The Patty Payoff

I would have made a killing, but the odds would have been very short I am sure. Last April I stated this:

I would still put my money on a Klobuchar Senate, Wetterling 6th pairing. It is so early that I am hoping Wetterling is choosing not to hedge her situation to allow for a more robust fund raising effort and a focused campaign. But when all is said and done, I hope she reconsiders.

Today, all will be said and done, and the easiest prediction in politics will come to fruition.

Children's safety advocate Patty Wetterling will announce her candidacy for the DFL nomination for Congress from the Sixth Congressional District today, according to her new rival in that race, former Blaine Mayor Elwyn Tinklenberg.

Patty will take considerable lumps for her strategic decision to dismiss any chance of returning to the congressional race. One quote that will come back to haunt her (from April 2005):

Speaking to Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party elders at a Hemenway Forum luncheon in Oakdale , she said, "I'm not going to run for the 6th District. The numbers show me that ? I will not win."

However, as mentioned earlier, King ran this by some of his DFL contacts.

Theory goes: If she breaks the promise she will receive negative press, but it would fade rather quickly and not be a problem for her by the time the district convention arrives. Makes sense to me.

So the GOP will have a heyday for a short period, but the DFL's chances of retaking the 6th have significantly improved.

Flash