Former George W. Bush ethics lawyer ditches GOP, to seek U.S. Senate in Minn. as Democrat

[riversedge]

Source: star tribune



Richard Painter will take on Tina Smith, who holds the seat now as Al Franken's successor.
By Paul Walsh Star Tribune
April 30, 2018 — 8:27am



Richard Painter, a longtime Republican who was chief ethics lawyer for George W. Bush’s White House, intends to run for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota this year as a Democrat, according to a filing he made recently with federal elections officials.

Painter, a persistent and frequent critic of President Donald Trump on national cable TV news appearances and on Twitter, is expected to announce his candidacy at a Monday news conference.

He’s running for Democrat Al Franken’s former seat. Franken resigned Jan. 2 in the wake of numerous sexual harassment allegations.

Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to be his successor. That seat is up this fall in a special election, and Smith has said she intends to run for the right to finish the term through 2020.

Minnesota’s other Senate seat, held by Democrat Amy Klobuchar, is also up this fall, although she is widely expected to win another term.

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Read more: http://www.startribune.com/former-george-w-bush-ethics-lawyer-to-run-for-u-s-senate-as-a-democrat/481182291/

[louis c]

1. If Painter is going to run as a Dem

Why doesn't he look for a House District occupied by a Trump sycophant and take him or her on. By law, you don't have to be a resident of the district to run, so he can choose the one he thinks fits his agenda.

If he wins, then he needs to move into the district, if he already doesn't live there.

That's my advice.

[dicksmc3]

34. good answer

I agree I was just talking to my wife about why Painter is going to run against Tina Smith for the Senate seat. She agrees with you and I that Painter should pick a congressional seat and run against some asshole repub. I just watched Steve Kornacki interview Painter and I must say Kornacki is really an ass!! He kept asking Painter if he thought that 8 women were lying about Franken, to which Painter wasn't really given a chance for a rebuttal cause Kornacki kept hounding him with that question. Finally, Painter got to say what he thought which is what I've been saying since Al left, he should've gotten an ETHICS Hearing right away to prove his innocence.

[duforsure]

2. I expect

Some in Congress will flip over also to side with the Democrats , and stop being on the wrong side of everything, especially with trump, and Richard is doing the right thing, and many others will follow him. the real republicans that are still Americans will do the same.

[More_Cowbell]

20. Or at least they'll SAY that's what they're doing

I'll have a hard time trusting any of them.

[PatrickforO]

3. This really bothers me, you know?

If Franken hadn't been railroaded, we wouldn't be having this problem and we would still have a strong voice, and a strong, good Senator.

Sigh. Why do we always seems to shoot ourselves in the foot?

[Angry Dragon]

16. +7,000

[jalan48]

4. Don't we already have some long-term Democrats available? Why would we want a Democrat who

not only voted for Bush/Cheney but actually served in their Administration? I'm sure we can do better.

[awesomerwb1]

5. I like Richard Painter

But he's still a republican at heart.

I hope the TRUE Democrat defeats him.

Don't be fooled. Painter despises Dump but that doesn't mean he won't vote in line with republicans down the road.

DO NOT TRUST ANY REPUBLICAN POLITICIAN. EVER.

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Sound advice

I don't follow him closely, but did think a few times he was espousing mainstream Republican positions.

I don't think he's a serious candidate, especially if he's changing parties.

[awesomerwb1]

15. "Espousing mainstream Republican positions"

Exactly right.

I've had a couple disagreements with him on Twitter over some of those positions.

We need to vote true Dems in unless under extremely special circumstances.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. The state primary process will sort that out. He'll have to do more

than oppose Trump; he'll have to accept the party platform. All of it. If he can't or won't do that he won't survive a primary or get the party endorsement. Al Franken is supporting Tina Smith, his replacement. Painter will need to prove he's really a Democrat and not just a Trump-hater - although I do appreciate his spirited commentary on TV. Maybe that's where he can do the most good.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

6. Badgers deserve better than a DINO.

Vote for a real Democrat, not a Democrat In Name Only.

BTW, Wolverine fan here.

[a kennedy]

9. Ah, I think you've got your animals mixed up.....a Badger is from Wisconsin....

a Gopher is from MN.......NOT a Badger.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

11. Oooooops, so sorry about that.

I did indeed screw that one up. My apologies to every Minnesotan.

