Moe has held house parties, plans such parties or has written checks to eight of the 12 candidates for governor, including state Sen. Tom Bakk, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, former state Rep. Matt Entenza, former state Sen. Steve Kelley, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, state Rep. Paul Thissen and state Rep. Tom Rukavina.
Another former colleague and gubernatorial candidate, Sen. John Marty, is not on the list. Moe says he's not shunning his old friend. Moe is a registered lobbyist, and Marty does not take lobbyist money.
Everything I have seen about John Marty I like. I have been openly critical of the revolving door. I thought Moe did a good job in the state Senate for the time I lived here overlapping his service, but Moe's CFB registration page shows, lobbyist, indeed. Ninteen clients listed, some names being heavy hitters, not chump change spenders.
Regardless of friendship or respect, if you pledge to not risk lobbyist tie-ins you have to step back and keep a distance from that range of influential operations.
I like Marty even more for not taking lobbyist money. However, with the recent Supreme Court error, he could be swamped on the TV ads by the GOP if he is the DFL candidate into the general election. Still, it would be better to risk a loss with the candidate you think best than to equally risk a loss with one others tell you would be "more electable." You have to let your brain follow your heart, since "more electable" might only be code words for "more compromised."