by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol Reporter

Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, has given up the idea of running for governor and instead has decided to seek a third term as state senator from Senate District 12.

In recent weeks, Koering has been talking with Republican Party activists and otherwise trying to get a sense whether enough support existed for him to attempt a run for governor.
Koering decided that it didn't.

For one thing, he explained, he questioned whether he could raise enough campaign contributions. The governor's unallotment of the state's political contribution refund program makes fund raising "extremely difficult” for potential candidates like himself, of modest means, to raise money, Koering explained.

Koering also sensed a level of discomfort with him among Republican Party delegates. In part, Koering ascribed that to his Taxpayer League ranking — a perceived sense he wasn't conservative enough.

But Koering, a gay legislator, also believes the fact he's gay is something Republican Party delegates find hard to accept. "I didn't really want to say that,” he said. "That's a hurdle some delegates can't get over,” said Koering. They're just closed to him, he explained.

Koering said he expects to be challenged for the party endorsement in Senate District 12.

Asked whether he would consider changing parties, Koering said he will never — and he knows never is a long time, he quipped — switch to the Democratic Party.

Indeed, by the end of last legislative session he felt as keenly a Republican and conservative as ever, he explained.

Still, the Republican Party should be a big party, inviting in different people, said Koering. He will never let people run him out of his own party, he said.