So it appears the leading names for House Republican minority leader are Rep. Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) and Rep. Randy Demmer (R-Hayfield). Current Minority Leader Marty Seifert is stepping down to run for governor. Rep. Tom Emmer is now also considering a run for governor and not running for minority leader contrary to what he had stated a couple of weeks ago. Emmer also told me a couple of months ago he had never thought of running for higher office. A year ago Seifert wasn't considering running for governor either. A lot has changed with Gov. Pawlenty's decision to not seek a third term. It's also possible another name will emerge that isn't out there now, no one expected Sen. Dave Senjem to emerge as the Senate Minority Leader.
Zellers and Demmer are pretty well known to the Capitol crowd, but probably not very well known to the general public. I've known Zellers for more than a decade dating back to when he was press secretary for U.S. Senator Rod Grams. So Zellers knows PR which is valuable for a minority leader who has to deal with the press a lot. He is from a newer fast-growing suburb and that's where the critical population mass now lives and it's where statewide elections are decided. He is young and known for having fun and playing pranks on the House floor. He has also become a more serious conservative voice on policy issues like hospital expansion, jobs and the economy. He has publicly gone through personal tragedy losing an infant and sponsoring legislation to get stillborns a birth certificate. So he is fiercely proud and devoted to his young children who often visit him at the Capitol.
Demmer more recently emerged as someone to watch in the caucus. He ran for congress in First Congressional District. He lost the bid for the Republican endorsement to Mayo Doctor Brian Davis who went on to lose to Congressman Tim Walz. Prior to that Demmer was seen as a quiet guy with a background in farming and business. He has remained very vocal since last year's bid for higher office. He spoke a lot on the floor and made it on to the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy which became the public body for trying to negotiate a session-ending deal. It gave him a higher profile and broader stage to dive into the meat of Capitol politics. There may still be questions about a harassment lawsuit apparently settled out of court more than a decade ago.