Wellstone Action pushes out senator’s sons; they push back
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A liberal campaign organization dedicated to the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone is pushing out the senator’s two sons for what leaders said were differences in organizational vision. But one son countered that the board moved against them after they raised questions about possible financial issues.
Wellstone Action told The Associated Press on Wednesday that David and Mark Wellstone would be voted off the governing board in coming days following what group leaders described as months of friction. They said the Wellstones have pushed repeatedly to shift focus from training progressive candidates and campaigns to more aggressive issue advocacy following Donald Trump’s election as president.
Co-founder and board member Jeff Blodgett, who was Paul Wellstone’s campaign manager, said the “necessary but sad step” of removing the brothers from the board comes after months of tension. He said the brothers have asked that the group no longer use the family name.
“It’s difficult, personally and professionally for us,” Blodgett said.