GOP dumps Eibensteiner for Shoreview businessman

06/11/2005

Dane Smith,
Star Tribune
June 12, 2005

The Minnesota Republican Party on Saturday rejected the personally delivered advice of Gov. Tim Pawlenty to not “switch horses in the middle of the stream” and dumped Ron Eibensteiner, its chairman and a Pawlenty ally, for Ron Carey, a Shoreview businessman and party secretary-treasurer.

The unusual snub of a governor by his own party at its state central committee meeting in St. Louis Park could signify some discontent with Pawlenty’s deviations from the party platform on issues such as gambling expansion and tax increases.

Still, interpretations of the event varied widely.

Many activists, even Carey and his supporters, said the challenge was motivated mostly by dissatisfaction with Eibensteiner’s detached management style and the party’s setbacks in the 2004 elections. Some noted that Eibensteiner also had been endorsed by practically every elected official in the party, including U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman. They insisted that Pawlenty remains one of the most popular governors ever in the eyes of GOP and conservative activists. And there were no major ideological differences between Carey and Eibensteiner, others noted.

“There should not be too much focus on this as a repudiation of the governor,” Carey said after his acceptance speech. In that speech, he predicted that the party would quickly unite behind Pawlenty’s 2006 re-election and win that battle, “step by step, house by house, precinct by precinct. [Democrats] don’t know what’s about to hit them.”

But others said it spelled trouble, perhaps less enthusiasm than Pawlenty needs from his hard-core base for reelection. Still others said the governor should pay heed to the grumbling that he isn’t listening or responding to advice and worries from the party faithful.

And the snub might have the effect of giving Pawlenty less flexibility in budget negotiations with DFLers to avert a state government shutdown.

Partisan principles

Eibensteiner’s opponents, Carey and Washington County Commissioner Bill Pulkrabek, had criticized Eibensteiner for using party funds and resources to advertise and promote parts of Pawlenty’s agenda, especially tribal gambling expansion for state revenues, rather than privately putting pressure on him to stay true to partisan principles.

A speaker on Carey’s behalf, former party Chairman Bill Cooper, delivered a blunt pitch, reminding party leaders that part of their job is to hold elected officials accountable to party principles. “We don’t need any more gambling in Minnesota. ... And we don’t need any more fees,” Cooper said, referring to Pawlenty’s labeling of his proposed cigarette revenues as a “Health Impact Fee.”

Eibensteiner’s defeat might force Pawlenty to retreat from conciliatory positions he has taken to break the impasse with DFLers in the current special session and could drive him to the right and make him less electable in 2006, said DFL Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson of Willmar. “This is great news for Democratic prospects in ‘06,” Johnson said, “but not such good news for coming to agreement on a budget this summer.”

Pawlenty already appears to be ready to remove from the bargaining table his cigarette revenue increase, which would put him and the Republican House several hundred million dollars further apart from DFLers on the budget. He signaled that he would do so after negotiations broke down last week, and on Saturday he said that unless DFLers make a better-faith offer soon, the cigarette deal could be gone soon.

Despite the predominant party line that Pawlenty is healthy politically and that the Eibensteiner fall was not a referendum, several at the meeting said the message of the day was more about Pawlenty than officials want to recognize.

“There is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the cigarette tax proposal, his efforts on gambling, and other things,” said House Taxes Committee Chairman Phil Krinkie, R-Shoreview.

Pawlenty spent several hours at the event, delivering a brief speech on behalf of Eibensteiner, and wading through the crowd, at times lobbying committee members. After the vote, he delivered a terse written statement saying “we’ll move forward and work with our new chair, Ron Carey.”

Gracious in defeat

Eibensteiner, who presided over six years of gains for Republicans, was gracious in defeat and said he would continue to stay active. But in his concession speech, he offered subtle advice to the packed room of some 500 Central Committee delegates and alternates:

“This is the best governor we’ve ever had. Don’t take that for granted. It’s absolutely critical that he get reelected.”

Afterward, Eibensteiner said he simply disagreed with Carey’s and Cooper’s assertion that a party chairman has a significant role to play in enforcing the platform with elected officials. “The party chair’s role is not to spank the party’s elected leaders,” he said.

Reports of the impending coup had been circulating for days in the party’s inner circles, and the showdown produced a full turnout for an off-election-year meeting.

Eibensteiner was up first, and he delivered a stirring speech, saying he was a crucial leader in transforming Minnesota into a battleground state. One of the party’s longest-serving chairs, he presided over a net gain of two seats in Congress, reclaimed the governor’s office, and the party now controls four out of five statewide constitutional offices.

Carey was next. He called for a “course correction” and went through a litany of alleged Eibensteiner shortcomings, ranging from poor training for grass-roots workers to insufficient coordination of campaigns, to declining contributions from large donors.

Pulkrabek, newer to high-level party politics than either of the Rons, delivered an animated speech, replicating many of Carey’s criticisms.

On the first ballot, Eibensteiner came in first, but by only a small percentage, and he clearly was in trouble. Eibensteiner got 41 percent, Carey 36 percent, and Pulkrabek 23 percent. Pulkrabek’s support quickly transferred to Carey on the second ballot and Pulkrabek dropped out, endorsing Carey. On the final ballot, Carey defeated Eibensteiner 56 percent to 41 percent.

Carey will serve as a volunteer, part-time chairman and continue in his capacity as storefront manager for Intuit, a California-based S&P 500 company that makes financial software. He said he is likely to keep some staff members recently hired by Eibensteiner as part of a management shake-up at the party headquarters near the State Capitol. He said he expects to meet with the governor and as many other elected officials as soon as possible.

“I agree with this governor on fundamental philosophy,” Carey said. “There would not have been this change if it was just policy issues.”