Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
E-mail: mailbox@governing.comTwitter: @governing
Perhaps more than any race in the country, the contest to be th next governor of Minnesota has been a muddled mess. There are so many candidates (both Democrats and Republicans) who have decent-sounding credentials that the race has been impossible to handicap unless you live and breathe Minnesota politics.
Thankfully, reporters who do live and breathe Minnesota politics are starting to offer some clarity. The St. Paul Pioneer Press says that State Rep. Marty Seifert is the Republican frontrunner and that House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher is the Democratic frontrunner.
The explanation for Seifert:
Seifert has been the clear front-runner in the seven-candidate GOP field since October, when he won a straw ballot at the party's state convention by a wide margin.
The explanation for Kelliher:
Kelliher has been endorsed by more statewide labor unions, women's groups and other large organizations than any other DFL candidate. She has the public backing of 71 past and present elected officials, holds public pledges of support from more than 1,000 party activists and has received campaign contributions from more than 1,200 donors in four months.
Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
E-mail: mailbox@governing.com 
GOVERNING Politics is the place for news and analysis on campaigns and elections. If there's a ballot measure in California, a legislative election in Alabama, a mayoral election in Anchorage or a governor's race in Rhode Island, GOVERNING Politics probably is writing about it. We love everything about state and local politics, from polls and campaign ads to policy debates and demographic trends.
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