First, get endorsed

Spotted on the north side of Highway 12, west of I-494:

All about Terri Bonoff

On April 12, at one of the most anticipated DFL endorsing conventions in years, a 30-year-old, ex-Republican, ex-U.S. Marine attorney from Plymouth with a compelling, immigrant American Dream story came out of political nowhere to win the Third Congressional District DFL endorsement after an eight-ballot showdown, over incumbent state Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), the early-on presumptive nominee with name recognition, union support, and proven fundraising chops. The venue was Wayzata Central Middle School in Plymouth, in the heart of Bonoff's Senate District 43.

Yet curiously, in the post-endorsement issue of the Plymouth newspaper of record Sun Sailor, it was all about Bonoff.

The local weekly ran Bonoff's post-election letter-to-the-editor (in its own box, complete with three-column headline, pull-quote, photo, and prominent by-line), thanking supporters and her opponent, plus a news story of the endorsement. The news story by Joe Keiser covered the endorsement, but from Bonoff's point-of-view, featuring quotes from her but not from the endorsee, illustrated with a second copy of Bonoff's Senate mug shot but no photo of the endorsee.

It's as if the Sun Sailor narrowly avoided its own DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN moment.

I assume that Bonoff's endorsement opponent will eventually get some ink in the Sun Sailor. In the meantime, perhaps Bonoff can give him a few pointers on getting earned media.

Cross one off Erik Paulsen's to-do list

1. Underestimate Ashwin Madia.

Previously on Minnesota Democrats Exposed, and on prominent lefty blogs, the presumptive DFL endorsee for Third Congressional District Representative, current Minnesota SD 43 Senator Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), conceded after the eighth ballot to her challenger, one of Bonoff's Plymouth constituents, political newcomer, attorney, USMC veteran, and ex-Republican Ashwin Madia (that's pronounced ASH-win — as in his supporters' chant "Win Ash-win!" — ma-DEE-ah), at the DFL Third Congressional District convention at Wayzata Central Middle School, which incidentially is deep in the heart of Bonoff's SD 43.

State Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Eden Prairie) will stand unopposed for the Republican Third District endorsement on Saturday. Look for both candidates to cement their support with their respective party bases, then run toward the center, while portraying their opponents as being too far to the left or right for the Third District.

If Paulsen runs his campaign like an heir apparent going through the motions against a political newcomer, or if his campaign falls into this mindset, he could become the second candidate to be defeated by Madia. Yet there's not much chance of Paulsen running a lackadaisical campaign. As former state director for Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN3), Paulsen is used to campaigning hard and taking nothing for granted.

While the campaigns, media, and blogs will eagerly enagage in a partisan firefight, Third District independent voters will have little patience for such theatrics. The unique dynamics of the candidates and this race may actually steer things toward the mythical "spirited debate on the issues." We can only hope.

Bonoff leaves Grieving Parents Act behind

Sen. Terri Bonoff and Ashwin Madia, who will vie for the DFL endorsement for the Third Congressional District tomorrow, will debate today on Minnesota Public Radio's Midday, at 11:00 am (91.1 KNOW-FM in the Twin Cities).

State Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) has removed her name as chief author of the Grieving Parents Act, SF 1739, a very short bill designed to address a simple yet often devastating problem: giving mothers information about burial and cremation options in the case of a miscarriage.

Miscarriage happens, yet parents are often left confused and without a clue about their options, even as they deal with grief and disappointment. Prenatal classes are focused on the birth process and infant care. Sometimes they are informed of their options, sometimes they are not. This bill would ensure that no parents are left in the latter situation. Many hospitals and clinics are likely already in compliance. Minimal effort would be required to bring the rest in line.

The companion bill in the House has been through committee hearings with bipartisan support, gaining co-authors from both parties, and had its second reading in that body. Pro-choice groups are officially neutral on this bill, as they have been on similar bills in other states. So why has the Senate version, with its first reading on March 12, not even had a hearing in committee — with Bonoff, a member of the majority party and until recently the bill's chief author?

