The DFL endorsement of Angie Craig for Minnesota Second District brought a quick response from the Darlene Miller for Congress committee :

Washington Special Interest’s Darling Angie Craig

Today the DFL in the Second District unsurprisingly endorsed far-left liberal Angie Craig after the special interests in Washington hand-picked for this seat. Craig’s solution to every problem is to spend more and raise taxes, which may appeal to the coastal elites who cleared the field for her but have been soundly rejected by the voters of the Second District.

We look forward to giving the voters of the Second District a clear choice between the real world experience and conservative values of Darlene Miller versus out-of-touch liberal Angie Craig.

Hmmm … three key phrases that stand out
— “special interests in Washington hand-picked for this seat”
— “the coastal elites who cleared the field for her”
— “real world experience”

And the question … does that refer to Angie Craig or Darlene Miller ?

Since neither of these candidates have an elective record, a few Internet searches using newspaper and government websites should provide a pretty clear picture.

As Angie Craig tells her story “I hear politicians talk about the American Dream all the time. I’ve been lucky enough to live it” … growing up in a trailer park, taking out school loans to attend a public university, getting a job at a Fortune 500 company which included a stint in London, then accepting a position as of the executive leadership team at St. Jude Medical in 2005.
Craig has served on the boards of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, LifeScience Alley and the Twin Cities American Heart Association, as well as chairwoman of the Twin Cities Go Red campaign and a member of the Eagan Rotary.
Craig also served as a precinct chair in Senate District 51 for the DFL Party and donated to various DFL candidates.

So with business, community and party experience, Craig took the next step and announced her intention to challenge John Kline in January 2015 … so if the “special interests in Washington” wanted someone with “real world experience”, they certainly found one.

BUT did “the coastal elites” pick Craig ???

Yeah, Minnesotans know that has happened before … it was Tom Davis (R-VA-11) who booked a table for three at Minnesota’s finest steak house in 2001 then jetted out there to persuade military veteran John Kline to run for Congress.
And who could forget the reaction of Tim Pawlenty after he got a telephone call from Vice-President Dick Cheney convincing him to abandon the 2002 U.S. Senate race in favor of St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman for the Republican nomination ?

“Vice President Dick Cheney called me and said that he had been in touch with the President. And that on behalf of the president and the vice president of the United States, they asked that I not go forward with this effort and not engage in the battle against Norm Coleman

Pawlenty says he’s not sure what his political future holds, but he says the apparent ability of highly-placed officials to pick nominees calls into question the influence of rank-and-file activists.

“Makes you wonder about the process – the integrity of the process – and why people show up at all these meetings and do the things that they do at the grassroots level,” Pawlenty said.

OK … so, it happens … but let us remember that when Craig did not know that John Kline would announce on September 3, 2015 that he would not seek re-election.
At the time, Craig had already picked up a number of party endorsements as well as party challengers.
The Kline retirement gave an opportunity for others to challenge Craig … but in the end, the DFL endorsing convention was universal in support of her candidacy. There are no reports of Washington powerbrokers flying into Minnesota to “hand-pick” … yet that is the Miller campaign message.

Now, let’s look at Darlene Holec Miller … formerly of New Prague who’s parents sold the family farm so that a golf course could be built … attended a private liberal arts college … and in 1994 purchased Permac Industries. Using Small Business Administration programs (SBA 7(a) loan early in her ownership and her 2007 acquisition of the building was made possible through an SBA 504 loan) and carrying the “pom-poms” for George Bush has made her a US Chamber of Commerce darling.

The Kline retirement announcement gave an opportunity for many Republicans to consider the contest …and the field had been pretty much settled in October as candidates began to appear at forums … exposing their own weaknesses.

If there was ever a need for another “Cheney telephone call”, it was apparent … and on January 6th, Darlene Miller announced her candidacy … acknowledging that her name may not be familiar with voters.

Over the past few months, the candidates have held more forums … after which, straw polls were taken and Darlene Miller was at the bottom. And as the MNGOP convention is scheduled for next week, reviewing delegates preferences reveal that Darlene Miller may get zero votes … and may not even want her name being considered.

No, it appears that Darlene Miller will avoid the Minnesota endorsement process and proceed to the primary … where she can “sell” her message to primary voters.
And to “sell” her message, Darlene Miller needs money … and reviewing her recent FEC filing, it is pretty obvious who is “Washington Special Interest’s Darling“.

You can look for CEOs … like General Electric’s Jeffrey Immelt who had made only one political donation this year … all to Darlene Miller.
Why would the GE CEO need her ??? well, Heritage Foundation readers will remember the debate over reauthorization the Export-Import Bank which General Electric wanted and fiscal conservatives opposed .. “The real story is that GE, along with Boeing and other top beneficiaries of the government bank, are trying to scare Americans into further subsidizing their hugely successful multinational operations.”
And while Immelt was speaking for General Electric, who was speaking for the US Chamber of Commerce … yep, Darlene Miller.

You can look to Congressional Republicans … like Diane Black R-TN-06, Susan Brooks R-IN-05, Tom Cole R-OK-04, Kristi Noem R-SD-AtLarge, Pat Tiberi R-OH-12, Mimi Waters R-CA-45 and even John Kline have invested in the Miller campaign.
Or, you can look at the special interests … like John Kline’s regular contributors from the For-Profit Education industry.

Gosh, would the Darlene Miller for Congress explain how her primary isn’t a result of the “special interests in Washington hand-picked for this seat” ?

Darlene Miller has stated that she wants “government to help us” … but the “us” is the business owners … contrast that with Angie Craig who talks about her own American Dream that she has lived.