Jeffers' Republican challenge over -- for now

We can rest easy now. Sue Jeffers name will not be placed in nomination for the Republican endorsement for governor, which would have been so democratically messy.

Scrappy bar owner Sue Jeffers won't get the chance to challenge Gov. Tim Pawlenty for the Republican Party's endorsement. A 19-member committee forwarded only Pawlenty's name to the convention for endorsement on Friday.

As Dean Johnson might say, the action of the nominating committee “exonerates” the Republican Party of charges that it has abandoned its core principles. Party rules were followed, and that takes accountability out of its hands.

Jeffers, who has described herself as a libertarian, wouldn't rule out challenging Pawlenty in a primary or as a third-party candidate in November. "I'm not a quitter," she said.