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Gubernatorial Race

Sometime tomorrow morning, after all the confetti has fallen and the television broadcasters sign off the air, Minnesota might have a new governor. And for the first time since 1990, it might be a Democrat.

DFL candidate Mike Hatch has taken a slim lead in the polls going into today’s election over Republican incumbent Tim Pawlenty, while Independence Party challenger Peter Hutchinson tries to capture some of the populist magic that gave Jesse Ventura the gubernatorial nod in 1998.
Pawlenty, a native of St. Paul, proudly claims to have turned around a $4.5 billion deficit without raising taxes during his first term. Almost all of his campaign advertisements promise lower taxes or no new taxes. He signed on with legislation demanding rigorous academic requirements for math, reading, science, social studies and the arts. Additionally, he demands that 70 percent of education increases be spent on students, not governmental bureaucracy.

“Everybody wants to make everything so fuzzy and mushy that we can’t get any accountability,” he told the Star Tribune. “Those days are over.”

The Attorney General from Duluth is back again for a third run at the governor’s mansion, and this time he has all the momentum. Hatch supports high-quality education, health care coverage for all, affordable public colleges and universities, and clean lakes and rivers.

"I believe that Minnesota should provide a quality education for our children,” he told the Star Tribune, “that professional teachers should not be the whipping posts for politicians, that school districts should not have to hold bake sales so they provide a decent education, and our public university should not exclude qualified Minnesota students simply because of their income.”

In a more conservative move, he defended Second Amendment rights while acting as Attorney General.

Independence party candidate Peter Hutchinson, the state’s former finance commissioner, has struck a chord during his campaign with voters tired of the same old options. He often talks about keeping interest on education, health, transportation, and an affordable price of government without allowing the five G’sčguns, gays, God, gambling, and gynecologyčto “divert, divide, scare or paralyze us.”

He attacked Pawlenty last month for a lack of action on the Clean Water Legacy Act, which was passed by state legislators this year.

“Professional politicians are playing a game with the people of Minnesota about our environment. Everybody wants to claim they’re for it, but nothing gets done,” he told the Star Tribune. “The Clean Water Legacy Act was put together by a very diverse groupča very interesting coalition čthree or four years ago. And it only got passed in an election year.”

Environmental activist Ken Pentel got the Green Party’s endorsement. Aside from the normal Green Party platform, Pentel says he believes in stable, livable-wage jobs, single-payer healthcare, and increased funding for education.

He feels strongly that Minnesota needs a renewable energy policy. By reducing dependence on fossil fuels, Pentel plans to fight global warming at home, not what he calls “wars for oil overseas.”

“What kind of planet and society will we leave our children and grandchildren?” he said.

U.S. Senate

With the Democrats looking to regain control of the Senate, this race has been earmarked as one of the most important in the nation. Both candidates appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press last month, positioning themselves for a stretch run.

Republican incumbent Mark Kennedy and his DFL opponent disagree most fervently over the war in Iraq.

“We talk about a lot of issues, but they don’t matter as much if our country isn’t free,” he said. “That is why the only path in the war on terrorism is victory. We need to get our troops home as soon as possible, after we have defeated the terrorist threat and set out a lasting peace.”

A fourth-generation Minnesotan, Kennedy places an importance on farmers and rural values. He also promotes conservation and renewable energy from local resources, tying in rural farmers like Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald does.

Democratic challenger Amy Klobuchar has one of the more pedigreed backgrounds in Minnesota politics. A Hennepin County attorney, she calls the University of Chicago and Yale University her alma maters. Upon returning to Minnesota, she struck up a personal relationship with former Vice President Walter Mondale.

She calls for planned withdrawal from Iraq and less dependence on foreign oil. Klobuchar would also like to see negotiations with pharmaceutical companies over lower prescription prices.

“The administration and Congress made a big mistake in the prescription drug bill when they banned the federal government from negotiating with the big drug companies to get the best prices for our seniors,” she said.

Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald is running alongside Hutchinson and other Independence Party candidates as part of Team Minnesota, the Independence party's name for their slate of candidates. An executive director for Public Access TV, Fitzgerald calls for an immediate withdrawal of troops in Iraq.

“It’s time to get out of Iraq now,” he said. “Congress has abdicated its responsibility of oversight while cost overruns and emergency funding have masked the true cost.”

He also makes the connection between supporting Minnesota farmers and renewable energy sources. He encourages those farmers to be “on the forefront of energy independence” through ethanol, biodiesel, wind and solar power.