Endorsement, Part 1

[Note.  This post has been updated from its original form to include a confirmation from Dr. Schultz of his endorsement of Applebaum.]

Should political science professors endorse political candidates?  Hamline University political science professor Dr. David Schultz appears to have done just that, picking sides in a contest for state representative in Minnesota’s house district 44B.

On August 4^th, the week prior to the recent primary election, Democrat Jon Applebaum posted this statement on Twitter,

Honored to be supported by two-time Fulbright Scholar and political author, professor and analyst Dr. David Schultz.

Indeed, Applebaum still lists Schultz among his endorsements.  And give the man credit:  Professor Schultz knows how to pick them.  Applebaum won the Democrat nomination—in a close, three-way contest—to run in the general election for an open seat representing the Minnetonka-Plymouth area of the western suburbs.

It should be noted that not all of Applebaum’s endorsements have panned out.  Applebaum had previously claimed an endorsement by former Republican Congressman Jim Ramstad.  For his part, Ramstad denied that he had endorsed the Democrat candidate, while Applebaum defended the use of Ramstad’s name.  Ramstad does not appear on the current list of Applebaum’s endorsements.

If Schultz is endorsing a partisan candidate in a contested election, it raises troubling questions about the Professor’s role in the state’s political scene.  He appeared as recently as July 11^th on public television’s Almanac program as part of the show’s political science panel.  Schultz writes regularly for Politics in Minnesota’s Capitol Report, in addition to his near ubiquity in local print and broadcast media.

[Note:  In a Tweet posted this evening, Prof. Schultz confirmed his endorse of Applebaum, one of his past students.  Schultz said he would not comment on this race in the media.  Schultz may not have a choice.  When district 44B's incumbent, Democrat John Benson, announced he would not seek a fifth term in 2014, the Associated Press wrote,

"His decision announced Wednesday touches off what is likely to be a competitive contest for the seat he first won in 2006.  Although Benson ran up an 11-point win in 2012, prior contests in the suburban district have proven closer."

Democrat control of the State House of Representatives rests on a handful of swing suburban districts, 44B among them.]

Of course any regular reader of Schultz's blog will know where his political sympathies lie.  The question is:  should he still be considered a neutral observer of Minnesota’s politics?

In Part 2, I dig deeper into Prof. Schultz's long and colorful career.