Having scorned contributions from lobbyists, former minority leader Seifert becomes a lobbyist

In Forum reporter Don Davis reports in his "Capitol Chatter" column:

Former state Rep. Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, will lobby for nonmetro Minnesota issues in the 2015 Minnesota Legislature.

He has joined the Flaherty and Hood law firm, which represents the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities and several cities that belong to that group.

Seifert has lost two campaigns for governor, including a Republican primary loss this year in which he ran as the only greater Minnesota candidate.

The Star Tribune reported on the hire earlier this month, noting:

"I want to believe in what I'm doing," Seifert said. . . .

. . .. Seifert's first campaign was managed by Incoming House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, and Seifert said he knows, and even first recruited, many of the incoming Republican freshmen.

"Obviously, the speaker is a friend of mine, the committee chairs are friends and a lot of Democrats are friends," Seifert said.

Curiously, Seifert made a big point of scorning campaign contributions by lobbyists when he ran for governor earlier this year. The Star Tribune reported in Seifert pledges to reject lobbyist donations:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert is challenging opponents to refuse campaign contributions from lobbyists.

The former legislator from Marshall claims he has never accepted lobbyist contributions in his previous campaigns and will hold to that standard his newest quest for the governor's office.

“Not accepting lobbyist contributions so far this election ... has made my campaign unique,” Seifert said Tuesday in a statement. “I feel strongly that my opponents should also agree to live by this same standard.”

One would almost have thought there was something wrong with lobbyists from the sounds of that.

But there's more.

At Poligraph, Minnesota Public Radio's Catharine Richert reported in Seifert misleads on campaign dollars:

Marty Seifert has issued a challenge to Gov. Mark Dayton: refuse campaign contributions from lobbyists.

Seifert says he’s never taken lobbyist contributions and wants Dayton, whom Seifert hopes to unseat this fall, to do the same.

“Not accepting lobbyist contributions so far this election, and in all my previous elections, has made my campaign unique,” said Seifert in a press release.

Seifert’s campaign finance reports don’t include lobbyist contributions. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t taken them.

PoliGraph looked at contributions to Seifert’s state House and gubernatorial bids, and found no donors who were identified as lobbyists. The Seifert campaign also said that it does not actively seek contributions from federal lobbyists.

But Seifert has taken contributions from at least two lawyers who work for the well known lobbying and legal firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen: Charlie Nauen and Joseph Bruckner each gave Seifert $200 in 2004.

Additionally, Seifert has taken large sums of money from interest group, corporate and lobbying firm political action committees.

For instance, during his previous gubernatorial bid, Seifert took $25,000 from political action committees formed by interest groups representing car retailers, nurse anesthetists, hospitals, sugar beet growers and gasoline retailers, among others.

Of that $25,000, more than $3,600 came from political action committees formed by legal and lobbying shops, including Best & Flanagan, Dorsey & Whitney, Faegre Baker Daniels, Gray Plant Mooty, Lindquist & Vennum, Messerli & Kramer and Winthrop & Weinstein.

So, in the strictest sense, Seifert hasn’t taken contributions from individual lobbyists. But he has taken money from interest groups that lobby on behalf of the companies and employees they represent. . . .

Bluestem wishes former Minority Leader Seifert well in his new career as a lobbyist.

Photo: Marty Seifert.

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