Kohls Drops Minnesota Governor Bid

[ccharles000]

State Rep. Paul Kohls became an early casualty of the crowded race for Minnesota governor, dropping out Thursday because of a lack of support from GOP constituencies.

"I've come to the conclusion that I don't have sufficient support from the delegates to keep going," Kohls told reporters.

Kohls, who has been in the state House since 2002, was not among the top finishers in the state Republican party's straw poll earlier this month. The poll was won by House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, one of the first and most prominent Republicans to join the race after incumbent Tim Pawlenty, a Republcan, announced he would not seek a third term.

State Rep. Tom Emmer came in second, with former state auditor Pat Anderson and state Sen. David Hann in a virtual tie for third. Also in the running are state Sen. Mike Jungbauer, and former state Rep. Bill Haas. The Democratic field is even more crowded and, according to MinnPost.com commentator Blois Olson, more fluid.

Among the contenders vying for the nomination are state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher; former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton; former state Rep. Matt Entenza, who is capable of self-funding; state Rep. Paul Thissen; state Sen. John Marty; and state Sen. Tom Bakk; and former Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/10/kohls-drop-minnesota-governor.html

[dflprincess]

1. "former state Rep. Matt Entenza, who is capable of self-funding"

because his wife, Lois Quam, made a fortune while a VP at United Health Group (Ovations division, I believe). She did leave UHG a few years ago after his unsuccessful run for Attorney General. Entenza is a weasly little guy who had to drop out of the AG's race when it was revealed he had hired a PI to look into the then AG and DFL candidate for governor, Mike Hatch.

I noticed a short blurb in the paper this week about her having a minor "come to Jesus" moment (not the paper's words) about the state of health care in the U.S. (no where like Wendell Potter's revelations). It's generally thought that she left UHG to help his career and her past involvment with those crooks continues to taint him. It's pretty clear that's what is motivating her recent change of heart which is way too little, way too late.

My only experience with Entenza happened 5 years ago right after I had been laid off. He was still in the legislature then and I was telling him about the layoff and how employees who had been laid off in other states were getting all the vacation time they had banked, but Minnesota law didn't require that. He seemed genuinely interested in that - until he asked where I had been laid off from. When I said "UHG" he couldn't get away from me fast enough even though what I had told him applied to any company in MN. That told me all I need to know about him.