ST. PAUL - Kelly Doran took the Legislature's only Independence Party member to be his running mate, an early and unusual move in the Minnesota governor's race.
Doran announced Monday that Sen. Sheila Kiscaden of Rochester is pairing with him in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party contest. Doran, a wealthy shopping center developer, is the first candidate to pick a lieutenant governor candidate.
The first-time candidate bucked political conventional wisdom that indicates a moderate like he claims to be must pair with a liberal in order to win the party's nomination. Kiscaden avoids the political left and right extremes.
Minnesotans think "partisan politics is endangering our future," Doran said in a Capitol news conference.
Kiscaden was a Republican until recent years, when convention delegates in her southeastern Minnesota district decided she was not conservative enough for them. She won re-election to the Senate under the Independence Party banner, but in the past year began working closely with Democrats. The 59-year-old is known as someone who works with legislators of both major political parties.
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Her former party colleagues did not go easy on Kiscaden.
"Kelly Doran's choice of Sheila Kiscaden as his running mate confirms their position as the most opportunistic and unprincipled ticket in DFL history," GOP Chairman Ron Carey said.
Carey's comments were a reference to Doran switching from the U.S. Senate race to the governor's contest after it appeared Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar had the DFL Senate nomination locked up.
Doran said if elected he would have Kiscaden head efforts to improve the state's health-care system. She is a longtime member of Senate health committees.
With their spouses and one of Kiscaden's daughters by their sides, the candidates talked about attracting moderates to the Democratic Party.
Doran did not place much emphasis on getting the DFL state convention's endorsement in June, but said he plans to fight for the nomination at the Sept. 12 party primary.
He said the campaign's job will be to get moderate voters to the primary polls. DFL primary voters tend to be on the liberal side, which has influenced many moderate governor candidates to pick a more liberal running mate.
Other Democrats in the governor's race are Sens. Becky Lourey and Steve Kelley and Attorney General Mike Hatch.
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Don Davis at (651) 290-0707
