GOP rethinks strategy after losing statewide offices

Minnesota Republicans found themselves in a familiar place last week after they were shut out of statewide office for the fourth election cycle in a row.

Though successful in reclaiming the House legislative majority — picking up four more seats than the seven the GOP needed to do so — the Republican ticket for U.S. senator, governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state auditor lost. With one exception, those races were lost by big margins.

Those losses came despite big victories nationally on Tuesday when Republicans elsewhere won a majority in the U.S. Senate and boosted the number of Republican governors and GOP-led statehouses to the highest level in decades.

"There was a wave this election cycle, but Democrats effectively built a dam around the borders of Minnesota to protect their candidates," said Michael Brodkorb, a Republican activist and former GOP deputy chair.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty was the last Republican candidate to win statewide office in 2006. That same year, DFL candidates that included state Attorney General Lori Swanson and state Auditor Rebecca Otto won the other three constitutional office races. Swanson and Otto last week won third terms, beating their GOP opponents Tuesday by double-digit margins.

Party officials, hoping to build momentum from their legislative victories, are now carving a path forward, said Chairman Keith Downey. The efforts include bolstering its field operation to increase Republican voter turnout and building a bench of strong candidates who would have broad appeal both to voters and big donors.

Other Republicans, however, said the party needs to conduct a more thorough post-mortem analysis. They also faulted the party's messaging and strategy during this last election cycle, saying the decision to hone in on Ebola fears in the final days hurt statewide candidates.

That leaves Republicans looking for prospects for statewide office who can not only help level the playing field on fundraising, but also capture the imagination of voters.

State Sen. Dave Thompson, R-Lakeville, said better candidates would be key to winning statewide offices in future election cycles.

"We need a sort of thought leader in the Republican Party," Thompson said. "We need somebody who is able to articulate the message in a way that attracts people's attention."

What Minnesota needs is a household name like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who has found success in a historically blue state, Thompson said. The caveat, he said, is that the candidate would have to be somebody who appeals to Minnesotans. A candidate with Christie's bombastic and combative personality would not likely work here, he noted.

Pawlenty offered similar advice Friday, when he was at the Capitol the day the House voted in Rep. Kurt Daudt as its new speaker.

Some said that the party's weakened financial position, and the decision to focus primarily on securing the House majority, contributed to statewide losses. Because of its financial constraints, critics said, the party was unable to spend on airtime and other efforts to effectively hit back at Democratic attacks.

The state GOP has been paying down nearly $2 million of debt it accumulated under former party chair Tony Sutton. Downey, who has overseen the party's restructuring, said it has moved aggressively to lower costs, including renting less expensive office space. He said the party still has more debt than it would like but that its debt payments were more manageable, comprising roughly 5 percent of its spending during the election cycle. Still, that means money used for debt service cannot be spent on advertising or other efforts.

Jill Vujovich-Laabs, former spokeswoman for Dan Severson who ran for the open secretary of state seat, lamented that the Republican Party was not more aggressive in countering hits by the DFL and liberal outside groups against its candidates.

"We played entirely too Minnesota Nice," she said. "Politics is a contact sport and it's not for the weak of heart. You can't sit outside and watch."

She points to the attacks by the DFL against Severson that she said went largely unanswered. The onslaught began immediately after polls found Severson ahead of DFL candidate Rep. Steve Simon of Hopkins in the stretch of the election.

"We came the closest of anybody," Vujovich-Laabs said. A nimbler counteroffensive could have made a difference, she said. "If we were doing it right, they shouldn't have been that close."

If Republicans don't quickly pivot, future election cycles will be more difficult, said Kent Kaiser, a communications professor at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. The next election in 2016, a presidential race, could prove to be more difficult, he said, since Democrats often have the advantage of stronger voter turnout from its base voters. "In a presidential year, it's pretty tough in Minnesota," Kaiser said.

Downey said Republicans will focus on identifying and developing competitive candidates for statewide office. The GOP's newly earned House majority will be key to doing so, in addition to refurbishing the party's brand, he said. They have launched a so-called Solution Center — a collaborative effort that includes elected and party officials — to craft policies and advance Republicans' legislative agenda.

"I think the turnaround has ended, and the comeback can begin," Downey said. "That now starts with our Legislature. They have the opportunity to clearly present to the people of Minnesota a Republican vision for the future and a policy agenda that positions our state well."

Ricardo Lopez • 651-925-5044