MN-Gov, MN-Sen: With Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton retiring in 2018, Democrats and Republicans across the state are eyeing his seat. However, the Star Tribune reports that Democratic insiders think that Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is also up for re-election in 2018, is considering running for governor instead, and that several possible Democratic candidates “are waiting to see what Klobuchar does before finalizing their own plans.” A political advisor for Klobuchar only said that the senator “is focused on her job as United States senator representing the people of Minnesota,” which is exactly the type of statement politicians put out when they’re thinking about seeking a different office.
If Klobuchar runs for governor, she would likely scare off most, if not all, of the possible Democratic candidates, though some could end up seeking her open Senate seat instead. But the show must go on for now, and plenty of state Democrats are openly considering running for governor. State Rep. Erin Murphy, a former majority leader, announced she would run last week, and state Attorney General Lori Swanson hasn’t ruled out a bid. Several other Democrats have made their interest known in the last few days as well. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s spokesperson reiterated to the local CBS affiliate that Coleman is “strongly considering” a run, and will announce what he’s doing before the end of 2016.
State Auditor Rebecca Otto also says she’ll decide whether to run for governor over the next few months. State Senate Democratic leader Tom Bakk confirmed that he’s thinking about running, though he acknowledged, “It’s not an easy path for a rural DFLer.” (The state Democratic Party is officially called the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, or DFL.) Lt. Gov. Tina Smith’s office also says she’s interested. Last week, Smith announced that up to six weeks of paid paternal leave is now available to state employees, and she’s also played a high-profile role in other Dayton administration priorities.
State Rep. Paul Thissen, a former speaker, also expressed interest, but said, “I feel like it’s too early for anyone to make a decision at this point.” Rep. Tim Walz, who won an unexpectedly tight race earlier this month as Trump was decisively carrying his seat, hasn’t said much publicly. His campaign manager put out a statement saying Walz “is focused on serving his constituents in southern Minnesota,” which isn’t a no. However, one Democrat did take his name out of contention. Ex-Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s longtime aide told the Star Tribune, “He is not running for governor.”
A truckload of Republicans are also talking about running to succeed Dayton. State Party chair Keith Downey told CBS he isn’t ruling it out, though he may seek another term instead. Rep. Tom Emmer, who narrowly lost to Dayton in 2010, could try again, and his chief of staff says that Emmer will think about it over the next few weeks. State Sen. Michelle Benson says she’ll decide no earlier than May.
Speaker Kurt Daudt recently said that he’ll probably look at running for governor “[a]t some point.” Veteran and Fox contributor Pete Hegseth didn’t rule out anything either. The Star Tribune also says that several other politicians “admitted interest,” though they didn’t publish any quotes: Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek; 2014 nominee Jeff Johnson; 2014 Senate nominee Mike McFadden; state Sen. David Osmek; and state Rep. Matt Dean.
Some of these Republicans could instead look at running for Senate, especially if they don’t need to face Klobuchar. The Star Tribune says that ex-Gov. Tim Pawlenty, an unsuccessful 2012 presidential candidate, “has been the subject of renewed speculation in recent weeks about a possible comeback effort,” and they speculate he could run for an open Senate seat. A former Pawlenty spokesperson still close to the governor said that “Pawlenty has said many times he is politically retired,” which isn’t a no. Pawlenty currently works in D.C. as a lobbyists for banks, which gives him access to plenty of money. Of course, Democrats wouldn’t need to work hard to portray Pawlenty as a tool of greedy Washington interests if he attempted a comeback.