Editorial: Lord Faris: Too late to make a difference

Updated: July 15, 2008 - 6:33 PM

1
comments
resize text
print
buy reprints

Tweet
share

email
Email share

your name

your email

recipients email

+ add a comment add a comment

It's hard to see how any useful purpose will be served by the last-minute entry into the Senate race of DFLer Priscilla Lord Faris. Might she have been a good candidate earlier in the process? Sure. Might she have a promising future in politics? Absolutely. But does she bring anything new to this race, stand any chance of winning, or offer anything beyond a primary challenge that will delay the contest between DFL endorsee Al Franken and the Republican incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman? No, no and no.

Lord Faris is plain about the point of her candidacy. She agrees with Franken on the issues but doubts his ability to beat Coleman. That the attorney and former member of the Sunfish Lake City Council should offer herself as an alternative -- presumably believing that she can beat Coleman -- calls her political judgment into serious question. Voters don't know who she is; next to hers, Mike Ciresi's is a household name. The eight weeks between now and the primary won't be enough time to build a political identity.

Lord Faris suggests that her challenge will make the winner of the primary a better candidate to face Coleman. She's right that campaigns matter, and that a field of strong contenders can hone the skills of the eventual winner. But those are arguments for joining the process early, not late. Lord Faris might have been a valuable addition to the quartet of DFL hopefuls who slogged through months of debates before the party's endorsing convention. The debate voters deserve to hear now is among the candidates who'll be on the November ballot: Coleman, Franken and Dean Barkley.

more from editorials
Editorial: Don't surrender on key health care tool
Editorial: GOP insiders put a stamp on caucuses
Editorial: As Twitter expands, legal issues abound

1
comments
resize text
print
buy reprints

Tweet
share

email
Email share

your name

your email

recipients email

+ add a comment add a comment

about opinion
The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues. The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom.

Meet the Editorial Board
Submit a letter or commentary