Gene Pelowski stands by his early February endorsement of Winona Democrat Sarah Kruger to take his place in St. Paul.
Why does this matter? There's been much to-do about remarks retiring Minnesota Representative Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, made at a panel in early August at the Minnesota Rural Electric Association’s Energy Issues Summit at the Mall of America.
Rogue conservative group Action 4 Liberty posted Democrat State Rep Advocates for Republicans to Win MN State House; later conservative Alpha News reported Veteran Democrat wants Republicans to take back control of Minnesota House or Senate.
It's not yet in article form at Minnesota Public Radio, but the always-excellent Clay Masters tracked down Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park. She noted--and I paraphrase--that the retiring representative was likely speaking of old school Republicans.
None of the news reports mentioned that he had endorsed a candidate to replace him in the Minnesota House.
Given that Pelowski had enthusiastically endorsed Winona DFLer Sarah Kruger in the party's hard-fought House 26A primary, I wondered if he still endorsed her for his seat for the general election.
After all, the Winona Journal had reported on February 9th, Pelowski backs Kruger in House race. Was that still the case?
He returned my call this morning. Nothing has changed in his support for Kruger. "I still support her," he said, referencing her campaign slogan, "Meet Me In The Middle."
Moreover, he believes that his remarks at the Minnesota Rural Electric Association's August Summit are taken out of context by framing them as a hope for this fall's election. "I was engaging in banter with Pat Garofalo," he said.
Moreover, he said that the use of his remarks as a hope for a Republican House majority next session "comes from a group that doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'balance."
He did mention his comments about an "unsession" which are cited in the Alpha News article.
Bluestem also contacted Kruger about Pelowski's continued support. She sent this statement:
I am honored to be the first candidate in 38 years to receive Representative Gene Pelowski’s endorsement for elected office. I greatly value Representative Pelowski’s service to our communities, and I will continue his legacy of putting our district first at the Legislature.
I'd also noted that Pelowski had supported Kamala Harris's selection of Tim Walz as her running mate, mentioning this post on X:
— Gene Pelowski (@GenePelowski) August 6, 2024
He noted he had signed a letter with other state representatives urging that selection.
About the same time as the energy summit, a local news talk radio host reported in Longtime Minnesota state Rep. Pelowski of Winona sums up the Tim Walz nomination:
[Walz]is a former teacher, a veteran of the National Guard and football coach. Pelowski, also a former teacher, said that profession has served Walz well and will continue to do so in the White House.
“Teachers are always trying to educate and I think the governor acts just as a teacher, too,” Pelowski said. “He wants to educate people on the proper way government should function, because politics should be about the improvement of people’s lives. … And I think that’s the legacy of Tim Walz as governor — the improvement of people’s lives in Minnesota.”
Perhaps Minnesota House Republican allies shou.d find another person to play the DFL Dick Cheney for them in this year's elections.
Photo: Gene Pelowski. From the expired Pelowski campaign site.
Related posts
- Is Winona's MNHouse seat taking a back seat?
- A closer look at the abortion debate in Minnesota House District 26A DFL primary
- Land Stewardship Project releases Minnesota House 26A Candidate Survey on Agriculture
- MN House 26A DFL primary: a look at both candidates' environmental action claims
- Watch the July 30 Winona League of Women Voters MN House of Representatives District 26A Primary Forum
- Who's funding Minnesota House District 26A's pricey DFL primary? Looks like an expensive general ahead too given GOP cash reserves
- Fact checking: Was MN House District 26A candidate Sarah Kruger charged with a felony?
- Winona district write-in candidate seems confused about Pelowski voting record
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