associated Press means or the "political insiders" who didn't suggest to Matt Entenza to challenge Otto before the DFL state convention.
Fourteen unions or locals have endorsed Otto as well, one of whom the Associated Press mentions. Perhaps those others are the dissemblers whom Entenza mentioned back in July in Winona.
What's peculiar about Entenza's claim for stealth support is that many DFLers had no problem whatsoever publicly supporting the former St. Paul legislator or 2010 primary and general election winner Mark Dayton for the 2010 gubernatorial contest, but suddenly a certain shyness has taken hold.
How has this happened? Did the primary challenge mojo all shift to the right after 2010 and now drains into the basin of the Republican gubernatorial primary? Could this be the biggest political shift since the glacial River Warren broke through the ice dam at Traverse Gap to drain ancient Lake Agassiz?
We suspect not. Something else just might be flowing from Mr. Entenza's direction along with all that campaign cash.
Twitter responses so far
Bluestem's editor asked on twitter if any current or former lawmaker who had worked with Entenza other than Ellison and Lieder supported his campaign. We heard from a friend and Otto supporter about the Pelowski support, but most of the reaction to our tweet and the AP story isn't signaling an Entenza upset, unless everybody is as sneaky as Entenza suggested in Winona.
Here's what we're seeing:
@sallyjos The people want Entenza back like they want their junior high hair & fashion back.
— Christopher Long (@OctaneBoy) August 9, 2014
What kind of sound proof bunker must Matt Entenza be in NOT to hear the deafening roar of anti-Entenza sentiment?
— Eric Austin (@e_austin) August 9, 2014
Images: A popular movie parody poster (above); screenshot of the text in the Star Tribune of the AP article (below).
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