Geoff Michel’s famous last words
“When pigs fly,” says Geoff
In late October, the Deputy, the outgoing state senator in SD41 Geoff Michel, opined to Politics in Minnesota that it would really be no sweat for the Republicans in the western ‘burbs, including Edina:
GOP state Sen. Geoff Michel, whose retirement after three terms [two and a half full terms, really; this past one was two years rather than four because of redistricting] left the seat open, thinks DFLers and their allied group are deluding themselves into believing that they can win the seat. “October of every election year, Democrats get excited about winning districts in the western suburbs, and they pour in outside money, and it usually does not work,” Michel said. “Edina, Bloomington — these are first-ring suburbs. There are strong bases of DFL support not far away, just across France Avenue. They look at the western suburbs as a real gem, and that’s exactly what they are. But I think they inflate their ability to win in that kind of a district. ”
The Deputy is the guy who deluded himself into thinking he was governor material, so his own grip on reality is a little suspect.
And son of a gun, the DFL took every legislative seat in SD49. That’s Edina, west Bloomington, and little pieces of Eden Prairie and Minnetonka. And by most measures, Melisa Franzen, Ron Erhardt, and Paul Rosenthal won it going away.
When asked about the effect of the marriage amendment on the races in SD49, Michel said he didn’t think it would hurt:
But Michel believes voters opposed to the marriage amendment won’t necessarily hold it against Downey in the voting booth. “I don’t think there’s a lot of spillover into the legislative races,” Michel said. “These are smart, well-educated voters. They tend to vote for the person, rather than the party.”
About 33% of voters in 49A and 40% in 49B supported the marriage amendment. All of the GOP candidates “outperformed” the amendments, but it obviously didn’t help them. That’s why they mumbled so much when people asked them — especially Keith Downey, who supported it in the Legislature — about the marriage amendment.
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