ReNew Minnesota targets governor’s race

Progressive group aims to end DFL losing streak

On a Saturday in late September, more than 800 people assembled in the cafeteria of Arlington High School in St. Paul. The impetus for the gathering was the kickoff of the ReNew Minnesota campaign targeting the 2010 gubernatorial contest. Participants sat at cafeteria tables and discussed their “vision” for the state of Minnesota. They were then addressed by each of the DFL candidates who had joined the governor’s race at the time.

Since that kickoff event, gatherings have taken place across the state to further the goals of the ReNew Minnesota campaign: pressuring the DFL candidates to embrace progressive policies and grass-roots organizing. More than 1,300 individuals have committed to participating in the campaign, whether by pledging money, promising to volunteer for a campaign or committing to becoming a delegate at next year’s Democratic state convention.

On January 31, the novel campaign, which is primarily being organized by TakeAction Minnesota, will reach a crossroads of sorts. That’s when it’s slated to endorse three challengers from the Democratic field. The timing of the endorsement vote is not coincidental. It will take place just two days before the DFL’s precinct caucuses officially kick off the 2010 endorsement battle. The expectation is that participants in the ReNew Minnesota campaign will eventually coalesce around one candidate at the state DFL convention in April, depending on which of the trio of challengers is the most viable.

Of course, it seems like every day that some labor union, advocacy group or DFL sub-caucus endorses a candidate in the Democratic field. Among the significant vows of support so far in the contest: AFSCME Council 5’s backing of former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, EMILY’s List’s decision to endorse state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and the Minnesota Nurses Association’s embrace of state Rep. Paul Thissen.

But despite the slew of endorsements, no clear front-runner has emerged from the pack of contenders. That means that the ReNew Minnesota campaign’s endorsement selections could prove an important signpost for the 2010 campaign.

“It’s so close and so tightly fought that if you have an organization that’s able to throw its weight behind a candidate, it could be a serious factor,” says Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, “They’re an organization that has a lot of relationships with delegates.”

TakeAction Minnesota (and its precursor organization, Progressive Minnesota) has proven a formidable player in state legislative races in recent years. The organization has added significant grass-roots muscle to DFL candidates, helping the Democrats pick up 35 seats over the last three election cycles.

“They know how to organize,” says state Rep. Mike Obermueller, who was elected last year with assistance from TakeAction Minnesota in a suburban district that was once held by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty. “That’s their strength.”

But the organization has little history of working on statewide contests. Some political insiders privately question whether TakeAction has the electoral acumen and resources to be a significant factor in the contest.

In seeking to push DFL candidates to the left, the ReNew Minnesota campaign runs the risk of alienating some mainstream voters. One of TakeAction’s key issues in recent years, for example, has been lobbying for the restoration of voting rights for ex-felons, a stance that might not sit well with moderate voters.

Democrats haven’t won a gubernatorial contest in more than two decades - a remarkable drought considering the political demographics of the state. Jacobs argues that that lack of electoral success can be blamed in part on failing to nominate candidates who can appeal to both the DFL base and independent, moderate voters.

“From the perspective of the Democratic Party breaking its losing streak, TakeAction Minnesota could be a hurdle,” says Jacobs. “TakeAction Minnesota is going to pull the party to the left.”

But Greta Bergstrom, communications director for TakeAction Minnesota, argues that the organization is proving its electoral viability by building a statewide movement with hundreds of volunteers. “It’s a process of building and involving and organizing people very early on who will become involved in helping to push the candidate forward,” Bergstrom says. “We’re really building from the grass roots up.”

Obermueller is a believer in the process. He’s hosted candidate meet-and-greets at his home in Eagan and argues that the length of ReNew Minnesota’s vetting process will ultimately result in stronger DFL candidates. “I want people to take their time, get a chance to meet these candidates,” Obermueller says. “The goal here is to have a group of people who really know the ultimate endorsee, who can go out and be the ambassadors for that person in the community. That crew on the ground is the key for me.”

If candidates are wary of embracing the ReNew Minnesota campaign, they certainly haven’t shown it. DFL challengers have shown up repeatedly for events organized by the campaign.

Entenza, for instance, has missed just one ReNew Minnesota event, according to his campaign - because his son had a concert that conflicted with the gathering. “This is a progressive group committed to electing a progressive governor,” notes Bridget Cusick, communications director for Entenza’s campaign. “That is certainly a goal that we support.”

Thissen’s campaign manager, Gia Vitali, also believes that TakeAction’s efforts should prove fruitful in the 2010 campaign. “I do think that they’ve got the organization,” says Vitali. “They haven’t done anything this big before, but they’ve been spending the last four years trying to get ready for this.”

One Response to “ReNew Minnesota targets governor’s race”

1. Colleen Morse Says:
   December 17th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

   About half of the DFL candidates don’t really understand the reNEW Minnesota vision enough to be able to thoroughly understand it. Some appear to know what it’s about but keep dancing around the questions without actually answering them. To my mind, the ones we ought to be considering include Paul Thissen, John Marty, Mark Dayton, and R. T. Rybak.