Minnesota Politics Makes the New York Times ... Again

by Leigh Pomeroy

Considering its population — about 5.2 million hardy souls, or less than 2 percent of the U.S. population — Minnesota seems to attract more than its share of national political attention, hence more mentions of Minnesota politics in the Congressional Quarterly and the New York Times. Part of this comes from its ability to spawn colorful political personalities like Eugene McCarthy, Hubert H. Humphrey, Paul Wellstone and Jesse Ventura.

This year, Minnesota's batch of officeholders and candidates more than amply follows in that tradition. Consequently, the 2008 election, while nearly 18 months away, will no doubt keep Minnesota's politics in the national limelight. Here's why:

• Gov. Tim Pawlenty is being touted as a possible vice-presidential candidate for John McCain, whose campaign committee he is co-chairing. McCain might be assailed for being too old for the presidency, and the clean-cut, youthful looking Pawlenty could be McCain's designated Botox.

• Comedian and author Al Franken will disclose Wednesday the worst-kept secret of his career, that he will be challenging Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in '08. For Jesse Ventura and Paul Wellstone fans, this is political nirvana as Franken seems to be the perfect hybrid of the two. Conceptually, this fits well with all the genetically engineered crops being grown throughout the state.

• Newly elected Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann has gained national attention for her colorful comments, arch-conservative views and clutch-and-hold relationship with the president. Democrat Patty Wetterling, who was more of a celebrity to begin with, couldn't oust Republican Mark Kennedy in '04 and fared almost as poorly against Bachmann in '06. So far there seems to be little noise about who among the DFL will be challenging Bachmann in '08, but when that person emerges he or she will find themselves in the national spotlight for having the guts to go against God's chosen congresswoman.

• Of all the congressional losses in '06, six-term incumbent Gil Gutknecht's fall to political neophyte Tim Walz was probably one of the most grating upon the Republican hierarchy. For that reason they will be coming back at Walz with guns loaded. But Walz has already made a name for himself in Congress, helped along by Democrats who see his seat as a keeper. All this will raise the profile of the race to national status, depending upon whom the Republicans dig up to go against him.

• Even though the furor over U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison doing his photo-op pseudo swearing-in on Thomas Jefferson's Qu'ran has died down, his unabashed liberal positions will remain the target of the right-wing media and bloggers. Since Republicans have no prayer of unseating him in '08 in a campaign based on issues, personal attacks and innuendo will be in the forefront of their election strategy, which will no doubt gain more attention than it should in the mainstream media.

The upshot of these contests is that Minnesota will continue to grab more than its share of national political attention. Let's hope the mainstream media will focus on the positive contributions being made by Minnesota's elected officials, both Republican and Democrat. But since good news is boring, the media will no doubt focus on the unusual and the colorful, which means that Pawlenty, Coleman, Franken, Bachmann, Walz and Ellison can all count on being in the national spotlight all the way through Nov. 4, 2008.