Madia’s misstatement
From MPR's Curtis Gilbert:
DFL 3rd District congressional candidate Ashwin Madia says he misspoke when he told Minnesota Public Radio that he voted for Al Gore in 2000. Madia now says he voted for George W. Bush that year.
"He flubbed it with you," Madia spokesman Chris Truscott said.
Madia won the DFL endorsement Saturday after a close race race with Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka. Bonoff had made an issue out of Madia's past support for Republicans, and some delegates said they were concerned about his DFL bona fides.
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Madia has been open about supporting John McCain's failed presidential bid in 2000. But Minnesota Public Radio's Curtis Gilbert asked Madia two days before he was endorsed whether he had supported Bush that year after McCain fizzled. Here's a transcript of part of the interview :
MPR: 2000 election, of course, McCain wasn't the nominee. Did you actually vote for Bush in 2000?
Madia: No.
MPR: You didn't? You voted for Al Gore?
Madia: Yes.
Based on that exchange Minnesota Public Radio reported Friday that Madia never voted for Bush
Truscott said Madia wasn't trying to mislead DFL delegates about voting for Bush, and that he simply "botched" his answer. Madia says he became a Democrat around 2003, after becoming disenchanted with Bush. He says he voted for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.