Standing alongside a statue of Depression-era Gov. Floyd B. Olson, DFL Sen. John Marty announced Monday that he will again run for governor, saying that many of Minnesota's problems can be tied to a lack of comprehensive health care and that the state in general "has been losing its way."
A 22-year member of the state Senate, where he has built a reputation for ethics reform and is one of its most liberal members, Marty was surrounded by supporters wearing blue-and-gold campaign buttons as he announced his 2010 bid.
"The world's changed in 16 years," he said, acknowledging his lopsided 1994 gubernatorial loss to then-Republican Gov. Arne Carlson. "Quick fixes and political gimmicks have been eating away at this common good, this bedrock of Minnesota's greatness."
At the time, Marty's defeat was the worst for a DFL gubernatorial candidate since the party's founding 50 years earlier.
Marty acknowledged that he is entering what is likely to be a crowded field of candidates for the DFL nomination, and he hinted that his early entry was an attempt to get his message out before others formally announced. Much of next year's race will be dictated by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who said he probably will announce later this spring whether he will seek a third term. Pawlenty, who last year was reportedly on a short list of possible running mates for GOP presidential nominee John McCain, is seen as having a rising national profile among Republicans.
At Monday's announcement, Marty described himself with a smile as a "conservative progressive." He listed Olson, the Farmer-Labor governor of the 1930s, and the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone from Minnesota as political role models, and his campaign said it would try to adopt the grass-roots campaign methods of President Obama. "It was the height of the [former Republican Congressman Newt] Gingrich era then," Marty said of his failed 1994 race. "It's now the Obama era."
GOP criticism
Republicans quickly criticized Marty's announcement. "Fifteen years after Minnesotans soundly rejected his ideas for governor, John Marty is still the same tax-and-spend DFLer," Ron Carey, the state GOP chairman, said in a statement. Saying that Marty's stance was out of step even with DFL legislative leaders who were now proposing tax increases, Carey added that "even in the midst of a $6 billion deficit, John Marty thinks a $2 billion tax increase isn't enough to fund the out-of-control spending in our state budget."
At an impromptu rally for Marty, Ryan Kennedy, a University of Minnesota student, said he was backing the senator for supporting education spending when other DFLers were not. "As a student, I support John because I support education," Kennedy said.
At several points Monday, Marty said that he had politically "grown" since the 1994 gubernatorial race but that he would continue to decline campaign contributions from lobbyists and political action committees. "I'm certainly not a wealthy, self-financed candidate, but we're going to win," he said Monday.
Marty's reputation on ethics reform, while earning him admirers, did not translate into votes as a gubernatorial candidate. Though polls in 1994 showed he was favored among liberals and those who said health care was the campaign's most important issue, he lost by a half-million votes. In the waning days of that campaign, Marty stuck to his pledge not to accept campaign donations of more than $100 and said "the best way to take 'Big Money' out of the system is to lead by example."
Other DFLers who have said they are running for governor or are considering include Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, state Sen. Tom Bakk, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, state Sen. Steve Kelley, state Rep. Paul Thissen and former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza.
Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673