Paul in

Another GOP entrant into the 2022 race for Minnesota Governor.

Former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka is jumping into the Republican field for Minnesota governor, hoping his role as the lone conservative blockade to Democrats in state government during the pandemic is enough to unseat DFL Gov. Tim Walz next fall.

Gazelka, a four-term senator from East Gull Lake, announced his run on Wednesday surrounded by supporters at the Minnesota Capitol, where he's spent the last five years leading the Republican caucus in the Senate.

Since I've already signaled my support for Michelle Benson, there's no chance I'd even consider Gazelka unless he's the GOP candidate come November 2022. 

Sure, Gazelka's been 100% on Second Amendment issues and yes he's held the line against tax increases when he was the lone Republican negotiating a state budget with a DFL Governor and House Speaker. But, unfortunately, he's made some high profile blunders which I can't get past. One was holding a postelection celebration of the GOP holding the majority in the MN Senate. The gathering wound up being a "super spreader" event as several attendees contracted COVID-19, including Gazelka himself. This was especially embarrassing for him considering his attitude towards the virus had often appeared dismissive. Worse than that, Sen. Jerry Relph of St. Cloud ended up dying due to complications from COVID. Another unforced error was Gazelka's milquetoast statement in regards to the arrest of GOP mega donor Anton Lazzaro on sex trafficking charges. Many surmised that awful reaction effectively ended his political career. 

Gazelka also showed a woeful lack of professional courtesy when Benson announced her candidacy last week. On that very same day, he stepped on her announcement by indicating he would resign from his leadership post and also not seek reelection for his Senate seat, thus fueling speculation of his gubernatorial run.

Long story short, Gazelka has no chance to win a statewide race. That's not to say Benson or Dr. Scott Jensen are shoe-ins to snap the MNGOP's long dry spell, but either of those two would be better suited for the task. 

-----------------------------------------------------