Power Line: Dayton to Retire

Power Line: Dayton to Retire: "Dayton to Retire
It is being reported that within the next hour or two, Minnesota's Mark Dayton will announce that he is not seeking re-election to the Senate. I'd classify this as a mild surprise; I assume it's the result of pressure from fellow Democrats who fear that Dayton is too weak to hold his seat. His retirement will open the door for a stronger candidate. Obvious possibilities include Vance Opperman and Mike Ciresi. Both have the virtue of being rich, although neither has held office. Another possibility is Attorney General Mike Hatch, although I think he prefers to run for Governor. It's hard to see any of the Democratic members of Minnesota's congressional delegation as serious contenders.
Conventional wisdom is that Dayton has been the Democratic incumbent most likely to be unseated. I think that's right. While the Democrats undoubtedly can field a better candidate, it isn't obvious to me that they can find a candidate sufficiently better than Dayton to cancel out the loss of incumbency."

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