[Avis]

7. I like him too

I really liked it when he defended MN as not flyover country: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6h8h3b

[pazzyanne]

31. I would take more than that to win this MN vote!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NOMOGOP]

8. Bush "ethics" lawyer?

Sounds like Painter was busier than a one legged man in an ass kickin' contest for those 8 years. Though Trump does make "W" seem competent it should not be forgotten the ENORMOUS damage "W" did to this country. From inheriting a $250B/yr SURPLUS to a $1.5T DEFICIT w/economy losing a MILLION jobs a month and teetering on the brink of global economic collapse. It is BREATHTAKING the damage he was able to do in 8 years. Oh yeah, he didn't win either election either. Stole Florida in '00 (Jeb/Kathryn Harris) and Ohio in
'04(Ken Blackwell). Hard to quantify the damage.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. He worked for the Bush administration for only 2 years, 2005-07.

While I am skeptical of Mr. Painter's "Democratic" bona fides, I can't very well hold him responsible for all the bad shit Bush did. He worked there for only 2 years toward the end of Bush's second term, and who knows? Maybe he kept things from being even worse. The president's ethics office has little power; it's only an advisor.

[Shipwack]

10. No.

Wait...
Not just no, but fuck no.
If he feels that strongly, he should stay in his party and fight to change it, or become an independent.

I hope the state Democratic Party isn’t planning on welcoming him with open arms.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

12. Being an "Ethics Lawyer" for a Bush just shows how incompetent he is.

The Bush administration had no one holding their feet to the fire when it came to being ethical.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. The president's ethics office has no power; they are only advisors.

They don't have a fire to hold anybody's feet to, unfortunately.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. I'd rather have him run in the primary as a Democrat than run as an independent

and split the vote, possibly causing a GOP win. Chances are very good that Tina Smith, the incumbent who was selected to replace Franken, will win the primary because she has the support of the state party (and Al Franken). The only declared GOP candidate is some dingbat real estate agent and state legislator from the suburbs who's married to a famous hockey player, but she'll have the party's support over a Never-Trumper. I'm sure the state GOP won't touch Painter after he trashed Trump on TV for months.

[Shipwack]

50. Good points. An independent would be really bad too.... Wait,

Maybe that is their plan after all?

[a kennedy]

13. This just makes NO sense......Senator Franken was one of the most

progressive voices in the senate.....and now Painter is straight middle of the road??? No, double no, and hell no. Ugh.....we don’t need a middle of the road Dem in name only taking over Senator Franken’s seat.

[packman]

17. The hell with those that switch sides

They are either nothing more than weather vanes that spin in the direction of the prevailing winds, or - worse - Trojan Horse candidates who will crawl out of their deceptions and still be who they are at heart.

[LeFleur1]

19. Worried

How many of these people will run as Democrats instead of fighting the scourge of trump? People need to be aware that maybe they don't believe as most Democrats do. Maybe they just don't want to be connected to trump anymore but aren't brave enough to stand and fight his disgusting actions.

[dogknob]

18. They will do anything to win.

ANYTHING.

[dajoki]

21. Good for him, but...

I will support a real Democrat. Although there should be many more r's that stand up for the truth.

[Owl]

22. Ugh!

[DoctorJoJo]

23. I Welcome Richard Painter Over From the Dark Side!

Richard is exactly what we need to expand our party's base! It is phony purists like Sarah Sarandon who cost us the last election and thrust the cretin Trump upon us. Richard has proven himself as a commentator on MSNBC and brings unparalleled assets: Summa from Harvard, JD from Yale, and administration experience. Let's broaden our party, not narrow our focus, which is a recipe for permanent minority status.

[pazzyanne]

32. Sorry, Painter does not get a pass from this Minnesotan.

[S.E. TN Liberal]

37. Painter does not stand for a single Progressive issue. His only good point is he hates TraitorTrump.

Guess what, the real Democrat in the race also hates TraitorTrump.

Vote for a real Democrat instead of a DINO.

Our Party already has enough right-of-center Democrats who are screwing us over.

We don't need this one added to the pile.

[Doitnow]

24. A ReThug is a ReThug forever. Face it. Good that Painter criticizes Dump, but that is NOWHERE enouth

to make him a true Dem. I would be interested to know his voting record----not just what he now spouts because it may advantage him. It's too bad we can't trust him, but his RECORD is what counts, stuff he already has done for the public good. Words are just words when it comes to ReTHugs.

[Jedi Guy]

39. "A ReThug is a ReThug forever."

