AG Forum, Wednesday, Aug 2; 7:00pm

In an E-Mail from the Co Vice Chair of the DFL Feminist Caucus:

The DFL Feminist Caucus is hosting a candidate forum for the AG's
race on Wednesday, August 2nd at 7pm at the Hennepin County
Government Center on the lower level in the Jury Assembly room - all
three campaigns have confirmed they will be in attendance.

What: DFL Feminist Caucus Attorney General Candidate Forum
Where: Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S 6th St, Minneapolis, MN
Lower Level, Jury Assembly Room
When: Wednesday, August 2nd at 7pm

Please come and hear our DFL candidates for Attorney General - the
event is open to all who would like to join us!

I hope to attend, you should too!!

Bill in Fergus Falls Daily Journal

1963 grad returns to political scene after four-year absence

Bill Luther, a 1963 graduate of Fergus Falls High School and former U.S. Congressman who represented the Twin Cities suburbs, is back in a political race after a four-year absence. Luther is one of three DFL contenders for Minnesota Attorney General.

Read the rest here.

DFL Central Committee Meeting

From a DFL Press Release:
DFL PARTY TO VOTE ON ENDORSEMENT FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL

Who: DFL State Central Committee
What: Votes on endorsement for Attorney General
When: 2pm, Saturday, August 12
Where: Sauk Rapids-Rice High School
1835 Osauka Road NE,
Sauk Rapids, MN

Luther Attended National Down Syndrome Congress

Bill Luther missed the Almanac debate on Friday, and all they stated was that he declined the invitation. Johnson v TBA has the reason:

A commenter reported that Bill Luther was attending the National Down Syndrome Congress in Atlanta over the weekend, which was why he wasn't on Almanac with Steve Kelley and Lori Swanson last Friday. It's public knowledge that Bill Luther has an adult Down Syndrome son. He is also a widower. But the people at Almanac just said "Bill Luther turned down our invitation to appear." I think it shows a lot of class for Luther to not make a big deal about this part of his life.

Bill Luther, Family first. That is the Bill Luther I know!

Flash

Mini Banners

A couple of Mini Banners for those who would like to spice up their Sidebar.

Campaign Contact Info

Here is the mailing address for the campaign:

Luther for Attorney General
P.O. Box 600457
St. Paul, MN 55106

The campaign website will be launched very soon.

Bill's 2002 Campaign Bio

From Bill's 2002 Campaign Site:

About Bill Luther...

Bringing Minnesota's Values...

Growing up on his family's dairy farm in Fergus Falls, Bill learned the values of hard work and family. His parents made sacrifices so that he, his brothers and sister could have a better life than they had.

Bill credits his parents with his interest in politics. They'd listen to the debates and discuss issues with their kids. They were well aware of the impact politicians could have on their country and community. They sent Bill to college in the early 1960's with a feeling of hope and of awe at what was going on in the world. John F. Kennedy had just been elected President, we were racing the Soviets to the moon, and it seemed like anything was possible.

Graduating from high school in 1963, he went on to earn electrical engineering and law degrees with honors from the University of Minnesota. NASA, our nation's space program, asked Bill to join their engineering division. Knowing where his true passion was, Bill declined NASA's offer and continued to pursue his true love- the law.

In 1967, Bill married his wife Darlene and they had two children, Alex and Alicia.
Darlene served in the Minnesota House of Representative from 1993-2002. In January 2002, Darlene lost her battle with stomach cancer. She will be remembered for her generosity and her passionate advocacy of school bus safety, the interests of the physically and mentally challenged, and organ donation.

First elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 1974, Bill served in both the House and Senate rising to the position of Assistant Senate Majority Leader while also practicing business law in Minneapolis. In the Legislature, he was a leader in reforming Minnesota's campaign finance laws.

To Washington

In 1994, Congressman Luther was one of only thirteen new Democrats elected to the House of Representatives. Because of his leadership skills and knowledge of public policy, Bill serves as a Regional Democratic Whip. This position gives him access to the House leadership to be an advocate for the needs of Minnesota. Bill also is a founding member of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of moderate, independent Democrats who are committed to fiscally responsible, common sense approaches to addressing the nation's problems.

In Congress, he has established a solid reputation for fiscal responsibility and preserving Minnesota's quality of life. Bill serves on one of Congress' most powerful committees, the Energy & Commerce Committee, as well as the subcommittees on Telecommunications and the Internet, Energy and Air Quality, and Environment and Hazardous Materials.

Bill doesn't get the chance to watch the sun rise over the dairy farm much these days, but he still tries to live the values he learned there and appreciate everything this state and country has to offer.

Bill Luther Simply Cares

Cross posted from Centrisity:

I can't let these two comments fall off the page. It says so much about our future Attorney General:

Luther is the one man who could make this Republican vote Democrat. I have exchanged letters with Mr. Luther a couple of times when he was a congressman, and the replies were always respectful, intelligent, and actually addressed the concerns in my letter. Now I'm sure they were written by a staffer, but they were worlds better then the talking points crap that I got from the Wellstone staffers.

So why do I like Luther, just because of a staffers letter. Because as a long time retail manager I know how much of that flows from the people Luther selected to run his office and I wouldn't be surprised to learn he had a hand in hiring most of them. You select the kind of people you like to be around and respect. That he has that kind of person on staff says he is more then likely that kind of person himself.
shawn | 07.18.06 - 4:44 pm

And a surprising response from the Congressman's Former Chief of Staff:

I want to respond to Shawn's comments - they are greatly appreciated. As Bill Luther's chief of staff for his first 6 years, I can assure you that constituent mail was a huge priority for Bill and it is rewarding to hear that it was appreciated. He actually signed all letters himself (unless we had 1000 going out in response to a postcard campaign or something) and edited it as well.

This attention to detail stems from his training as an attorney. As an attorney myself, I understood that and also wanted the best product going out the door. (Believe me, it drove other staff nuts at times).

We did our best to hire well qualified people in the Congressional office and I am proud of those folks I worked with.

Finally, to explain why Bill paid close attention to the constituent mail and casework - it's simple. The one letter Bill sent to Shawn in response to Shawn's letter may well be the ONLY chance Bill will have to 'talk' with Shawn and Bill was determined to be sure we addressed the issues raised so that Shawn was left with the impression he described. The other reason, which is frankly even more important, is that the constituent deserved the respect of a solid response.

Thanks Shawn for those positive comments both about Bill and his staff - it's refreshing and I really appreciate it!
Ted Thompson | 07.19.06 - 5:44 pm

How can you NOT appreciate and support a candidate for Attorney General who already has a track record like that!

Flash

MPR Reports on AG race

MPR:

Hatch says he wants a successor who will continue his work on health care and other issues. But he's not picking a favorite

SNIP

Hatch calls Bill Luther "a very close friend over the years, a great congressman, a great senator, a great attorney. We just need to see how it develops. Minnesota does well with these candidates."

KARE Reports on Luther

KARE:

The Democratic heavy hitters - Luther, Kelley and Swanson - all said they would refocus the race back on issues, and they all pointed to extensive resumes as proof they're up to the job.

SNIP

Luther stressed Hatch's encouragement for him to get into the race and emphasized his long career in public service, which spans three decades and includes stints in the Minnesota Legislature and Congress. Luther said he has kept his law license current, but has mostly done consulting since leaving Congress after a losing re-election campaign in 2002.

PiPress on Luther

PiPress:

• Luther, who was born in Fergus Falls, served 20 years in the Minnesota House and Senate, representing the Brooklyn Park area. In four terms in Congress, he represented a swing district that forced him to devote lots of time to fundraising.

He survived two close re-election battles with John Kline in the old 6th Congressional District in the northern suburbs. After redistricting, Luther moved to the new 2nd District in the south suburbs and lost to Kline in 2002.

Bill Luther files for Attorney General

Bill Luther files! (Photo courtesy of MNPublius)