Coleman Opts Out of Minnesota Gov Race
Former Senator Norm Coleman has announced, on his Facebook page, that he will not run for governor of Minnesota this year. In his statement, Coleman noted that "this is not the right time for me and my family to conduct a campaign for Governor."
As recently as last Friday, Minnesota news sources were asserting that it was all but a done deal that Coleman would run and easily take the nomination for the GOP. His exit leaves four potential GOP contenders remaining, none of which have strong statewide name recognition, much less national name recognition. House Minority leader Marty Seifert and Rep. Tom Emmer are now considered the top contenders for the spot.
What now? The GOP is left with a weakened and mostly unknown field of candidates while the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party still has a field of at least ten candidates, including former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Ryback. Perhaps Coleman’s exit will prove a boon for the Minnesota GOP in the long run, not so much because he was unloved by state conservative voters, but because he is still thoroughly despised by liberals after the acrimonious senate recount last year.