DFL endorsement looms large in race for Sabo’s seat

05/05/2006

BY BILL SALISBURY
Pioneer Press

U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo’s retirement after 28 years in Congress has attracted a large crowd of candidates for a once-in-a-lifetime shot at Minnesota’s most reliably Democratic House seat.

Delegates to the 5th District Democratic-Farmer-Labor convention Saturday in St. Louis Park could set the stage for Minnesota to send its first gay, African-American or Hispanic to Congress. Or they could choose a second woman to run for the state’s congressional delegation.

Whomever the convention endorses — if anyone — will be the immediate frontrunner to succeed Sabo.

Democratic candidates traditionally carry the 5th District, which comprises Minneapolis and 11 nearby suburbs, by wider margins than any other district in the state.

“It’s the bluest of the blue districts,” said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study for Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. “It would be hard for a Democrat to lose that seat.”

If the convention endorses a candidate, he or she will be challenged in the Sept. 12 DFL primary election. At least two Democratic candidates have announced they would run in the primary with or without the endorsement.

But an endorsed candidate would have significant advantages in the race. He or she would have the DFL’s voter lists, its army of volunteers, its communications apparatus and a name on the party’s sample ballot, plus the public perception of being the frontrunner.

“I think the endorsement will decide the ultimate winner,” said Sen. Linda Higgins, DFL-Minneapolis.

But with 11 candidates expected to seek the convention’s backing, it’s possible the 222 delegates will deadlock and fail to endorse a candidate. That probably would turn the primary into a free-for-all.

Party leaders hope to avoid that. They fear a wide-open 5th District primary would divert much-needed money and energy from the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races and the battle for control of the Legislature.

For those reasons, “an endorsement is more likely than not,” said Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis.

The convention could set a number of firsts.

The delegates could endorse a candidate who becomes Minnesota’s first African-American congressman, state Rep. Keith Ellison of Minneapolis.

They could choose the state’s first Latino candidate, attorney Jorge Saavedra of Golden Valley, or the first openly gay contender, Minneapolis City Council Member Gary Schiff.

They might select one of three women in the race — Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman of St. Louis Park, business executive Anne Knapp of Minneapolis or former state Sen. Ember Reichgott Junge of New Hope — to end U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum’s lonely status as the only female member of the Minnesota congressional delegation.

Another option is a passionate, liberal professor in the mold of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone: Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, an assistant professor of justice and peace studies at the University of St. Thomas.

They could extend Sabo’s tradition by endorsing his longtime chief of staff, Mike Erlandson — although Erlandson, the former state DFL chairman, is no clone of the congressman. Sabo is a man of few words; Erlandson isn’t.

The frontrunners for endorsement, based on interviews with more than a dozen DFL activists and elected officials, appear to be Dorfman, Ellison, Erlandson and Nelson-Pallmeyer.

“Race and gender will be factors” in the endorsement contest, Higgins said. “Delegates know that people of color and women have been under-represented in Congress.”

The candidates don’t differ much on the major issues. At a forum Thursday at Minneapolis South High School, they all called for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, strongly supported abortion rights and opposed a ban on same-sex marriages.

Since their stands on the issues are similar, Dibble said, the endorsement will likely be decided by how well the candidates personally connect with the delegates and who convinces them he or she can be an effective leader.

Sabo was solid on policy, he said, but after his low-key style, delegates are looking for a candidate “who would be a strong, clear, consistent voice for Democratic values and principles.”

Former state DFL Chairman Mark Andrew said the district is “ready for a passionate, progressive personality.” If that’s the case, Ellison, a rousing orator, and Nelson-Pallmeyer, a fiery anti-war activist, might have an edge.

Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin said delegates also are looking for someone under age 50 because they expect the candidate to hold the congressional seat for a long time. Among Minneapolis delegates, McLaughlin said, there’s a strong sentiment for a representative from the city.

Dorfman, a former St. Louis Park mayor and three-term county commissioner, brings a long list of local government experience and accomplishments to the race.

Erlandson has a leg up because of his experience in running Sabo’s political organization and DFL Party campaigns, Jacobs said.

The winner, if there is one, will face Reichgott Junge and Minneapolis City Council Member Paul Ostrow in the primary. Reichgott Junge, a former assistant Senate majority leader and frequent radio and television pundit, has said from the outset that the seven weeks between Sabo’s retirement announcement and the convention is not enough time for voters to get acquainted with the candidates or for the candidates to understand the issues. Ostrow echoed that view Thursday in announcing his intention to run in the primary.

Don’t be surprised if other prominent Democrats jump into the primary, especially if the endorsed candidate is perceived as weak.

who’s who in the 5TH

The 5th District DFL candidates:

• Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, St. Louis Park

• State Rep. Keith Ellison, Minneapolis

• Mike Erlandson, U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo’s chief of staff, Minneapolis

• Anne Knapp, business executive, Minneapolis

• Jon Olson, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board president and Dairy Queen owner

• Minneapolis City Council Member Paul Ostrow

• Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, University of St. Thomas assistant professor of justice and peace studies, Minneapolis

• Former state Sen. Ember Reichgott Junge, New Hope

• Lawyer Jorge Saavedra, Golden Valley

• Minneapolis City Council Member Gary Schiff

• Erik Thompson, a self-described peace activist, Milan, Minn.