UPDATE: If he runs, will he abide? That was a big, BIG uncertainty for a long time in his chasing Franken's tail, where others hoped for caucus strength (Bachmann, yes her, at the end helping the Wall Streeter over the hump while having served for years on the Congressional Financial Services committee, for years and at the same time she was talking Tea Party).
Dave Thompson is reported by Brodkorb (same link, last paragraph) as another possible GOP CD2 hopeful. Non Wall Street, but who he is is who he's been, (a different older link) and that's not necessarily helpful to his chances:
"I would certainly say that if the allegations are true, if it were me I would leave the Senate," said Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dave Thompson. "I don't know all the facts and therefore can't really say what she should do. I think if the allegations are true, I think it would be very difficult to remain an elected official."
Yes, one of the four ax men; Thompson, with that above quoted round-about way of saying get her out of my way, leader sounds better than assistant leader ...
FURTHER UPDATE: It is interesting that Thompson did not say boo to the press about Mack Kelly, although if consistency were to rule he might have said:
"I would certainly say that if the allegations are true, if it were me I would leave theSenateHouse," ... "I don't know all the facts and therefore can't really say what she [and he] should do. I think if the allegations are true, I think it would be very difficult to remain an elected official."
There's the old saying, "Consistency is the hob-goblin of petty minds."
FURTHER UPDATE: The consistency hob-goblin gets back to the question of whether McFadden this time will abide (a question for the Pawlenty spouse too). With a pattern of Wall Street tangibly rewarding those who get their minds right, we should await a budget proposal from possible-candidate McFadden; i.e., wlll he show CD2 Tea Partiers he's got his mind right? Did McFadden even ever articulate a budget/financing policy plan while after the Franken Senate seat? It seems he was short on any/all policy or issue positions. He liked Cristo Rey. He probably still does, but never did say how such an incubator experiment could scale to Anoka-Hennepin school district size. If he runs, he will have a second chance at being specific about something.
FURTHER UPDATE: As to unfettered love to Wall Street, David Gerson's candidacy on the GOP side has been noted in earlier posting as wanting to "cut red tape" but not necessarily as being a tout of Wall Street power over all. Likewise, DFL candidate Angie Craig has posted, in an item titled "Rep. John Kline Votes To Put Banking Industry Ahead Of Minnesota Families,":
Rep. John Kline voted against an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that removed delays in implementing provisions to protect military families against payday and predatory lenders. The amendment passed without Kline’s vote and with bipartisan support. Last week, Rep. Kline voted against a motion to stop predatory lenders on military bases.
[...] “John Kline served this country with distinction and he knows better than most that we should have no higher priority than protecting those who volunteer to protect us. Unfortunately, our military families seem to be standing in the way of John Kline delivering the radical deregulation that his campaign donors demand. Banking lobbyists know that they can count on Kline to do whatever they ask of him. That’s why the industry has donated nearly two million dollars to his campaigns over the years.”
That was posted months ago, before Kline's camp threw in the towel, but it is prescient in its mention of "banking lobbyists" knowing who they can count upon to do as asked.