The first rounds of union endorsements in the governor's race — at this early stage when they're very helpful to the candidates in getting the DFL party endorsement — have come and gone with no word yet from Education Minnesota, the powerful teachers union.

They're still studying up, it seems.

"We are going through a very exhaustive process of interviewing the candidates, looking at their campaigns, looking at the political landscape," union President Tom Dooher told reporters Tuesday. "And we want to make sure that when we make our endorsement that it is based on the research that we see, the polling that we see and what our members believe is really going to be an effective partner in governing the state."

The union's endorsing committee isn't scheduled to meet until May, after the April state DFL endorsing convention.