Sen. John Marty, a liberal icon among Legislators, announced shortly before 10 p.m. that he was throwing his support to House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, a huge boost to her chances of gaining the DFL endorsement for governor.
Marty said he decided to throw his support to Kelliher, who was locked in a tight race for the endorsement for most of the evening with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, because she is committed to pushing for single-payer health coverage and making it law within two years.
His announcement came after delegates cast their fifth ballots for governor. Kelliher got 630.5 votes for 46.9 percent, Rybak received 434 votes or 32.3 percent, and Thissen got 269.5 votes or 20.1 percent. A candidate needed 807 votes to get the required 60 percent of votes available on the fifth ballot.
