Matt Entenza seems to have done grassroots work. After what he did to Hatch, and with his wife a built-in conflict-of-interest, other choices such as John Marty, Paul Thissen or Steve Kelley exist. The wife-as-HMO-honcho thing, and Hatch's tough love for the HMO-Insurance cabal; with that as background context Entenza's private eye shadowing of Hatch is poison in the well.
There's hardly any other way to say it. Mark Dayton, he did not like being a senator; the iron ranger, well --- not a universally appealing individual and there's that Mall of America stuff; and Gaertner has her local sheriff to thank for poisoning her chances with the heavy, heavy, heavy RNC badge and handiwork and such.
Fletcher made the streets of St. Paul then look like those of Iran these days, citizens being hammered and dragged and not allowed to peacably assemble in an American way; and there seemingly was a comparable press persecution in each instance as I understand things - especially against the more critical non-mainstream press, where, mainstream, nothing much was said about the truth in the streets of St. Paul.
In the Sixth District, Elwyn Tinklenberg warmed over but still not hot, and Marvelous Matt the Hatch shadower, that as a combo surely could hurt down-ticket.
And down-ticket in 2010 will be BIG because control of both legislative houses and the Guv's house might, just might, have some effect on redistricting lines while recently the DFL has had momemtum but could lose steam, with losers atop a ticket.
Just a few random thoughts.
The GOP seems to be healing its wounds, and has Carey out and new leadership including Brodkorb on board.
Interesting times, these days.
_______UPDATE_______
The GOP is not entirely unmindful of the Entenza-Hatch fallout, and presumably would not decline to make anything of it, out of kindness and decency, or such.