Minnesota U.S. Senate Race
From:
Bill McGaughey
Date:
Jun 22 15:25 UTC
Short link
Yes, Stephen Williams of Austin, Minn. was endorsed for U.S. Senate at the
Independence Party convention yesterday. His opponents for the endorsement
were Kurt Anderson and me. I don't know why Steve was the only candidate
mentioned on the IP website or why my message mentioning the three candidates
was truncated.
Yes, I did debate Williams and Anderson at an IP meetup on Monday at the
community house near Lake Nokomis. We did not have much chance to compare our
views at the convention.
From my point of view, the main event at the convention was an attempt by
several of the party leaders to push for "no endorsement". Endorsed candidates
were required to get 60% of the vote or more and "no endorsement" was one of
the options. I used part of my 10-minute candidate speech to oppose that
effort. When Steve Williams led after the first round of voting, I withdrew as
a candidate and Williams was endorsed in the next round.
Yes, the prospective candidacy of Jesse Ventura was much on the delegates'
mind. But none of us knew what Jesse will do so we had to proceed as if he
were not a candidate. There's no doubt that he would win the IP primary for
U.S. Senate if he chooses to become a candidate and most of us would welcome
that event.
I'm pleased to say that my name was put in nomination by "Red" Nelson, a
realtor who once owned and managed the Scholar coffee house in Dinkytown where
Bob Dylan got his start. Peter Tharaldson, able chair of the 5th District IP
and chair of the convention, also supported my candidacy. But in the end
Anderson and I came up short. Williams had been campaigning for this
endorsement since he lost the IP endorsement at the convention in 2006. He's a
likable man with a serious message.
Tinklenburg, former mayor of Blaine and MN DOT commissioner under Ventura,
spoke to the convention and was endorsed. He is an attractive candidate for
Congress in the 6th District who stands a good chance of getting elected.
.