Another weekend done

Another weekend of DFL County and Senate District conventions has come and gone, and things continue to look solid for the Rukavina campaign. From Koochiching County up in International Falls to the Houston County convention down in La Crescent, and everywhere in between, Tom's refreshingly honest message was well received by convention goers, and many new delegates were elected to bring their support for Tom to the DFL State Endorsing Convention in Duluth this April. With so many uncommitted delegates and no clear leader in the field, I'm confident that Tom can end up being the candidate who best connects with the convention delegates, and I know for certain that he has the best chance of defeating the Republicans in November.

For my part, I was down in the Southeastern corner of the state speaking to delegates at a number of conventions on Tom's behalf. My girlfriend and her son joined me on this adventure, making for quite the fun little family road trip. I do believe that my next major investment will be a portable DVD player for in-the-car use. Bob the Builder worked okay on the laptop, but it sure does play heck with the battery life! I also learned a valuable lesson about the power of fruit snacks when negotiating to get a 19 month old boy back into his car seat after many hours on the road.

As we made the drive from the Iron Range, through the rough landscape of Northern Minnesota, scars left over from the great glacier that once covered my home turf, and on through the metropolitan areas of Minneapolis and St Paul, along with their surrounding suburbs; then on to the flat expanse of prairie covered with some of the most productive farms in the world (corn, soybean, and wind), and finally entering into bluff country with its beauty and splendor, I was struck by the vastness and diversity of this great state. It is going to take some wonderful leadership to address the needs of so many different people living in so many different landscapes and economic realities. I'm support Tom Rukavina to be that next leader of Minnesota because I have watched him bring so many different viewpoints into his decision making as Chair of the Higher Education Committee in the House. He brings all the voices to the table, listens to what they have to say, and then uses their viewpoints to create the best solution for everyone involved and the best long term answer for the state of Minnesota. That ability to compile many ideas into one comprehensive plan is exactly what this state so desperately needs right now.

It doesn't hurt that he's held onto his rural roots. A lot of Minnesota politicians do everything they can to show their connection to Greater Minnesota; Tom only has to give you his address!