Minnesota Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon said Thursday she's reached a decision on her political future, but won't share it until she meets with Gov. Mark Dayton on Monday.
"I've been thinking about it awhile now, but I'd like to have that conversation first," she said following a meeting for the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, which she chairs.
Prettner Solon was tapped by Dayton as her running mate in 2010, but both have left open the idea that she may not share the ticket with Dayton in his re-election bid. She said in August that the two "don't talk very often."
The former DFL state senator from Duluth and Dayton have at times differed on issues including whether guns should be allowed at the Capitol. Despite committee recommendations approved Thursday that don't include an outright gun ban, she advocates for banning firearms from committee hearings and House and Senate chambers. Dayton has said he fears weapons screening systems would have a "chilling effect" on government participation.
"I don't know where he is on this issue particularly in terms of committee hearings and chambers but I do know the governor is very interested in protecting the citizens in the state and he's also very interested in maintaining openness at the Capitol," she said.
"I don't think were that disparate,"she added. "Certainly we're not identical and we have different ways of dealing with things sometimes but it needs more refining and I'm sure we can get on the same page here."
Prettner Solon said she's had a "very good three years" and is pleased with her job. Dayton is prepared for the news, she said.
"We have discussed it, yes," she said. "He knows."
