Kennedy Catches Break; Bell to Skip Convention
First Ringer over at KvM has the story. Ford Bell has decided that he will skip the DFL Convention next month and instead challenge Amy Klobuchar in a September 12 primary. What this means is that Klobuchar will have to run left well into September rather than changing her tune in June. While this is exceedingly easy for Klobuchar, it will also be costly, both in terms of money and perception.
Minnesota is a historically DFL state that is trending Republican. Now, rather than nailing down the nomination in June, Klobuchar will have to make nice-nice to the most extreme elements of the Democrat Party for three more months. More than turning voters into Kennedy supporters, this has the potential to depress turnout among the social conservative but died in the wool Democrats who have long provided the DFL’s margin of victory.
Perhaps more importantly, this allows Rep. Kennedy to continue to introduce himself to the voters by running a positive campaign, leaving the (very effective) dirty work to others. What’s more, Klobuchar will help in that effort by painting herself as a Deaniac. It’s still premature for the corks to start popping in Mark Kennedy’s campaign office, but I’m sure that somebody’s buying drinks as a result of Ford’s decision.
Who’d have thought the words “Senator Kennedy” would ever have a nice ring to them?