Schiff ends Minneapolis mayoral bid, endorses Hodges
Minneapolis City Council Member Gary Schiff is ending his campaign for mayor.
Schiff decided to drop out after his disappointing third-place finish at last weekend's DFL endorsing convention. At the convention, Schiff joined forces with Council Member Betsy Hodges, who succeeded in blocking the endorsement of front-runner Mark Andrew.
Today, Schiff endorsed Hodges.
"I have recognized the similarities in our platforms and in our voting history over our entire term of service together on the city council," Schiff said of Hodges. "So it wasn't a hard choice. It was a very clear choice for me."
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Schiff applauded Hodges' opposition to both the Viking's stadium and increased garbage burning at power plant near Target Field. He said those positions made her more "progressive" than Andrew.
"Gary and I have not agreed about everything over time, but we have always shared the same progressive values about the future of the city," Hodges said as she accepted his endorsement.
Hodges and Schiff have clashed in the past over funding for the city's Fire Department. Their alliance Saturday led the Minneapolis Firefighters union to renounce its support of Schiff and endorse Andrew instead. Three other candidates finished behind Schiff at the DFL convention, but Don Samuels, Jackie Cherryhomes and Jim Thomas are continuing their campaigns for mayor. Three other candidates, Cam Winton, Dan Cohen and Stephanie Woodruff, did not seek the DFL endorsement.
Schiff says he will not run for his old city council seat.