In Go Fish: SD DFL chair changes mind on 3A endorsing convention; Bill Hansen responds, Bluestem glanced at additional details in a story that Aaron Brown had reported in Everybody to the primary in House 3A special.
In the post, Brown alludes to "a major divide between Fish and his allies and progressive activists in the district over whether to hold the convention."
While most media account are glossing over the details, the Tower Timberjay's Marshall Helmberger fills in the picture in Wednesday's report, DFL endorsing convention abruptly canceled; Some DFL officials see Range politicians, mining politics, behind the move:
DFL District 3A Chair Paul Fish abruptly canceled a party endorsing convention this week that had been set for Sept. 19 in Ely— and some top local party officials say they see Iron Range politicians, and the politics of copper-nickel mining in particular, behind the move. . . .
The endorsing convention was supposed to have included a morning forum for the candidates to talk to the assembled delegates before an afternoon endorsement decision. Marlys Wisch, the DFL’s Lake County Chair, said the day-long convention would have been a valuable way for the four DFL contenders to meet party activists, and potential volunteers, from other parts of the sprawling district.
Wisch said Fish never consulted with her about the decision to cancel the event, but she’s convinced he didn’t make the decision on his own. She said Iron Range politicians were almost certainly involved. “I hesitate saying any names at this point,” she said.
But St. Louis County DFL Chair Kirsten Larsen had no such hesitation, suggesting Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, was behind the decision. “The only person I am aware of that Mr. Fish met with regarding this issue is Senator Bakk,” stated Larsen in an email on Tuesday. “It is my belief the convention was canceled because it was perceived that it would result in a choice being made by more than one hundred representatives from precincts all over the district that a few powerful people don’t want,” Larsen added. . . .
The Cook County chair is also crying shenanigans, Helmberger reports:
The cancellation of the convention left Cook County DFL Chair Anton Moody particularly perplexed. “It’s been a bumpy past couple weeks,” he said. Moody had supported holding the Sept. 19 endorsing convention but was shocked when a delegate list circulated by Fish didn’t include a single delegate from Cook County, a stronghold for candidate Bill Hansen. . . .
Moody said Cook County DFLers did caucus last year, which he said qualified them to take part in an endorsement process. He said he and the local party secretary had spent several days getting all the paperwork into the state party to ensure that the county’s delegates would be seated at the planned convention. That effort, he said, would likely have made the difference, and thrown the party endorsement to Hansen.
“What this has to do with is Bill’s stance on copper-nickel mining,” said Moody.
“The easiest way to make sure he couldn’t get the endorsement was to keep Cook County delegates from being seated. But once it began to look like they were going to get seated, the only solution was to cancel the thing.”
We have heard similar reports: first an effort was made to exclude Cook County delegates; after their right to be at the endorsing convention was established, those making the allegations say, plans for an endorsing convention backfired.
Cook County DFL Chair Moody told the paper:
He said he sees Iron Range political tactics behind the intrigue surrounding the endorsing process. “The Iron Range delegation has the party by the neck. And they change the rules as they see fit,” he said. “It makes me fearful of what’s happening with the DFL.”
Judging by those calling the Timberjay article to our attention, Moody is not alone in his fears.
For a couple of recent overviews of the election as a horse race, we recommend Briana Bierschbach's In this corner (of Minnesota): a wild, crowded and unpredictable campaign for the state House, and J. Patrick Coolican's Race to replace Rep. David Dill shaping up to be wild and wide open. Coolican reports an oh-so-fascinating dilemma facing "independent" candidate and lobbyist Kelsey Johnson:
She isn’t sure if she would resign from her lobbying job if she wins, or with which party she would caucus. . . .Johnson said she’s the best choice because she will be free of the parties that she said are beholden to special interests and can use her lobbying experience to help pass legislation.
You've got that right: she might keep her paycheck with one of the most powerful special interests in the country, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (which Sourcewatch calls "the world's largest trade association for corporations making food, beverage, and consumer products"), but since she'll be free of the parties also also rely on checks from special interests, she'll be ever so independent.
Good luck with that one.
Bluestem took a look at Johnson in How independent is Kelsey Johnson? History reveals ties with Bakk's leadership allies.
UPDATE September 11: A reader writes to let Bluestem know that Senator Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, was crowned King of the Range many years ago. Here's a screengrab from a TPT Almanac segment from May 2007:
Winter is coming. Indeed, it might already be there in Minnesota House District 3A
Photo: If only Sesame Street's creators had made a throne out of fishing rods and hunting rifles--then we've have a seat worthy of the district and the late Dave Dill, an avid outdoorsman. Call it the Iron (Range) Throne for which the large cast of candidates compete. We're a bit terrified, though, the notion of walleye dragons.
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