Scott Honour, the Orono businessman whose bid for governor is his first try at political office, has chosen state Sen. Karin Housley as his running mate.
Housley is a state senator from Stillwater and a real estate agent who also hosts a radio show. She was elected to the state Senate in 2012 and briefly considered her own bid for governor earlier this year.
Honour said Housley would be a "true partner" who "shares a set of core principles." Honour's campaign has been built around a message of improving government efficiency, what he called "a more solutions-oriented approach."
Honour is among a cluster of candidates seeking to be the Republican challenger to Gov. Mark Dayton in November. Honour and Housley debuted as a campaign team in a meeting room at Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, where Republicans are gathered for their state convention.
Honour and Kurt Zellers, a former House speaker, are not competing for the party endorsement in the governor's race, which the convention is scheduled to confer on Saturday. Three candidates are most seriously competing: former state Rep. Marty Seifert, state Sen. Dave Thompson and Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson.
Housley said with control of the state Senate not on the ballot this year, she wanted to find a way to work closely on a campaign. She said she talked to many of Honour's friends, family members and business partners and came away feeling he was the party's best shot to unseat Dayton.
"I hope people will get to know Scott Honour like I know Scott Honour," Housley said.
