Pro-Business Democrat Shelley Madore racking up endorsements

You may not spend much time thinking about the connection between a vibrant small-business climate and how that benefits your community, but Shelley Madore brings real pro-business sensibility to the Congressional race in the 2nd District: she connects the dots between building roads and infrastructure to attract business to locate and expand in the district and what that means for working families, because investing in our business community means we have jobs and the crucial benefits they provide heading into the future. Shelley Madore gets it.

During her time in the state legislature, Madore authored dozens of bills, and left her imprint on dozens more with ideas such as the Madore amendment that corrected a long-standing imbalance in road transportation funding. She understands that potholes are more than an annoyance during your daily commute, they send a message to business owners that we aren't investing as carefully in our community as they would in their parking lots.

Shelley Madore brought common sense ideas to the table, and then built the necessary consensus to keep bills moving forward so voters saw real results instead of partisan gridlock. Now she's bringing her razor sharp pencil to the campaign process, running a tight, fiscally responsible campaign that's picking up steam as she picks up endorsements such as the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and Education Minnesota. She'll bring that same common-sense leadership to Washington.

Maybe it's because she's had to deal with the enormous burden of medical costs as a special needs mom, but her understanding of how the complexities of interconnected budgets work also impressed the President of South Central College, Keith Stover.

 

President Stover had seen his plans to expand the Faribault campus, remodel the lab nursing students use and facilities to train for manufacturing jobs skipped over in favor of funding projects elsewhere in the state. Stover's impressed. "You really did your homework," he told Madore and her staff at a recent meeting as she explained what the one missing piece was when the state considered allocating precious MNCSU funds.

Stover knows Shelley Madore sees more than just the big picture; she gets the way the system works, and can make it work better on behalf of the working people who live and raise their families in the district. Madore understands that we've got to provide the training our employers need and deserve right here in the district - that we've all got to work together to get Minnesota back to being the great place to live and work that we remember it from 10 or 20 years ago when people were moving here for the great schools, great jobs, and unparalleled quality of life.

Shelley Madore touring South Central College's carpentry training facility

with President Keith Stover

Primary promotes participation

Shelley Madore, the first Democrat elected to represent Apple Valley in 30 years, said Monday that she's pleased to be in the only DFL (Democrat-Farmer-Labor) primary at the Congressional level with a remaining challenge. "Our Representative makes speeches about supporting small business growth, but actions speak louder than words.  While Mr. Kline has consistently voted the GOP line in support of big business, and the sort of deregulation that led to the crisis on Wall Street and enabled BP's slipshod Gulf operations, this district deserves somebody more interested in partnering with business and understanding the challenges facing people who work for a living."

There are two DFL challengers to the party-endorsed candidate in the Governor's race, former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton and former state legislator Matt Entenza (who surprised many by picking a political rookie for his running mate,) both mounting substantive challenges to Margaret Anderson-Kelliher's campaign.  In fact, Dayton ascended to the Senate by challenging the party-endorsed candidate in 2000, and although he's been chair of the party he emphasizes that the voters who participate in the primary should have a choice rather than simply accepting what insiders decide.  Maureen Reed, the challenger to convention-endorsed Tarryl Clark in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District, announced Sunday that she was suspending her primary campaign.

Still, Madore isn't looking for her primary opponent in the 2nd District to drop out despite rumors he's finally kicked off fund-raising in the past week.  The election is about Kline, she says. "He's a good speechmaker, but his voting record shows this Texas transplant is taking the advice of GOP strategists rather than thinking about how to bring jobs to our district. Leaders don't wait for things to get better, they go get things done. My record as a State Legislator tells the voters I'll take personal responsibility representing the district in Washington."

During her time working in state government, Madore authored dozens of bills each year, and managed to build bi-partisan cooperation moving legislation forward, which stands in marked contrast to Kline's record. She "welcomes the primary process" because it gives district voters who didn't participate in the DFL convention in the district a chance to learn more about her record of accomplishment while promoting the involvement of a much larger number of people.

Two now seeking DFL endorsement to run againt Kline in CD2

Former State legislator Shelley Madore will be kicking off her campaign for the DFL endorsement to run against John Kline in the 2010 Congressional race to represent Congressional District 2 on Monday, 18 January 2005. A press release on the announcement event went out Wednesday and several sites including MinnPost immediately released the news.

“Minnesota deserves leadership that puts us first,” said Madore. “We need a strong leader who will work with other members of Congress to bring projects back to our district. It’s important that you have someone who will show up and talk with you about your priorities and needs. And, when times are tough, it matters that you have someone who understands what it is like to live here and struggle to keep your family afloat.

I am that leader and when you elect me to serve you in Washington, I will fight to bring jobs and economic security back to families here in Minnesota."

That brings the count on the DFL side to two, since small-business owner Dan Powers has been officially in the race since late 2009. There appear to be neither challengers on the GOP side to Kline's incumbency, nor any independent candidates in the race thus far.

The campaign has announced the kick-off event on facebook as well as through the more traditional channels.

DFL voters will caucus around the state on Tuesday, February 2nd, and residents of the 2nd District are likely glad to have fewer choices for Congress than are presently seeking their endorsement for the Governor's race.