[Speed Gibson,
Sunday August 31, 2008 at 9:58pm]
Can't push Willy round, Willy won't go
I finished up walking the Willard Hay neighborhood, which is a big part of Legislative District 58B in Minneapolis. The incumbent "Willie" Dominguez was pushed aside by the DFL to endorse Bobby Joe Champion. Willie isn't going quietly, taking his case into the September 9th Primary.
I met "Willie" earlier this year, at a property tax reform hearing at North High School. I spoke my piece there, pointing out that I was likely the only Republican there. Somebody corrected me, noting that Dominguez's brother was the other exception. Maybe that was enough baggage to cost him the re-endorsement.
It was a brief meeting, but he was very personable, the kind of guy you'd enjoy talking to over a couple of beers. This nice guy doesn't intend to finish last, and so far, he's winning the lawn sign battle by about 3:2 or better I'd say.
Those Dominguez signs are recycled from last time as is usually done. The top line was "DFL / Labor Endorsed" but now a sticker overlay says "Re-elect DFL Incumbent / Labor Endorsed" though I wonder about that latter claim. Champion has at least two labor endorsements.
It's not my District, certainly not my Party, so I can't really endorse one over the other or explain why the DFL felt they needed to make a change. Champion seems very qualified (for a Democrat), even if he is a lawyer and endorsed by U.S. Representative Keith Ellison. On the other hand, he grew up loving Perry Mason, and I have to like that.
So, the Primary will likely decide the winner here, even if the Republican challenger Yoman Brunson isn't exacly Caucasian, either.
I met "Willie" earlier this year, at a property tax reform hearing at North High School. I spoke my piece there, pointing out that I was likely the only Republican there. Somebody corrected me, noting that Dominguez's brother was the other exception. Maybe that was enough baggage to cost him the re-endorsement.
It was a brief meeting, but he was very personable, the kind of guy you'd enjoy talking to over a couple of beers. This nice guy doesn't intend to finish last, and so far, he's winning the lawn sign battle by about 3:2 or better I'd say.
Those Dominguez signs are recycled from last time as is usually done. The top line was "DFL / Labor Endorsed" but now a sticker overlay says "Re-elect DFL Incumbent / Labor Endorsed" though I wonder about that latter claim. Champion has at least two labor endorsements.
It's not my District, certainly not my Party, so I can't really endorse one over the other or explain why the DFL felt they needed to make a change. Champion seems very qualified (for a Democrat), even if he is a lawyer and endorsed by U.S. Representative Keith Ellison. On the other hand, he grew up loving Perry Mason, and I have to like that.
So, the Primary will likely decide the winner here, even if the Republican challenger Yoman Brunson isn't exacly Caucasian, either.
Yoman's a good kid and he has a little picture of himself on the sign but this will be a high turnout district for the DFL so I expect the base Republican vote which is always small, to pretty much disappear.
I don't know why Willie appears to be getting the shaft. Maybe people don't feel he did enough in the 2 years. I am not hesitant to say that it might be "a black thing." After all, the district has the largest black pop. in Mpls. and race matters to lots of people here, whether they say so or not. Then again, Mullery on the A side (which is whiter) was being challenged originally by another white candidate who was simply more radical than he. The guy who ended up running against him doesn't look as radical, he's a park board guy but I have no idea what he's campaigning on--mostly he just seems younger and more energetic than Mullery who has been in there for years.
I watch all these developments with amusement since I have no real dog in this hunt.