State Sen. Katie Sieben has taken her name out of the running for lieutenant governor.
"There is more work to do to ensure that our economic recovery reaches every Minnesotan," the Cottage Grove DFLer said in a statement. "As Assistant Majority Leader, I will work closely with the governor and fellow members of the Legislature on economic priorities like raising the minimum wage and job creation."
Gov. Mark Dayton has been quietly searching for a new running mate since Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon announced she would not be joining him for a second term.
Sieben was widely considered a possible candidate, but Dayton has been completely silent about who he is vetting for the post.
"I'm not going to get into speculation," Dayton said Friday. He would not say if he has narrowed the field of possible running mates.
Other names to emerge as possible picks include Dayton's chief of staff, Tina Smith, and former House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, who is now commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. Others have speculated that Katie Clark Sieben, who heads the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, might be a possible candidate.
