Bluestem isn't able to quite put our tiny rural finger on it, but this passage in Tom Coombe's story in the Ely Echo, During annual stop in Ely, legislators look toward ’17, doesn't give us comfort:
“I have a decent relationship with the (House) speaker, and the incoming majority leader is a Virginia Blue Devil,” said Bakk. “Paul Gazelka grew up in Britt.”
Bakk said the very first thing Gazelka told him after the election was “Tom, remember I am an Iron Ranger.”
Oh. And there's this:
Bakk predicted a potentially long 2017 session, with Dayton’s “lame duck” status posing another obstacle.
“Lame duck governors are pretty hard to deal with because they’re not accountable to anyone,” he said.
Nice to know that Bakk thinks the governor, rather than Republicans, are the obstacle. That should win frienda and influence delegate if Bakk decides to run for governor again.
Photo: Once-upon-a-time Minnesota state senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, and soon-to-be Majority Leader Paul Gazelka share a moment during the last night of the 2015 session. Photo by Jennifer Simonson, Minnesota Public Radio.
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//That should win frienda and influence delegate if Bakk decides to run for governor again.
The more I read, the more I'm becoming convinced that *if* Sen. Bakk runs for governor in 2018, he will pitch himself at the only "rural" candidate, able to connect with the voters the DFL lost in 2016. That will be especially true if his opposition for the endorsement will be Rebecca Otto, Lori Swanson, Tina Smith, Paul Thissen, et al. Now of Congressman Walz decides to make a run, that obviously changes matters.
Editor's note: We don't believe that Tom Bakk shares our rural values. And by "rural," we mean that if we were any more "rural," we'd live in South Dakota.
Of course, this is all just the rumblings in my head. I'd be more than willing to hear other thoughts.
Posted by: Mike Worcester | Dec 10, 2016 at 11:02 AM