AK for AG?

It would appear U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder lied, under oath, to Congress last week. That's probably not the ideal scenario for the county's top cop to escape prosecution, much less keep his job. Even before those hearings regarding the Justice Department seizing phone records of the Associated Press, there was speculation that Holder desired to remain AG only until the end of 2013. Whether or not his master plan comes to fruition remains to be seen.

While there is certainly more to discuss regarding the scandal which caused Holder to perjure himself, I'm actually using this post to speculate how this could potentially affect my home state.

If indeed Holder is gone sooner rather than later, a replacement will be needed posthaste. There has been one name bandied about which really has me intrigued. That name is none other than Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar. Before she was first elected to the US Senate in 2006, Klobuchar was Hennepin County Attorney for eight years. Whatever you think of her politics (which, for me personally, is very little) she is reputable legal mind (she also served as a legal adviser to former VP Walter Mondale). Plus, her credibility with Senate Democrats (and even some Republicans) is a definite plus given that a sudden vacancy in the AG's office would call for a quick confirmation process. At the very least, the Democrats have a comfortable majority in the Senate, which would assure Klobuchar a swift nod for the job.

If that indeed comes to pass, what happens to the suddenly vacant MN Senate seat? Well first, Governor Mark Dayton would appoint a replacement (obviously a Democrat) for Klobuchar. However, that appointment would last only until the 2014 elections (coincidentally, Senator Al Franken is up for reelection that year). Whomever prevails in that particular contest would have only a four-year term, as that seat's six-year cycle would be up again in 2018 since Klobuchar was reelected in 2012.

To me, that whole scenario is equal parts invigorating and frightening. Sure it would have been better for Klobee to have been defeated electorally, but her being gone from the Senate would be a good thing. On the flip side, I just alluded to the fact that in 2014 there would be two US Senate races for which the Minnesota GOP would have to put up candidates. While the atmosphere and financial outlook within the state party has improved over the past 18 months, the fact remains that the MN GOP is still in disarray, thus making it difficult to support candidates running in statewide races. That, and there's been so much difficulty putting forth just one candidate to oppose a mediocre incumbent like Franken. Now just imagine trying to field a second formidable GOP candidate to oppose whomever may run for the other Senate seat in 2014.

Whatever ends up happening, 2014 is shaping up to be a very critical election cycle in the state of Minnesota.

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