Really? I suppose I should leave DU, then. I come from a family of Republicans and I was one until my mid-20s. I like to think that I grew as a person and changed my thinking and politics as a result.

It is possible for people to grow and change. We're not condemned to forever be what we are now, you know. I and several of my friends left the GOP and became members of the Democratic Party, and we believe in what the Party stands for.

If I chose to run for office, would you hold against me the fact that I voted for W once upon a time?

[Doitnow]

44. What really matters is what your RECORD is. The higher the office you want the longer and better

it should be. Promises for in the future don't count. And if you don't have a record, get one before running for an office.

[Jedi Guy]

45. You gotta start somewhere.

If I ran for, say, state legislature as a Democrat, and you found out that 18 years ago I voted Republican, would that be the nail in the coffin?

Folks running for lower offices may not have the kind of record you're looking for. Is a single vote for a Republican the kiss of death? If so, that strikes me as an unrealistic expectation for absolute purity.

[Doitnow]

46. If all you've done in 18 years is vote for a Republican, that would not qualify for a job as high as

state legislature. You don't have a qualifying record for much of anything much less for state legislature. Look at 45 and tell me one thing he ever did for society in over 70 years.

[Jedi Guy]

48. Maybe I should have been more clear.

I voted for W once and voted Democratic thereafter. I like to think I came to my senses.

And I don't think it's unreasonable to start with a state legislature run. Plenty of politicians start there and work up to gubernatorial runs, and then onto national offices.

[Doitnow]

49. I just think it would be wise for people to study the records of anyone running any office,

not take for granted what people promise. The only way to judge people should be to see what they have done already to help society. The higher the position, the longer the resume should be. There are many lower positions someone could be in before trying out for state legislature----even volunteer work locally, city council, etc. I could also have been clearer.

[Scruffy1]

25. He has zero chance.

Runninbg as a Democrat doesn't mean you are one. He's stil a neo liberal POS.

[Me.]

26. And Is Being Endorsed By Nina Turner

The sirens should be on with this one. And, however much I've appreciated his remarked against Comrade Trump he's still a Con at heart.

[lunasun]

33. Coulda kept Franken now a republdem instead ?

[YOHABLO]

35. The Democratic elite of the Senate made a huge mistake with Franken.

I've listened to Painter on either MSNBC or CNN, I don't know which he's a paid commentator. He definitely preaches to the Democratic side of the isle on 'all things Trump'. I don't know where he stands on other Democratic / Progressive issues.

[dflprincess]

41. Assuming he is taking this to the primary and not planning to respect the party endorsement process

he'll be running against the incumbent, Tina Smith. While Tina is not Al Franken, she is a solid progressive and odd are she will receive endorsement at the party's state convention next month.

If Painter were truly concerned about going after Trump, he'd throw his support behind Smith rather than making both her campaign and the state party waste time & resources on a primary when they need to be concentrating on keeping this seat out of Republican hands.

I hope Gillibrand and the other Senate Democrats are happy with this mess.

[NurseJackie]

36. I have a hard time trusting anyone who "switches parties".

What's to keep him from switching-back, on a whim... or when it suits him... or when it benefits him personally or politically?

[mcar]

38. I do not agree with primarying a sitting Democratic senator

[Jim Lane]

40. When the incumbent was appointed, a primary makes more sense.

Otherwise, you're saying that the Governor can unilaterally override the wishes of the grassroots voters.

In this instance, from what little I know of the candidates, I would favor the sitting Senator, but I wouldn't make it an absolute rule. I also hope that Painter will continue speaking out. He might help encourage switches by other Republicans who are distressed at where their party is going.

[dflprincess]

42. It would make sense if Minnesota did not have open primaries

If the Republicans don't have any serious primary races at the time (thankfully, they may for governor) they can feel free to "cross over" and help pick the DFL Senate candidate.

If Painter were serious about this he would have started in February with the party caucuses rather than jumping in a month before the state endorsing convention

[BlueTsunami2018]

43. I don't want these Republicans in our party.

I’m sorry but this poisons the well. Just because you recognize that Тяцмр is an asshole, it doesn’t make you a Democrat or a progressive. It just means you’re not a complete idiot.

[Doitnow]

47. Amen

[dameatball]

51. This type of thing is happening on local levels as well. Not good for Dems.

I think Painter might be sincere, but this strategy is being employed by Republicans in some lesser races in order to defeat "real" Democrats in primaries.