Rep. Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) is the new House Minority Leader. Just before 10pm caucus PR guy Kevin Watterson tweeted the news and sent out a news release more than half and hour later (proving news is happening faster on Twitter these days). The caucus vote was swifter than expected with Zellers winning in 4 ballots after serving just over 5 years in the legislature.
After being elected Zellers said: “Our caucus will continue to be the peoples’ advocate for a government that spends responsibly, sets priorities and keeps a lid on taxes. That means more than just sitting back and saying no every time Democrats propose a new tax increase. We will offer new solutions and new ideas, all with a continued respect for the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars."
House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher quickly sent out a news release around 10:15pm beating the House Republicans to their announcement. She congratulated Zellers and vowed to continue weekly meetings with the minority leader. Kelliher added that "I remain committed to openness, transparency and a spirit of compromise in the Minnesota House and hope Rep. Zellers shares those goals."
Earlier I blogged about the new minority leader saying: 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.