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Monday, July 06, 2015

[UPDATED] Minnesota SD 35: "'When the rubber meets the road, group psychology is pretty powerful and plays itself out in ways that I think don't always serve the interests of the constituents,' he said." That is from Strib reporting that Branden Petersen will not seek reelection.

Readers can websearch beyond Strib and PiPress reporting. As headlined, the quote there is from Strib's coverage.

And so far, one hat hovering above the ring, perhaps to be thrown in, with what hard to even imagine consequences?

If Jim Abeler does not semi-retire [i.e., run for the District 1 County Board seat], but instead runs for the Senate seat, he would be okay, given the district's inexplicably troubling bias toward Republican candidates.

There is at least one possibility involved that sits less well with me than Abeler, or even Aplikowski. Say it ain't so ...

Yet ambition lurks in several hearts and minds, I presume.

_______________UPDATE_______________
Chalk it up to the two party system, and Minnesota tradition within that context, at least in one party per Petersen being quoted by MPR, and surely after seeing Ranger Tom Bakk in disgraceful action we may conclude it is a bipartisan problem, i.e., somebody(s) internally compelled to try to be heavyweight champion(s), instead of sensible consensus builder(s); MPR reporting:

Petersen also said he didn’t expect the Legislature would support many of the changes to data privacy laws that he was pushing at the Legislature. He blamed that on the lack of individual autonomy by legislators. He said there was too much pressure by caucus leaders in both parties to support the position of the entire group.

“There is an overwhelming, almost unstoppable force that puts legislators in a spot where they almost always comply with the group or caucus position,” he said.

Disillusionment with wrong leadership doing wrong things is not unique to Petersen, and our hopes should be he succeeds without mishap in his goal of allocating his lifetime, for now, to family and career, independent of the funny farm.

______________MAJOR FURTHER UPDATE______________
Wes Volkenant, who blogs at "Observations from Andover"

http://wesvolkopinion.blogspot.com/


is a DFL official in SD 35, and he submitted a comment which I have opted to incorporate into the post:

MinnPost coverage by Cyndy Brucato indicates Andy may have competition in Whelan and Huizenga. Thought maybe Martha Weaver might take another chance, too. On the other hand, Jim Abeler appears unlikely.

Interesting oversight - no one contacted the Senate District DFL Chair.... that said, we're in the process of recruiting DFLers to run for this Senate seat, as well as both House contests.

http://www.minnpost.com/party-politics/2015/07/branden-petersens-state-senate-seat-draws-crowd-potential-candidates

His reference to "Andy" is to this Residual Forces post. Readers in the district likely recognize Andy as a local GOP party official, and likely recognize the other names Wes mentioned; so, a hat tip to Wes for pointing out MinnPost coverage.

READER HELP REQUESTED: Either by email or better, submission of a comment, any other reader with insights to share, especially regarding potential candidacies beyond what MinnPost and Wes have mentioned is requested to respond and all helpful responses, even if speculative, will be appreciated. Substantiating detail, as available beyond sheer guessing, should be included.

_____________FURTHER UPDATE______________
Not mentioned in MinnPost speculation, Jen Niska, or Harry Niska, each an activist over time in GOP politics within CD6 and SD35.

I remember the trailers for '50s Cecil B. DeMille films, "... and a cast of thousands." It could become a traffic jam rivaling in numbers the GOP presidential hopefuls at this time.

Who knows, with the Flaherty place having some vacancies, perhaps we could see John K. a candidate, of record. That, if happening, might earn a woof, or two or more.

If Petersen intends any endorsement, he should say so. A good guess is he will leave it alone to avoid tilting the playing field one way or the other. Pop some popcorn, stay tuned, and at a guess, CB at MinnPost likely will have the inside info.

Opinions can differ; but -- If Jason Tossey would consider running I think he'd trump the field on the GOP side. For certain. His tenure on Ramsey's council was effective and showed consistent, independent judgment. Jason avoided bloc membership, and from my understanding he could converse with Jim Deal instead of vilifying him. (With DFL candidacy possibilities, as noted in the Volkenant message, a yet to be decided factor.)