Gaertner to run in Gov primary
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner says she'll run in the party primary. She is now the fourth DFL candidate to say they
will not
may not abide by the party's endorsement. The others include Mark Dayton, Matt Entenza and Steve Kelley.
Update: A spokesman for Kelley called to clarify. She said Kelley is considering the endorsement very carefully but has not ruled out a primary run.
Here's Gaertner's news release:
(St. Paul, MN) Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said today that her campaign for Governor now includes a DFL primary.
To be honest, I think my original plan to rely solely on the endorsement and convention process was too politically limiting. I firmly believe that an effort to expand our reach to a much larger universe of Minnesotans is the right directionespecially since some in the field have been in that mode all along.
Gaertner, who has been campaigning in the close quarters of DFL activists for over two years, said her core supporters have been urging her to consider a primary run and have convinced her that someone of her political profilean outsider with a reputation as a straight-shooting moderatecan do well in the larger primary universe.
This doesnt mean that I have given up on anyone in the DFL. Like other candidates who have stated their intention to run in a primary, I respect the party process and will continue to work to gain the support of delegates to the DFL convention. I will be working hard, however, to gain the support of the many loyal DFL voters who dont always get engaged in the caucus and convention process, Gaertner said.
Gaertner, who grew up on the Eastside of St. Paul and has lived in White Bear Lake for the last 30 years, said her reputation as an evenhanded but tough crime fighter in Minnesotas second largest jurisdiction is the kind of candidate profile that can win the general election this fall. Democrats and independent thinking Minnesotans are tired of losing, but until we give them a candidate who is a proven vote getter in the more moderate suburbs, and can appeal to independent voters in greater Minnesota, Im not confident we can be successful.
Gaertner first won the nonpartisan office of Ramsey County Attorney in 1994. She was subsequently re-elected three times, winning the city of St. Paul and strong majorities in the suburban cities that dominate Ramsey County elections.
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