Kelliher Concedes Dem Race To Dayton
Following a narrow victory in the Dem primary by ex-Sen. Mark Dayton (D) that was not called by the AP until early this morning, state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher (D) has conceded the race and is offering her full support to the former senator in his bid against state Rep. Tom Emmer (R).
"I just spoke with Mark Dayton and congratulated him on winning the DFL primary," said Kelliher in a statement this afternoon. "I offered him my full support. He will make an excellent governor."
Earlier this morning, once Dayton had clinched the nod, Kelliher didn't offer an immediate concession. "We're not making any decisions," Kelliher told supporters shortly before 1 AM local time. As the morning went on and final returns were tallied, Dayton's lead expanded. With 99% of precincts reporting, Dayton led Kelliher by 6,873 votes.
Kelliher is scheduled to speak at 3 PM local time, and DFLers are slated to hold a "Unity" press conference later this afternoon. The DFL conference was originally scheduled for this morning. Meanwhile, as the AP reports, MN GOPers plan to unveil their first TV ad in the race at an afternoon news conference.
Full Kelliher statement, after the jump:
"I just spoke with Mark Dayton and congratulated him on winning the DFL primary. I offered him my full support. He will make an excellent governor. I am so grateful for all of the hard work of our volunteers and supporters over the last twelve months. This was a people-powered, grassroots campaign and we should all be proud of what we achieved together. In Minnesota we value every person's voice and count every person's vote. And that's what happened this election. Today we will come together as DFLers. We will unite behind Mark Dayton, and beat Tom Emmer in November."