At the moment, Al Franken is calling reports that he is going to resign tomorrow premature, but he's gone and he knows it. You can't have half your caucus calling for you to resign and then expect to survive. He has been weighed and found wanting in the court of public opinion, and his continued presence in the Senate complicates the efforts of his party to keep the heat on Roy Moore. If Chuck Schumer wants Franken out, he'll be out. And Schumer wants him out.
So that means Mark Dayton will be appointing a successor. The Star Tribune believes Lt. Gov. Tina Flint "Abbatoir" Smith, former Planned Parenthood honcho, will get the nod as a caretaker and that a full-on raging battle for the seat will take place in the fall 2018 special election to fill the seat for the remaining two years of Franken's term. The notion is Smith will not be interested in staying in Washington. Are we sure of that? It's pretty nice in D.C. and I'm sure Planned Parenthood would love to have their own personal senator, beyond the 48 or so they already have.
So let's handicap the field:
Tina Flint Smith. Whether she'd want to stay or not, she'd be a completely loyal soldier for Schumer. She also would not likely get in the way of Amy Klobuchar's ambitions. I think there's a strong chance she'd get the nod.
Lori Swanson. Currently the attorney general, she's better at making waves and offering soundbites than Smith, but her prosecutor profile is perhaps a little too close to Klobuchar's for Amy's comfort. However, if Dayton wants to reward Swanson for her hard work as a DFL apparatchik by giving her a head start, this could happen.
Keith Ellison. Some of the more excitable conservative commentators think Ellison would be the pick, but I don't see it. I seriously doubt he could win a statewide election, and there have been enough rumors about his zipper issues over the years that he could get the same treatment Franken has received. He's reached his career apex as the congressman for CD-5 and he's smart enough to know it.
Betty McCollum. She's stayed in Washington for nearly 20 years by living inside the lapel pocket of Nancy Pelosi. If McCollum ran for statewide office, she'd have to speak. That wouldn't go well for her. No chance.
Ilhan Omar. The DFL has high hopes for her, but she's not ready. And Scott Johnson has a few questions for her that she's never really answered.
Chris Coleman. The outgoing St. Paul mayor, who wants Mark Dayton's job, but Tim Walz is standing in the way. I could see Coleman making the switch from the governor's race and take a shot at the seat in 2018, especially if Smith gets the nod and does not run. It's also possible for Walz to decide he'd rather run for the Senate, but I think he'll have a better chance running for governor.
John Choi. A darkhorse. Currently the Ramsey County attorney, he's been less overtly partisan than some of the other county attorneys and he's been generally successful in navigating a couple of high-profile cases, especially involving the scandals at the Archdiocese. He didn't get Jeronimo Yanez convicted, but sending a cop to jail is awfully tough to do. He could get the seat and hold it for 30 years.
Who do you think will get the nod? Cast your vote in the comments section!
5 comments:
Mark Dayton.
Since Tina Flint-Smith is the de facto governor anyways, leave her to deal with the impending headaches looming in the 2018 legislative session. This would allows Dayton to wrap up his political career with a cushy gig as an interim U.S. senator. Maybe he'll even spontaneously shut down his Senate office for old times sake.
Franken is done. The Star Tribune, after sticking all 10 fingers in the wind that Franken is twisting in, called for him to resign.
I'd love it if McCollum were to be pushed into the seat. Getting her in front of a live mic would be comedy gold, and would make Barbara Boxer appear to have gravitas by comparison. She's only going to be chosen if the DFL has someone else in mind already for her congressional seat.
If you want a truly loyal DFL operative, you've got to choose Scott Gillespie or at least someone who reports to him. No?
If you want a truly loyal DFL operative, you've got to choose Scott Gillespie or at least someone who reports to him. No?
Naw -- for this job, you need someone who has already had a few rounds in the Minnesota MSM hagiography machine.
I just noticed the title. Nicely done. The writing is on the wall. The irony, for Democrats, is that the role of Cyrus is played by Trump, hardly an innocent, but nevertheless chosen for the role.
Post a Comment