Last Saturday, on their "Final Word" radio show on AM 1280 The Patriot, King Banaian and Michael Brodkorb interviewed the two women who are the bill's main citizen advocates: Sandy Maclean and Elizabeth Levang. Brodkorb is covering this developing issue extensively in his blog, Minnesota Democrats Exposed. Although partisan politics is certainly part and parcel of this environment, Maclean and Levang clearly had no partisan agenda by coming forward. They simply want their bill passed and signed into law, thereby at least somewhat easing the pain of other parents dealing with future miscarriages.

Do hospitals and clinics need another regulation? That's a question that should be debated, so why not move the bill into committee hearings so that debate can occur?

Maclean and Levang say that Bonoff basically gave them the brushoff when confronted with the inaction on this bill in the Senate, and when they heard (not from Bonoff) that she was withdrawing her name as chief author. As Minnesota Democrats Exposed reported, Bonoff "told Maclean the bill was 'no longer a priority' for her."

Lefty blogs cover Bonoff's endorsement bid

Bonoff replied to an e-mail request for comment for this story, but follow-up phone calls were not returned. I realize that Bonoff is very busy with the upcoming DFL endorsement vote for Member of Congress in the Third District, tomorrow at Wazyata Central Middle School in Plymouth. Her rival for the endorsement is Ashwin Madia, who was recently endorsed by the controversial Rep. Keith Ellison (MN-5).

The incumbent state senator has faced an uphill battle against the political newcomer Madia, who according to Minnesota Campaign Report has the lead in delegates going into tomorrow's convention. Minnesota Monitor reported on serious doubts by DFL insiders about Bonoff. mnblue said that Madia "communicates what he believes so much better and so much more convincingly," and reported on the increasingly negative campaign by Bonoff against Madia. MNPublius promises extensive coverage of Saturday's endorsing convention, the winner of which will face Republican Erik Paulsen in the general election.

Madia leads Bonoff in delegate count

The CD-3 campaign of Ashwin Madia for Congress reports that he leads the DFL delegate count with 81.5 delegates, picking up 32 of 49 delegates at Saturday's eleven DFL BPOU conventions.

Minnesota Monitor reports that Madia's rival for the DFL endorsement, state Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), holds 63 delegates. (By Madia's count, 8 of 18 delegates in Bonoff's home district SD 43 are pledged to Madia.)

Sixty percent of the CD-3 delegates are needed for endorsement at the April 12 DFL Third Congressional District convention. Bonoff reportedly has a wide lead among "superdelegates," incumbent legislators and party officers who live in the district, but as of Saturday, Madia has about 65% of the delegates.

Certainly, Madia's nickname won't be "Ashwin who?" for much longer.

Madia's first-generation immigrant rags-to-riches story, the epitome of the American dream including a stint as a JAG in the United States Marine Corps, is apparently playing well in the Third District. Yet his positions on the issues are the mirror image of his would-be Republican opponent. Whether Madia or Bonoff wins the DFL endorsement, voters will have a clear-cut liberal/conservative choice.

State Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Eden Prairie) is the only Republican running for the party endorsement for the CD-3 seat, which is being vacated by the retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad (R).

UPDATE: Minnesota Campaign Report is maintaining a CD-3 DFL delegate "scoreboard" in its left sidebar.

Terri Bonoff: "uniting the middle" in the Third?

This week in the Sun Sailor newspaper (article not posted online yet), my Minnetonka neighbor, state Senator Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), announced her candidacy for the DFL endorsement for U.S. Congress in the west suburban Minnesota Third District. The puff piece, perfectly coordinated with an endorsement in the letters-to-the-editor section, neatly laid out Bonoff's winning strategy for 2008, which is cut from pretty much the same cloth as her two successful campaigns for the Minnesota Senate.

If Bonoff wins the DFL endorsement, look for campaign themes like Uniting the Middle, pragmatic, bipartisan, education, health care, multimodal transportation (read: light rail). Independent expenditures will be aggressive in more ways than one: Democrats are salivating at the chance to win the Third for the first time in forty-eight years, and Bonoff has proven fundraising ability. If past campaigns are any indication, Bonoff will wisely take the high road against her opponent, while independent party, 527, and PAC money will go on no-holds-barred attack.

