C&B Says WWMED

Ellison is taking body blows and it looks like the path is clearing for a serious primary challenge for the endorsed candidate for CD-5. Here is the full text from Checks and Balances.

WWMED (What Will Mike Erlandson Do?) Accessing the Likelihood of an Erlandson Continued Candidacy After the DFL 5th Congressional District Endorsing Convention we asked former DFL party Chair Mike Erlandson (D) if we should remove his campaign advertisement from off of our site. At the time Erlandson said. “Leave it there until after I have decided what I plan to do.” It has now been 11 days and Erlandson has yet to state his intentions for September. We have spoke with him on a number of occasions and he has not provided a clear direction on his plans. We can confirm he has not raised any additional money for a campaign nor has he informed supporters he is moving forward. What is clear is his campaign organization is still intact and looks capable of restarting at anytime. The bevy of criticism against Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-58B, Minneapolis) continues to grow. His past tax problems, ethical violations and other issues are being talked about within the confines of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. As Ellison’s political vulnerabilities and weaknesses continue to be exposed, the runway looks open to another candidate in the field. Since Ember Reichgott Junge (D) is the only other viable contender on the Democratic side, though not all that viable in our assessment, the stage is set for another entrant. We conclude Erlandson will enter the fray. His campaign has been geared toward a September face-off and we expect he will make it official in a short amount of time.

Source: Checks & Balances - 5/17/06