Minnesota Lawyer
A Facebook group launched a day after Margaret Anderson Kelliher was endorsed by the Minnesota DFL to run for governor is urging Mark Dayton and Matt Entenza to abide by the endorsement and keep their names off the August primary ballot.
“Join this group to show your support for demanding that Mark Dayton, Susan Gaertner and Matt Entenza abide by the decision of over 1,300 delegates endorsing Margaret Anderson Kelliher and withdraw their names in the primary for the good of the party,” reads the description of the group, “Abide by the MN DFL Endorsement for Governor 2010,” which had 413 members as of midafternoon today.
The group was set up by Diane Leonard of Darwin, who attended last weekend’s state DFL convention in Duluth.
One-third of the group’s wish came true on Monday, when Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner withdrew from the governor’s race, declaring that she didn’t want to see two women pitted against one another and that she foresaw fundraising difficulties for her campaign with two “self-financed and well-funded male candidates” — Dayton and Entenza — in the primary battle.
“If we want to keep the values of this party AND win back the governor’s seat, we must unite,” St. Paul City Councilmember Dave Thune wrote on the group’s wall. “Party schisms aren’t caused by DFLers — they’re started by politicians who put their own egos ahead of the party that brought them to the dance.”
Thune signed his message: “Dave (proud to have supported RT, but now MAK) Thune.”
“We were lucky to have so many good candidates Saturday, and twice lucky to have them concede in such statesmanlike loyalty to the process and the party,” wrote Judy Melanson. “Class acts, all, and we will warmly remember their dignity and nobility.
“It would be wonderful if the remaining candidates could come up to this same high standard.”
