Senator John Marty Announces Run For Governor

Saint Paul, Minnesota
April 13, 2009
By Martin Owings

Today at the Minnesota State Capitol, Senator John Marty held a press conference to formally announce that he was entering the race for Minnesota Governor. Marty joins a crowded field of Democrats who have already announced their candidacies, among them Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, Matt Entenza, Ole Savior, Paul Thissen and former US Senator Mark Dayton to name just a few.

Marty isn't short on campaign experience, having run for Governor twice previously in 1994 and 98. In 1994 he was beaten by a nearly two to one margin when he ran against Arne Carlson, largely due to Marty's own campaign finance limits and to some extent Carlson's popularity. In 1998, he withdrew from the DFL primary after losing early to Hennepin County District Attorney Mike Freeman, the year that Jesse Ventura won.

Today Marty said he was running in part because his exploratory campaign had been so encouraging. Marty added that Minnesotans are hurting in the economic crisis and that "quick fixes and political gimmicks have been eating away at Minnesota's greatness." Marty says even though he isn't a wealthy or self-financed candidate, he still believes he can win with "people power."

Marty who has championed Gay rights issues and Universal Health care is unapologetic about his positions calling those who would criticize him on Gay rights as "on the wrong side of history." He says that seeing the pain in the faces of everyday Minnesotans is what motivated him to finally decide to run. "This is the first time in American history that the next generation is doing worse than their predecessors and I don't find that acceptable." said Marty.

With the election almost two years away and a growing field of Democratic competitors, Marty knows it'll be a long, hard fight but says he's ready for it. Marty spoke about the work ahead to a crowd of gathered supporters, saying "Every one of us is going to have a lot of work ahead, I know that, I'm excited about that, I hope you're excited about that because we're gonna get em, we're gonna win this race and we'll be representing Minnesota in the Governor's office two years from now."

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