Emmer is In

Tom Emmer is the first in to replace Michele Bachmann:

“I have never felt more compelled in my life to serve,” Emmer said Wednesday to at least 100 supporters at a park in Delano, his hometown. During a brief dry spell in the daylong rain, Emmer ticked off his reasons for running: the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups, the Justice Department’s search of reporters’ records and what he termed out-of-control spending.

“Is this the legacy we want to leave to our children?” he said. “The answer obviously is no, and the time to act is now.”

Emmer was the GOP standard-bearer in 2010, narrowly losing the governor's race to Mark Dayton after enduring one of the most scurrilous series of attacks I've ever seen on a politician. Since he won't have to worry about Alida Messinger's money or facing the voters of Hennepin and Ramsey counties in this election, he should have a much easier time of it. The question is whether anyone else will get into the race at this point. There are plenty of ambitious Republican pols in CD6, and there are certainly some residual misgivings about Emmer because of the way his campaign worked in 2010. Emmer had ample opportunities to punch back hard against Dayton, but he ran a Marquess of Queensbury sort of campaign while he was getting his eyes gouged out. I would assume that he's learned from that experience and will return fire if needed. Put it this way -- he'd better.