Rep. Nolan moves closer to a run for governor; Rybak backs Walz

The Coalition to Draft Rick Nolan for the 2018 governor’s race hired Emily Jensen last week. She was an operative for the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders. She recently ran the re-election campaign of DFL Chairman Ken Martin.

The hiring of a seasoned operative is a signal that the Draft Nolan campaign — comprising DFL elected officials and activists close to Nolan — is laying the groundwork for a statewide run by the DFL congressman from northeastern Minnesota.

Nolan told MinnPost that he’s “leaning toward running for governor.”

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U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, officially in the governor’s race, won the endorsement of former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. Walz needs help in the Twin Cities, where he is less known, so this was a key endorsement if Rybak is active.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/rep-nolan-moves-closer-to-a-run-for-governor-rybak-backs-walz/418736243/