Losing an endorsement does not indicate the process is unrepresentative. It just means they don’t like you. Not a difficult concept to grasp unless you are US Rep. Chip Cravaack.
The United Steelworkers District 11 announced Wednesday that the union is backing former Congressman Rick Nolan over incumbent Chip Cravaack in the race for 8th district congress. Most candidates for elected office behave like adults, taking such losses in stride.
But not Chip Cravaack.
In the wake of losing this key endorsement to his DFL-endorsed challenger, Cravaack is behaving much like a fourth grader who gave only three correct answers at a spelling bee, whining ‘no fair’ while jealously eying his classmate who rightly won the contest.
Clearly joining their candidate in the throes of a panicked tantrum Wednesday afternoon, Cravaack’s campaign issued a Karl Rove-style press release in which they first suggested the Steelworkers had in fact endorsed Cravaack (citing support from three steelworkers), went on to once again misrepresent Nolan’s position on mining, and then implied that the USW is continuing a trend of endorsing candidates who are anti-mining.
Indeed, while Rick Nolan was on stage accepting his hard earned award, Chip Cravaack was jumping up and down whining ‘me too’, and petulantly accusing the judges of not knowing how to spell.
Three correct answers do not win a spelling bee, and support from a few steelworkers doesn’t win an endorsement from an entire union. And suggesting that United Steelworkers District 11 would endorse someone who is anything less than 100% supportive of mining and the jobs it creates is just plain stupid.
And desperate. Really, really desperate.
The reality is that Cravaack entered the contest and he lost.
He lost because the Steelworkers plainly see what other Rangers see; that Chip Cravaack has done nothing to create jobs on the Iron Range, Chip Cravaack is nothing but a shill for the multi national mining companies, and Chip Cravaack is not an advocate for workers on the Iron Range.
Cravaack has often stated he wants to be judged on his record. USW District 11 did just that. Cravaack needs to stop whining and accept the consequences of his actions like an adult.
Cross posted from Iron Country Free Press