Minnesota state Rep. Tom Emmer, the presumptive Republican nominee for governor, is now reorganizing his campaign in the wake of some recent setbacks and bad poll numbers.
Emmer has named as his new campaign manger Cullen Sheehan, who previously served as campaign manager for then-Sen. Norm Coleman’s re-election campaign and recount fight in 2008. Emmer has also brought on a new team of senior advisers, chaired by former state GOP chair Chris Georgacas.
The change comes as Emmer trails all three Democratic candidates. The TPM Poll Averages for the general election match-ups now have former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton ahead of Emmer and the Independence Party’s Tom Horner by 42.9%-32.4%-10.2%, state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher ahead by 39.2%-32.1%-11.9%, and former state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza ahead by 37.4%-33.2%-12.8%.
Emmer has had a rough time in the last month, ever since he suggested changes to the minimum wage for waiters, complaining that they were allegedly making over $100,000 in tips and hurting their employers. This was then followed by some comical attempts at damage control, such as Emmer waiting tables and holding a disastrous town hall with servers. He has also faced attacks for his DWI history, and the CEO of the Target Corporation has now apologized for supporting a pro-Emmer business group, due to an outcry from liberal consumers over Emmer’s religious-right positions.
