The world of Minnesota politics went topsy-turvy, then sideways, and finally upside-down over the weekend and continuing on through Monday, and we won't know which way is up until the candidate filing deadline on Tuesday at 5 o'clock local time. Here, however, is what we know at the moment.
The drama began on Saturday at the convention of the state Democratic Party, known locally as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, or DFL. On that day, delegates voted to endorse state Rep. Erin Murphy for Minnesota's open governorship, handing her victory by acclamation on the seventh ballot after Rep. Tim Walz, who had led narrowly in the first round, withdrew. With the DFL's backing, Murphy will now gain access to an array of party resources, including voter files and field offices.
Earlier in the voting, on the third ballot, state Auditor Rebecca Otto had been eliminated from contention, prompting her to clasp hands on the convention floor with Walz as the two jointly urged delegates not to endorse any candidate. Unsurprisingly, their calls went unheeded—who attends a party convention to not endorse anyone? Otto, like Murphy, had reportedly pledged not to forge ahead to the Aug. 14 primary if she didn't earn the DFL endorsement; while she briefly reconsidered her course of action, she announced on Monday that she would indeed drop out.
That seemingly should have set up a one-on-one contest between Murphy and Walz, who had always planned to compete in the primary no matter what. But thanks to an earlier plot twist, the governor's race got all shook up on Monday when state Attorney General Lori Swanson, who had considered a bid much earlier in the cycle but long ago said no, unexpectedly changed her mind and entered at the last moment.
That decision came about because Swanson, despite being the incumbent, had failed to secure the DFL endorsement for attorney general in the first round of voting at the convention on Saturday (which took place prior to the gubernatorial balloting). Swanson only narrowly edged little-known attorney Matt Pelikan 52-47, leading her to withdraw after just one round of voting and prompting delegates to endorse Pelikan, who'd criticized Swanson from the left, particularly her "A+" rating from the NRA.
In another wrinkle, Swanson announced that her running-mate would be none other than Rep. Rick Nolan, who had also weighed a campaign for governor but ultimately opted against it—and then decided to retire from Congress, saying he'd lost his "energy and enthusiasm for the job." Admittedly, the commute to the state capitol in St. Paul is shorter than the schlep to D.C., but rather awkwardly, Nolan had previously endorsed another candidate in the contest: Tim Walz.
Swanson’s late entry might have inspired outgoing Gov. Mark Dayton to weigh in, because hours after her announcement, he gave his backing to Murphy. Swanson's decision to abandon her re-election bid could also cause a major cascade effect in the attorney general’s race, too. Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison is reportedly considering a bid for Swanson’s post, and while he hasn't confirmed on the record, we'll know his decision very soon, thanks to Tuesday's filing deadline.
But these last-minute gyrations will put a squeeze on anyone who might want to succeed Ellison in his safely blue House seat in Minneapolis: Would-be contenders simply have to file paperwork now and see what happens—just like the rest of us.