The reviews are coming in on Prinsburg Republican state representative Tim Miller's performance in the drama that's the New House Republican Caucus. The editors of two area papers--the Swift County Monitor and the West Central Tribune (though not in Miller's district, it is the regional paper for the area)--have weighed in on the move.
And at the Mankato Free Press, the regional paper serving Jeremy Munson's district? Not encouraging.
Their editorials are not especially encouraging for the caucus or Miller. In Splitting From Republicans A Risk For Miller, Swift County Monitor editor Reed Anfinson writes:
. . . But we have to wonder how damaged Miller’s input will be during the session with Republican House leadership not pleased with his recent action.
He won’t have the resources of the main Republican Party staff working for him. He won’t be included in critical Republican strategy sessions on legislation. When conference committees meet late in the session to work out differences on bills, he is unlikely to be named as a member of one those committees. And, the damage is unlikely to be short term.
Should the Republicans regain control of the House in two years, leadership is not going to forget who broke away and didn’t stand by them. Should Miller be entering his fourth term in the House in 2020, he would very likely be in a seniority position that would earn him a leadership appointment. Now that might not happen, robbing us of a potentially influential voice for the constituents from the district.
Miller also has had aspirations of running for the U.S. House. He filed last year to run against Democrat Collin Peterson in the 7th District but then withdrew in favor of seeking a third term in the state House. His chances for endorsement by the Republican Party in the 7th District have now been weakened.
Miller says there is still a possibility of the splinter group reuniting with the Republican caucus during the session. That likely won’t be a very amicable reunion. We will see. . . .
Read the entire editorial column at the Monitor.
The editors of the West Central Tribune didn't make an endorsement in the 2018 Minnesota House 17A race between Miller and Clara City Democrat Lyle Koened, noting that both candidates would serve the district well. In 2016, Miller was their choice; it appears that no endorsement was made for the seat in 2014.
In short, the editors haven't been hostile to Miller, so the editorial Tim Miller should reconsider his caucus move is an unexpected read. The editors conclude:
The West Central Tribune is disappointed in Miller's latest move of withdrawing from the House Republican Caucus. It is hard to see any upside to his most recent decision benefitting his political future or meeting the needs of his House district and constituents. He should strongly reconsider this unwise political move toward possible Republican obscurity.
There's much more before that; read the entire editorial.
The editors of the Mankato Free Press write in Our View: GOP split: Interparty squabble goes public:
Four state legislators, one of them Jeremy Munson of Lake Crystal, announced over the weekend that they have left the House Republican caucus to form their own splinter group.
It’s unclear days later what “The New Republican Caucus” intends to achieve. The quartet talks in vague rhetorical flourishes of fighting “radical liberalism,” avoiding “circular firing squads” and creating an “inclusive work environment,” while suggesting that their return to the larger group remains a possibility.
There may be a policy role for a third caucus — one that sets itself up in the middle and can sway in either direction. This is not that caucus. Munson and his breakaway colleagues — Cal Bahr of East Bethel, Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa and Tim Miller of Prinsburg — are among the most conservative members of the chamber. They are unlikely to ally with the Democrats on any actual policy issue, not that the incoming DFL majority needs their votes.
No, the splintering of the House GOP appears to be more about personalities and thwarted ambition. Reading between the lines, the quartet doesn’t care much for caucus leader Kurt Daudt, his political strategy or the party discipline he imposed. . . .
We also agree with Munson on the topic of single-title bills and legislative transparency. But here too, this group will have no impact. Daudt went with mega-omnibus bills because he thought that would force Gov. Mark Dayton to accept Republican priorities. It didn’t work. If, as we hope, the House returns to single-title legislation (as mandated by the state Constitution), it will be in large part because the DFL majority will be working with a DFL governor, not because of the New Republican Caucus. . . .
Ouch.
Photo: The Four Horsemen of the mini-minority. Via the Mankato Times.
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