Ex-MN GOP Chair Blasts Coleman
By Reid Wilson
A former head of the MN GOP says ex-Sen. Norm Coleman (R) should not be the party's GOV nominee, calling his candidacy a "bad idea."
Ronald Eibensteiner, who chaired the state party from '99 to '05, said in a Friday op-ed that Coleman's nasty '08 race against Sen. Al Franken (D) has left most MNans with a negative impression of the GOPer.
"Within Republican ranks, most activists believe Coleman has strayed too often from core Republican principles. Coleman was a cosponsor of 'cap and trade' legislation that even moderate Democrats are now distancing themselves from because of its tax-raising implications. Perhaps most distasteful to Republicans was Coleman's support for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout in the final months of the 2008 campaign," Eibensteiner wrote.
Eibensteiner cited the '98 GOV race, in which Coleman attracted just 34% of the vote, losing to Jesse Ventura's (I) 37%, and to Coleman's "bungled" handling of the recount that cost him his job.
"It is a virtual impossibility for Coleman to win the Republican endorsement for governor -- his only path to victory is running in a costly primary that would fracture the Republican Party," the former chair wrote.
Coleman has not said whether he will make a GOV bid. Already, GOPers have at least 8 candidates to choose from, including state Aud. Pat Anderson (R), state Reps. Marty Seifert (R) and Tom Emmer, ex-state Rep. Bill Haas (R) and state Sen. Dave Hann (R).
Dems, who also want to avoid a costly and nasty primary, are unlikely to do so. Earlier this week, Ramsey Co. Atty Susan Gaertner (D) said she would disregard the results of the DFL's convention and take her case to primary voters.