GOP gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert came to the Minnesota Capitol on Thursday to announce the selection of Rep. Pam Myhra as his running mate.
"Pam is a person that is immensely qualified," Seifert said in front of blue-and-white campaign signs.
Seifert, a former legislator, previously recruited her to run for the Minnesota House. He called her a "work horse, not a show horse."
The pick highlights the geographic diversity of this ticket, Seifert said. He is from Marshall and Myhra is a two-term representative from Burnsville, one of the Twin Cities suburbs that could be a battleground in the gubernatorial race.
"We have a good balance to bring the conversation back to the mainstream, rather than the far left, where we have been wallowing for the past few years," Seifert said.
Myhra called her running mate "trustworthy and a strong conservative."
"He has the right mix of experience and Minnesota values to be a great governor," she said.
Myhra, 57, said she will not run for re-election in the House and focus on being Seifert's surrogate on the campaign trail.
If elected, Seifert said Myhra would become the state's ambassador and a leader in the state's literacy efforts.
Seifert is the second GOP gubernatorial candidate to select a running mate. GOP Sen. Dave Thompson selected fellow Republican Sen. Michelle Benson as his lieutenant governor.
DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's lieutenant governor, Yvonne Prettner Solon, has decided not to join him in his quest for a second term. Dayton selected his chief of staff, Tina Smith, as his new running mate.
