Pages

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Hitting the news, multiple sources, Rep. Ellison is weighing a candidacy for the Minnesota Attorney General office. Swanson has clarified her intention to seek reelection as AG.

Strib tracking Swanson, here.

Strib, here, publishing minutes ago news that Swanson has declared an intent to run for reelection as Attorney General.

Google News, regarding Ellison, here.

That latter link cites coverage by Politico and The Hill, and TPM, while the Strib items are local content, not any news service wire feed.

Check it all out.


UPDATE: The Ellison reporting is from Friday, Jan. 26.

The Swanson clarification is from earlier today, Sunday, Jan. 28.

This post is published without fully reading linked material. Getting the message out first seemed wise.

Besides national coverage of Ellison thinking of testing of waters, local reports of that have not been seen. Not to say there are none.

FURTHER: As of this posting, the Swanson website "News" subpage does not yet report of the AG commitment, but an email press release was circulated 2:16 pm, today, noting that information.

The most recent Swanson News item she has posted is one of great merit, a Jan. 18, item, "Lori Swanson: Why I sued the FCC for repealing net neutrality." Readers are urged to access it and study.

Net Neutrality is a major consideration for any candidate these days, for any office, federal, state, or local. The net being free and user friendly is critical to the fate of present and future generations of Minnesotans and to all citizens and small businesses, local and nationwide.

FURTHER: A Jan. 27 local Republican anti-Ellison hit piece of little apparent merit, this link. It is more op-ed negative commentary than news reporting, but it so far seems the only local attention tracked down.

That hit piece declines to note that Ellison was an early and staunch Bernie supporter when all the lemmings went elsewhere; and that once the presidential nomination was secured by Ms. Clinton, he graciously spoke early at the nominating convention on behalf of Clinton, after that working extensively on behalf of that Clinton candidacy. I believe it fails to mention his DNC chairmanship effort, concession after voting, and his gracious acceptance of an olive branch vice-chairmanship. As said, a Republican hit-piece and little else, hence of little merit.

FURTHER: The possibility of Ellison as an activist progressive Attorney General gaining regular national attention within that role and venue, and how it might foster his likelihood of making a national presidential ticket as a progressive (which is important for improving national tickets), that is a possibility with substantial appeal among progressives who unfortunately have in the past been taken for granted by complacent DFL party functionaries. On the other hand, Swanson's tenure as AG has kept the office out of meddlesome Republican hands, and with her running as incumbent she would be less the lightning rod than Ellison. It would be less likely that national tons and tons of Republican money would be spent in demonization, were she the general election candidate, vs. Ellison on the ballot for the job.

We live in interesting times. Progressives should never have been taken for granted much as superdelegate tampering with voter preferences should never ever have happened. We live in what may be times of reckoning.