I offered the Trib my first analysis a few seconds after getting the vote totals for Nancy Nilsen and me. We were 2nd and 3rd in the at-large vote.
Here’s what Jana wrote in today’s story:
“Welty, who was second with At Large vote totals, said he was pleased with the results. He pointed out that he and Nilsen were close in the vote tally.
“The fact that Nancy and I are so close, maybe the verdict is still out with primary voters on the virtues of the Red Plan,” he said. (Nilsen was a member of the board that approved the Red Plan in 2007 and Welty has long railed against the fact that residents weren’t allowed to vote on a plan.)
“It will be interesting to see how that will shape up during the general election,” he said.
Not bad for a quick assessment.
I think the unions and DFL had a little larger impact on the primary results than they will in the general election. We had a ten percent turnout. With such low numbers dedicated and organized voters can exert more influence just like wacko ideologues do in Republican primaries. The The General Election won’t be all that much bigger – maybe 20 or 25% of the registered voters but that should help independents like me and diminish the influence of the special interests.
I have a couple other tidbits of analysis but I’ll keep them to myself. I don’t want my challengers to steal a lead on me just because of my blabber fingers.