Many independent voters will be looking for a candidate in the mode of retiring Representative Jim Ramstad, that is, not too conservative, but not too liberal. Bonoff may look for unconventional endorsements that would appeal to independents and left-leaning Republicans; for example: the surprise 2006 endorsement of Bonoff by the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce over the Republican candidate Judy Johnson. (Bonoff won the TwinWest endorsement despite my friend Johnson's long-time support of TwinWest as city councilperson and mayor, and despite TwinWest ironically hiring Johnson after the election as their Director of Community Relations.)

One helpful endorsement already in hand came in August, when Bonoff was named a "Friend of Education," along with liberal Rep. Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville), by the Association of Metropolitan School Districts (AMSD), which lobbies for more money from the state for metro-area school districts.

If the Republicans endorse a male candidate, sexism will be a major factor in the campaign: not the candidates' sexism, the voters' sexism. Given the chance to elect a woman, any woman, to office, party-independent, marginally political, and center-right female voters will contract a sudden mass case of Estrogen Blindness, and reflexively line up behind their sister without a serious analysis of the candidates' other differences. The reasoning goes like, "Men (like Ramstad?) have made such a mess of things, it's time to give a woman a chance."

Wendy Wilde's unsuccessful challenge to Ramstad in 2006 used the theme "ELECT MOM" in an attempt to recast Wilde from liberal talk radio host (scary) to briefcase-toting soccer mom. Bonoff needs no such extreme makeover. With her business experience, public school advocacy, and just-like-you charm, she is perfectly cast to appeal to women across the Third.

In an alternate universe, "Mirror Mirror" scenario, the Democrat Bonoff could quite possibly mount a "stay-the-course" campaign — she already compared herself to the Republican Ramstad in the Sun Sailor article — while her Republican opponent mounts a "time for change" campaign, without mentioning The Rammer by name. If Republicans don't offer a positive, bold, conservative vision to contrast with Bonoff, they could find themselves triangulated right out of the Third District seat.

How the west was lost, part deux

The DFL must have really wanted to keep the Senate seat in SD 43, if they threw 127 large to defeat Judy Johnson. The Republican Senate caucus ("Victory Fund") apparently believed in Johnson, judging by their nearly $40K contribution. Johnson did not accept PAC money, but where was the Republican Party of Minnesota?


The DFL spent more against Johnson (over $127,000) than for their candidate, Terri Bonoff (over $76,000). The substantial PAC money contributed, including over $31,000 from the Education Minnesota teachers union, was just icing on Bonoff's victory cake. The Republican Minnesota Senate caucus spent nearly $9000 against Bonoff, but where was the Republican Party of Minnesota?

This was a very winnable race for the Republicans (the swing vote was a few hundred), but where was the Republican Party of Minnesota? Remind me again why I should send money to the Repubican Party of Minnesota this year? (I am having trouble finding my checkbook.)

The good delegates of SD 43 heartily endorsed Judy Johnson for state Senate. The Judy Johnson campaign committee worked their butts off (literally, considering the door knocking miles logged) during the campaign. But where was the Republican Party of Minnesota?

A correction and an apology

Yesterday I posted a report that Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) left an E-12 Budget Division committee hearing in the Senate to avoid a difficult vote on Senate File 276, which would establish a mandatory statewide health insurance pool for all public school district employees. I based this report on a number of sources from whom I occasionally receive information relating to legislation on ed policy and finance.

This report was in error. SF 276 has never appeared before the Senate E-12 Budget Division, so there was obviously never such a vote. In fact, when an amendment allowing individual school districts to opt-out of the plan was offered on the floor of the Senate by Sen. Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton), Sen. Bonoff joined the Republicans to support it (the amendment was defeated roughly along party lines). The bill was passed by the Senate with a similar margin, and again Sen. Bonoff voted with the Republicans against it. (The companion bill did appear before the House E-12 Education Committee.)

I apologized to Sen. Bonoff for the error by phone last night, and I apologize to her and you, my readers, today. To avoid further confusion, I have removed yesterday's post from the blog.

In the future, I will try my best to provide the political observations and commentary you have come to expect at North Star Liberty, specifically: well-written, biased yet factual, passionate yet not hyperventilated, aggressive at times yet always ethical. After all, it's political, not personal.

Matt Abe
North Star Liberty blog