Sunday, August 08, 2010

Mark’s big pool party

The Emmer campaign announces Saturday:

Tom Emmer, the Republican-endorsed candidate for governor, announced today that he is reorganizing his campaign in preparation for the general election phase of the race.

Emmer announced new campaign leadership. Cullen Sheehan will become the campaign manager; and a new team of senior advisors, chaired by Chris Georgacas, will set strategy and provide oversight.

"I am very grateful to all the volunteers and staff who earlier helped me win the party endorsement and built the campaign to this point," Emmer said. "Now our organization must grow quickly for the final three months of the election campaign."

"I am excited about taking my principles for job creation and responsible, limited government directly to the people after next Tuesday's primary elections. My new campaign team leaders have enormous experience in winning elections and will help me advance my common-sense agenda for restoring Minnesota's prosperity."

Sheehan currently serves as chief of staff of the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus (from which he is taking a leave of absence). He was campaign manager of former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's re-election campaign in 2008 and historic recount battle; executive director of the Iowa Republican Party; manager of a U.S. Senate campaign in 2004; and veteran of Coleman's 2002 victory.

Georgacas is president of the public relations firm Goff & Howard. He was campaign chairman and strategist for Gov. Tim Pawlenty's winning 2002 campaign; manager of then-Mayor Norm Coleman's 1998 gubernatorial campaign; and state Republican chairman during Gov. Arne Carlson's tumultuous but successful 1994 re-election bid.

Wait a minute — didn’t the Emmer campaign have a campaign manager? Why yes, yes it did! Mark Buesgens. The guy who wants to sell Minnesota’s state parks. Although the announcement is silent on the subject, Buesgens now apparently sleeps with the fishes, to bend the metaphor a little.

Note that Sheehan and Georgacas are about as establishment Republicans as you will find. You can expect that some blogs will remind the Tea Party faithful how Emmer has stabbed them in the back.

No comments: