Romney, Pawlenty rally in Eagan
Presidential hopeful receives support, some protest at event
by Matt Hankey
Thisweek Newspapers
Fresh off his decisive victory in the Jan. 31 Florida primary, Republican presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney spoke to an enthusiastic audience the following day at a Freightmasters Inc. trucking company warehouse in Eagan.
“We just won Florida and we’re going to win the White House,” Romney said.
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke at Freightmasters in Eagan Wednesday, Feb. 1. Photo by Rick Orndorf.
Romney was introduced to the crowd of hundreds of supporters by former Minnesota governor and Eagan resident Tim Pawlenty and former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.
Pawlenty has been campaigning for Romney in several states after having dropped his own presidential bid after the Iowa straw poll in August.
As he took the stage, Romney was “glitter-bombed” with confetti, which has recently been done to candidates who have anti-gay marriage views by pro-gay marriage activists.
After brushing off the glitter protest, Romney said it’s time for new leadership and then led the crowd in singing the first verse of “America the Beautiful.”
Before the rally began, a small group of protesters gathered outside the warehouse where Romney would later rally his supporters.
One protester decried Romney’s tax rate, which was recently released.
“To be honest, it’s class warfare,” said St. Paul resident John Ewaldt of AFSCME. “Middle-class Minnesotans are paying 35 to 38 percent and Romney is paying 15, and that’s just not right.”
Others, like Apple Valley residents Judy Finger and Charlie Curry, said they’re worried about Romney’s promises to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits if elected president.
“We don’t support Mitt Romney,” said Finger, who carried a “Keep Your Mitt(s) Off My Medicare and Social Security!” sign. “What more can I say?”
Burnsville resident Bernie Rimnac, a conservative, said he’s open-minded regarding all Republican presidential candidates and is currently undecided.
“When the time comes to vote, I’ll have my decision made,” Rimnac said. “We can’t have another four years of debt upon debt upon debt. It’s not going to go away unless we do something.”
Another rally attendee, John Ryan of St. Paul, said his attendance was purely happenstance.
“To be honest with you, I was walking my son’s dog who lives real close and I heard Romney was going to be here so I stopped by,” Ryan said. “I want to hear what he has to say. He’s the front-runner, and I’m just interested in anybody who can beat Obama.”
Ryan said he would “definitely vote for Romney” because he considers him the best suited to unseat the current president.
Also inside the Freightmasters warehouse were Minneapolis resident Kurt Hanna, 26, and Lakeville resident Kathy Rippengrop. They hoped to speak with Romney regarding his stance on medical and recreational marijuana use.
Rippengrop said her mother, who had cancer, used marijuana to treat her nausea.
“They told her she would live one year and she lived four and half,” Rippengrop said.
Hanna said Romney opposes medical marijuana and marijuana legalization on the whole and cited a recent Gallup poll that shows half of U.S. residents are now in favor of legalizing marijuana.
“He’s very out of touch with the voters,” Hanna said.
Apple Valley resident Thomas Southwell, 6, took a day off from school to catch Romney’s speech.
“Our son has been interested in the presidential contest, so this is an opportunity to see him,” said Thomas’ father, Wayne Southwell. “He’s been watching a lot of the presidential debates.”
Minneapolis resident Bill McGaughey has a special connection to Romney. McGaughey’s father, Bill McGaughey Sr., worked for Romney’s father, George Romney, at American Motors in Detroit.
“It’s a historic event,” McGaughey said of the rally in Eagan. “He has a good chance to be our next president and I think he would do a good job.”
Minnetonka resident Barry Kelner and his son Marshall Kelner are both conservatives, but don’t see eye-to-eye on who should be the Republican nominee.
A self-described “Gingrich guy,” Barry Kelner said, “If Pawlenty tells me to support Romney, I will take a look at him.”
Marshall Kelner is a Romney supporter, but there haven’t been any family scuffles because of it.
“Just a friendly discussion,” said Barry Kelner. “We’re in different camps, but our goal is a Republican president in 2012.”
Following the rally, Barry Kelner acknowledged Romney gave an effective speech.
“Very impressed,” he said. “I’m more favorable than I was before.”
Matt Hankey is Sun Newspapers community editor for Apple Valley, Eagan and Rosemount.
