Minnesota GOP Blocks Jeffers from Convention

kingpawlenty.jpgAccording to this report, the Minnesota GOP nominating committee unanimously rejected Sue Jeffers‘ nomination attempt at the Minnesota Republican Convention this weekend.

The party’s nominating committee on Friday night rejected a request by Sue Jeffers, a political newcomer who has already won the Libertarian Party’s backing, to have her name placed in nomination for governor. The move would have allowed her to address the Republican state convention in Minneapolis and let the 2,000 delegates choose between Pawlenty and her.

“I think I can get up on that stage and give Tim Pawlenty a run for his money,” Jeffers said before the committee rejected her. She accused the governor of not being sufficiently conservative, citing his support for higher tobacco taxes, ethanol subsidies, light-rail transit and the Twins ballpark.

Jeffers said she was a lifelong Republican, but Margaret Cavanaugh, chairwoman of the convention’s nominating committee, said the panel unanimously rejected Jeffers’ bid because she lacked “credible Republican credentials.”

If being a lifelong Republican, working for Pawlenty’s campaign in the past, and receiving endorsements from Republican groups (including the national Republican Liberty Caucus) doesn’t provide credible Republican credentials, I’m at a loss to know what would.

According to at least one campaign insider I spoke with this morning, the vote may not have been unanimous and common rules such as seconding motions were ignored. I’ve not had time to independently verify these rumors yet, so I’ll not continue on this track right now.

The article mentioned that Jeffers is “75 percent certain she will run for governor either in the Sept. 12 Republican primary or as a Libertarian in the Nov. 7 general election.” She used a 90 percent figure on the telephone with me this morning.

Jeffers is planning to go live on the air on or about the time that Governor Pawlenty gives his coronation speech. She’s already working on the arrangements with this station. It should prove for interesting radio, and you can listen live on the Internet.

The political machine in Minnesota is doing everything possible to suppress the will of the voters. They’re even taking away the right of Republicans to vote against Jeffers. Whether Jeffers ends up running as a Libertarian or Republican, I’d suggest that the voters of Minnesota band together and support Sue Jeffers (if for no other reason) merely to stick it to the system.

BTW, here’s the radio commerial she’s targeted at GOP convention delegates.

posted Jun 2nd, 2006 by Stephen Gordon

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  • artusregister

    If being a lifelong Republican, working for Pawlenty’s campaign in the past, and receiving endorsements from Republican groups (including the national Republican Liberty Caucus) doesn’t provide credible Republican credentials, I’m at a loss to know what would.

    Sure you do, Steve, er, I guess its Mr. Gordon, now–
    Swear allegiance to the state, confess the supremacy of deficit spending and compliment the emperor’s new clothes.

  • http://iliketocomplain.blogspot.com Chris Monnier

    Coverage of the Republican Convention on MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) has to some extent, in my opinion, portrayed Jeffers’ Libertarian affiliation as a liability. For the LP, I guess that’s good. It means the media is finally taking the party serious enough to consider someone’s affiliation with it a reason to be skeptical of their being a Republican. The word “libertarian” has been on the radio and in the newspaper a lot lately.

    But I wonder if Jeffers would have had the same problems at the convention if she were not affiliated with the LP. She became media worthy when she organized opposition to a smoking ban in bars and restaurants in Minneapolis (I actually volunteered at an event on the University of Minnesota campus where she spoke; the event was sparsely attended). The whole LP thing has generated some publicity for her, but I think she’d be in a better position without the LP baggage.

  • Devious David

    I’m soooo glad the GOP is slapping libertarian candidates down in their party. It’s high time they came right out and showed how they feel about the issue. Libertarians are indisputably unwelcome in the GOP. Not only will they be passively aggressive towards libertarians as well as marginalize them, but they will actively and openly obstruct them from participation when they even have the remote CHANCE of supporting the GOP’s professed limited government position. Let this be a lesson!

  • Corey

    Devious David, so if Libertarians are not welcome in the GOP, under the Republican Liberty Caucus banner, then DO NOT TELL ME THAT LIBERTARIANS STEAL YOUR VOTES.

    Because Libertarians are neither conservative or liberal. We are libertarian, meaning we believe in individual rights. It’s something the Republicans and Democrats only give lip service to.

    If Sue does not prevail in the primaries I am sure she will run against Pawlenty as a Libertarian, and either Sue will win, or Hatch will win. Either way you look at it, because the GOP has not been willing to hear another viewpoint and Pawlenty isn’t a true conservative, Pawlenty will fail. He can tout all his “accomplishments” all he wants. He’s just a liberal or moderate in my mind. I couldn’t stand his BIG spending for another 4 years.

    VOTE FOR SUE!

  • TerryP

    I actually think this could work to Jeffers advantage. She was not going to win the republican nomination. Now she may have a lot of disgruntled republicans along with many independents and possibly even some democrats that may vote for her in the election. If she would have lost in the republican primary after they would have given her a chance many of the disgruntled republicans would have likely bypassed her name on election day becasue she lost in the primary. They would have held the party line. Now some of those voters may cross the line and vote for her in the November election.

  • Devious David

    I’m not sure what you are saying in your first sentence, Corey.

    Sue is not going to win under any circumstances, barring a primary victory, which btw, isn’t going to happen.

    None of this is to Jeffer’s advantage. There is no such thing as a disgruntled Republican. They will not switch. You do not understand Republicans. Democrats might defect under duress, but I would not count on it. Independents will do what they do every election cycle… vote D or R. There will be no line crossing to speak of. Why do you people insist upon this ridiculous notion that people are getting smarter or more aware of their surroundings? The only people who have even heard of Jeffers are people on blogs.