The Republican candidate for Minnesota House District 26A invokes the district's retiring lawmaker but doesn't bother to mention he's endorsed his DFL opponent, Sarah Kruger.
I've been posting about the race to fill retiring Minnesota House Representative Gene Pelowski's seat in Winona for a few months now and am so not surprised by the rhetoric.
Let's look at the most recent episode.
Politico's Paul Demko--who spent a decade as a reporter in Minnesota for Politics in Minnesota and City Pages--recently included the contest for Minnesota House District 26A in Democrats clinging to power in Tim Walz’s Minnesota.
The article was picked up by Republican contended Aaron Repinski, who posted this comment above a link to the article. Though the headline in the post embedded below is different, the link leads to Demko's article
And yes, I have a screenshot should the post be edited or vanish. On Monday, Repinski brought up the Pelowski remarks in an earlier post, without mentioning where Pelowski stands on this particular race. He should know better.
Pairing the comment made in August (video here) with the Politico article is a slick trick that I'd have asked for a revision back in the days when I taught composition--"Critical Reading and Writing" at a community college in Minnesota.
Here's Demko's copy about where he stands on the best prospects for HD26A:
. . . Pelowski is backing [Sarah] Kruger, but he’s still causing headaches for Democrats. Republicans have seized on comments he made in August that it would be good for Minnesota if Republicans won control of the House or Senate. “I think we do need divided government to simmer things down,” he said.
But in an interview with POLITICO, Pelowski vigorously defended the legislative achievements of the past two years under total Democratic control. He touted major investments in aid to local governments, higher education and health care, and said he seldom encounters people who want to undo that spending.
“They still have a very good chance of maintaining a majority,” Pelowski said of Democrats, “but it’s going to be close, very close. ...
Perhaps Repinski thinks no one will actually read the article he posts--but doesn't actually quote--on his campaign Facebook page.
Nor is this article the only recent instance where the earlier Pelowski remarks surface. On Thursday, Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant noted in Divided government at the Minnesota Capitol may sound good, but …:
What really could result is persistent gridlock and diminished problem-solving capacity. . . .
Dispatches from 135 Minnesota legislative races (134 House, one Senate) have been hard to hear over the presidential-political din. But I didn’t miss reports about the comments of retiring DFL state Rep. Gene Pelowski of Winona in August — and neither did the Republicans striving to regain State Capitol control.
“It would be a good thing for Minnesota if one of the two houses flipped,” Pelowski said at a Minnesota Rural Electric Association summit in Bloomington, as reported by Alpha News. “I think we do need divided government to simmer things down.”
Those remarks caused a minor stir. Advertently or not, Pelowski — the longest-serving member of the House DFL majority caucus — had endorsed a favorite theme among GOP legislative candidates. . . .
Pelowski later clarified that he’s solidly behind Sarah Kruger, the DFL candidate to succeed him in District 26A. It’s one of a handful of swing districts that are likely to determine control of the House, which now has a 68-63 DFL edge with three vacancies.
But the veteran DFLer had given aid and comfort to Republicans in other districts while invoking the spirit of an earlier era in state politics. ...
And the article addresses the genuine Minnesota Miracle:
. . .The most notable legislative achievement of that era — the 1971 “Minnesota Miracle” that beefed up state aid to schools and local governments in exchange for property tax relief — was a bipartisan accomplishment. It was also the product of the longest special session in state history. A half-century later, that five-month ordeal seems like a harbinger of the difficulty that bipartisan governance would later cause. . . .
Read the rest of the column at the Star Tribune for Sturdevant's opinion and the pitfalls of a divided state government.
She links to a Bluestem post--Retiring Rep Gene Pelowski stands by endorsement of DFLer Kruger for his 26A seat --in the column.
Here's part of that Bluestem post:
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, . . .
Those visiting Repinski's Facebook page could be forgiven for thinking that Pelowski favors a vote for the Republican candidate to fill his seat.
He does not, and were the Republican candidate honest, he would have made clear exactly which person Pelowski favors: Sarah Kruger.
Photo: Gene Pelowski. From the expired Pelowski campaign site.
Related posts
- Retiring Rep Gene Pelowski stands by endorsement of DFLer Kruger for his 26A seat
- 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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