The 2018 governor's race continues to sort itself out, as Rep. Matt Dean entered the race last week. The rollout was understated but crisp. The Dellwood Republican is running a convention strategy, which means he'll seek the endorsement of the party, and won't run in a primary if he doesn't win the nod at the convention.
Dean and his wife, Laura, an obstetrician and important politico in her own right, make a formidable team and have spent a lot of hours on the road meeting with conservative activists who will make the endorsement at next year's GOP convention. Dean helped run the 2010 House campaign that flipped 25 seats, and he put 40,000 miles on his car campaigning for colleagues in 2016. And collecting valuable chits.
The Republican field will get still more clarity based on the actions of a DFLer. If U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan gets in the race for governor, that would open up a winnable congressional seat in the Eighth District. House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, is being discussed as a potential candidate for that race, which would take him out of the governor's race. On the Republican side, that still leaves Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson, outgoing GOP Chairman Keith Downey and several legislators.
A GOP insider reminds: We could just as easily see a business leader or some other wild card. Perhaps even a former governor.
GOP chair race shows fissures
Newly elected GOP chair Jennifer Carnahan will face challenges building a serious organization in time for 2018. The biggest: persuading donors — large and small — that the party is a good place to invest their money. Maybe a fresh face means a fresh start.
Clock is ticking
Now that House and Senate Republicans have agreed on budget targets, presumably the negotiations begin in earnest with DFL Gov. Mark Dayton. After a week off and two weeks of, um, deliberation, lawmakers have just three weeks remaining to get their work done. Remember when you had three weeks to get that term paper done? It seemed like so much time!
J. Patrick Coolican • 651-925-5042 patrick.coolican@startribune.com Twitter: @jpcoolican
