Last week the pundits had Norm Coleman leaning toward entering the race for Minnesota governor. One longtime Republican insider, Sarah Janacek, even put the odds at 3 to 1 in favor of the former senator throwing his hat in the ring. And that’s what AJWNEWs.com reported last week.
Norm Coleman at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul. (Photo: Mordecai Specktor)
However, on Sunday night, Coleman broke the major Minnesota political news with a message posted to his Facebook friends: “I love Minnesota and I love public service, but this is not the right time for me and my family to conduct a campaign for Governor. See my full statement at http://tinyurl.com/colemanstatement”
Here’s the full statement:
I love Minnesota and I love public service, but this is not the right time for me and my family to conduct a campaign for Governor.
Timing is everything. The timing on this race is both a bit too soon and a bit too late. It is too soon after my last race and too late to do a proper job of seeking the support of delegates who will decide in which direction our party should go. The commitments I have to my family and the work I am currently engaged in do not allow me to now go forward.
At the moment, I am tremendously energized by the work I am currently involved in to create a positive, center right agenda for this country. Anger on the left and anger on the right will get us nowhere. In Minnesota, we face a jobs deficit, a budget deficit and a bipartisanship deficit. We must all put aside the bitterness and sniping and remember that behind every job loss and every home foreclosure is a Minnesota family losing hope and confidence.
I think I can be part of recreating a more civil and respectful politics, a politics that better expresses the will of the vast majority of people. I will continue my efforts to work with Republicans, Independents and moderate, common sense Democrats across the country to advance the values of fiscal responsibility, entrepreneurship, effective government change, national security and respect for life. That’s where America is philosophically and we need well-thought-out policies that express it.
My thanks to the many folks who encouraged me to run, but I’ve learned there are lots of ways to serve without an official position. Dr. King said everyone can be great because everyone can serve. We all need to seek out how our service can do the most good, and at this moment in my life, I’ve found mine.
Thanks. God bless you.
The Star Tribune ran the story at the top of page one. Rachel Stassen-Berger wrote:
Without him in the 2010 race, the governor’s contest can settle in for the long haul. With Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s decision not to run for reelection while exploring a presidential bid, seven Republicans and another 12 Democrats have filed to run. Many of them have been campaigning a long time.
Republicans feared Coleman, who hadn’t even begun to woo potential delegates, would run in the primary, shattering the possibility of party unity. Some activists pleaded with him online not to create that kind of contest.
MPR’s Polinaut blog carries the Coleman statement and reactions from two leading GOP gubernatorial contenders, Rep. Marty Siefert, R-Marshall, the House minority leader, and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano. — Mordecai Specktor
