State Sen. and former gubernatorial candidate John Marty is making another run for Minnesota's governor's mansion, he confirmed on Monday. The Democrat -- who lost in 1994 general election for governor -- launched his official campaign in front of supporters at a rally in St. Paul, saying his decision "grows from my great love for our great state."
Marty, a 22-year veteran of the Minnesota Senate, promised "ethical, long-term far-sighted leadership," and said he would bring his legislative commitments to universal health care, stronger ethics regulations and social justice to the executive branch.
He is one of what is likely to be a growing field of Democrats jockeying for the post. Six other Democrats have also opened exploratory fundraising committees, including former U.S. Sen.Mark Dayton, state Sen. Tom Bakk, former state Sen. Steve Kelley, state Rep. Paul Thissen, former state Rep. Matt Entenza, and Ramsey County Attorney General Susan Gaertner.
Two other Democrats who would rise to the top of the pack if they decide to run are the popular Twin City mayors, R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and Christopher B. Coleman of St. Paul. Both face re-election in 2009 and thus are unlikely to decide their gubernatorial intentions until late in the year.
The looming question in the race is whether current Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty will run for a third term. There are no term limits in Minnesota. Pawlenty won his 2006 race against Democrat Mike Hatch by a single percentage point as Democrats swept the rest of the state offices. His approval ratings continue to hover around 50 percent.
Pawlenty told Minnesota Public Radio on Monday that his mind "is on the middle of this [legislative] session," but confirmed that he was "thinking about running for re-election as governor."
Pawlenty, who is considered a contender for the 2012 presidential nomination, said added that, "Those are the things that are on my mind, not running for president in 2012."
![[RSS]](http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/templates/images/rss_icon.gif){kind=icon}
![[ARCHIVES]](http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/templates/images/archives_icon.png){kind=icon}
Post A Comment