It was a busy week in the Minnesota governor's race with one candidate dropping out, another scoring a big endorsement and a third planning to make her run official today in Rochester.

First off, the Republican pool of candidates officially dropped to eight last week after Rep. Paul Kohls of Victoria announced he was calling it quits. Kohls' announcement followed a disappointing showing in a gubernatorial straw poll last month at the state Republican convention. Kohls finished sixth, garnering 5 percent of the vote.

In a letter to supporters, the 35-year-old lawmaker said he faced the challenge of not being well-known statewide. He said that "it has become clear to me that the activists are lining up in greater numbers behind some of the other candidates in the race, and there continues to be speculation about others who may enter the race."

Local support for Seifert

Rep. Marty Seifert of Marshall this morning unveiled a list of area Republicans who are getting behind his gubernatorial bid. Twenty-two people have signed on to be part of Seifert's "Southeast Minnesota Leadership Team." They include several big Rochester names, including former state Rep. Fran Bradley, former state Rep. Carla Nelson, former state Senate candidate Dr. Scott Wright and Republican Party of Olmsted County co-chairman Bruce Kaskubar. Others include Dodge County Republican chairman Chuck Bradford of Mantorville and 1st District Republican vice chairman Duane Quam of Byron.

Seifert chose a unique way to make the announcement. He set up a live Internet chat on his Web site, where the media and others could ask questions about the leadership team. Seifert has emerged as the GOP frontrunner after winning the straw poll at the state convention last month.

Dayton gets big endorsement

Former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton got a big boost in his quest for the governor's mansion. One of the state's largest unions -- AFSCME -- endorsed the DFLer. Council 5 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal workers has 43,000 public and nonprofit workers as members. In 2006, the union spent $1 million on the governor's race.

In a news release, union leaders cited Dayton's ability to win two statewide elections before as one of the main reasons for backing him.

"Minnesotans know and like Mark. That's because he listens more than any other candidate. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and it's obvious he cares about people," said Eliot Seide, director of AFSCME Council 5.

Pat Anderson makes it official

Former State Auditor Pat Anderson of Dellwood will make her run for governor official today. The Republican has planned a four-day, 14-city tour announcing her campaign. Rochester will be among her first stops. She was slated to speak at noon today at the Rochester Public Library.

Seat Belt Champion awards

Two area DFL lawmakers were awarded the Seat Belt Champion Award for their efforts to get a primary seat belt law passed last session. The law allows police to pull over and cite motorists who fail to wear a seat belt.

Sen. Steve Murphy of Red Wing and Rep. Kim Norton of Rochester received the award last week from the Meharry-State Farm Alliance. Murphy and Norton each sponsored the primary seat belt bill.

Heather J. Carlson covers politics for the Post-Bulletin. Her Political Notebook column runs every Monday with items concerning political issues affecting southeastern Minnesota. She can be reached at Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN .

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