|
“Endangered Species,” 527s and the Hazards of Three Fundraiser Meals a Day;
GOP Chairman Ron Carey shares his thoughts with Senate District 41
By John Swon IV
On a cold Minnesota evening just days away from Thanksgiving, 60-plus Senate District 41 Republican activists gathered to hear first-term Party Chairman Ron Carey praise the District as “the best” while expounding on the 2005 Elections, nurturing the grassroots and the impact of liberal 527s.
In the wake of the 2005 Elections and the Democrat victories in the gubernatorial offices in New Jersey and Virginia, the energetic and fast-paced Carey was quick to caution his audience about the long-term impact of those campaigns. Carey dismissed talk that the results were any harbinger for 2006, citing that both states holding their races for Governor elected Democrats in 2001 only to see major Republican gains the next year. “The media wants to make us look like an endangered species,” Carey joked, finding great humor in local predictions of DFL gains from the many nonpartisan elections held recently. Locally, almost no high-profile campaigns pitted Republicans against Democrats, with one of the exceptions being the victory of Sen. Dave Kleis in his race for St. Cloud Mayor against incumbent Democrat---and once DFL rising star---John Ellenbecker. “It was a battle of ideas,” Carey said of the election. “And we won.”
In contrast have been the DFL’s attempts at “character assassination”, most notably that of the man whom Carey defeated just last June for the Chairmanship. Carey called the acquittal of his predecessor Ron Eibensteiner a “big victory” and a defeat for the political fortunes of Attorney General Mike Hatch who Carey blamed for leading the charge for Eibensteiner’s prosecution. Carey is not fazed by personal attacks on himself but is focused on his job to build the party. Carey may be the bigger man in terms of maturity, but thanks to his successful fundraising breakfasts, lunches and dinners, he may be able to claim that title in other ways, joking he’s put on weight from so many fundraising functions.
While GOP fundraising continues at a solid clip, Carey said the emphasis of his tenure would be more on grassroots and voter identification---two aspects of campaigning that local Democrats have essentially outsourced to 527 organizations like 21st Century Democrats and MoveOn.org. Democrat 527s raised and spent one quarter of a billion dollars in 2004, largely on voter ID and turnout, causing, among other results, the loss of 13 House seats in the Minnesota legislature. Whether the 527s return in 2006 at the same level of strength as they did in 2004, one of the major lessons the GOP learned from their efforts was not just cultivating support in weak or swing districts but strong regions as well. Winning a district, especially in a statewide election, isn’t good enough. Carey aims to win in the same areas, only by a greater margin. “It’s PileOn.org,” he laughed.
A major believer in a 35/35/30 split of the Minnesota electorate, Carey says that the 30% of voters who consider themselves to be independent still have “hot-button issues” that motivate them, which differ from voter to voter. With an increase in resources to help identity those issues, Carey is confident that “we’re going to win in 2006 and win big.”
|
|
Minnesota Senate District 41 Republicans
Edina Community Center, Suite 323, 5701 Normandale Road, Edina, Minnesota 55424
phone - (952) 848-4272 / fax - (952) 848-4271
|
|
E-mail: sd41gop@hotmail.com
|
