Walz, meanwhile, seemed to benefit from a consolidation of anti-Swanson voters.
ERIN MURPHY TIM WALZ SERIES
Swanson had antagonized Democratic progressives for years, and was hit by a late-breaking series of scandals involving alleged misuse of state property and personnel for electioneering. Democratic front-runner and Attorney General Lori Swanson finished a poor third behind state legislator Erin Murphy and the winner, U.S. Pawlenty wasn’t the only gubernatorial candidate to have a shockingly bad night, though. In the end Pawlenty again turned out to be a better candidate on paper than on the campaign trail. He also reminded Trump-loving GOP voters that TPaw called POTUS “unsound, uninformed, unhinged, and unfit to be president of the United States” while withdrawing his support from the GOP nominee after the Access Hollywood video came out in October of 2016. Johnson played the underdog well, scoring points over Pawlenty’s post-presidential-campaign career as a D.C.-based bank lobbyist. Sparse polling showed him comfortably in the lead.īut then on Tuesday night, he lost. Perhaps drawing on his experience in Iowa, he did not pursue the endorsement of the conservative-activist–dominated state party, and instead attempted to drown his primary opponent, 2014 gubernatorial nominee and local government official Jeff Johnson, in a sea of name identification and money (he was outspending Johnson by a ten-to-one margin as of June). Murphy and Walz said they support adding funding to Local Government Aid, a state program that sends money to rural and urban cities.Having embodied a political version of the Peter Principle (holding that most people eventually rise to a level where they become incompetent), Pawlenty went back to his comfort zone and announced a third gubernatorial run. One of the most important issues to greater Minnesota cities drew a Republican-Democrat division. It's telling when they say that a big tax hike is only a 'starting point.' Tim Walz and the Democrats want as much money as they can take from your pocket." Pawlenty issued a statement critical of the Walz plan: "Here they go again, Democrats teeing up massive tax increases on hardworking Minnesotans.
It would, he said, increase spending on Local Government Aid, infrastructure, broadband and workforce housing. Hours before the forum, Walz announced that if elected, he would launch a One Minnesota Community Prosperity Plan, with city and tribal leaders involved. 14, and most wanted him to.įor Republicans, the majority thought Pawlenty would win, but hoped it would be Johnson. Like at the Mankato event, the Farmfest questions are expected to center on greater Minnesota issues.īefore the candidate forum, an informal poll of Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities members showed they expected Walz to win the Democratic primary on Aug. It will be broadcast on WCCO, 830AM radio. Pawlenty and Swanson are expected to join Murphy, Walz and Johnson at a Farmfest forum near Redwood Falls at 10:30 a.m. Tim Pawlenty's campaign said he had a schedule conflict.
Johnson was a legislator, unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2006 and for governor last year.,Īttorney General Lori Swanson confirmed she would be the third Democrat at the forum, but pulled out because of a health issue experienced by her 87-year-old mother in Milwaukee.įor Johnson, it was the second time he was on stage with just Democrats. She is a Wisconsin native and served as the Minnesota House majority leader and was has done lots of work on health-care issues.
He also was in the National Guard for 24 years. Walz, a Nebraska native, was a long-time Mankato teacher and coach before being elected to the U.S. The forum was sponsored by the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities and some Mankato organizations. "That was a good line," Johnson said to laughs from about 500 in the audience. He said there is a lack of trust among the regions.Īs Johnson and Murphy talked about their trips around the state, Walz said: "I don't go out to greater Minnesota, I wake up here." Republican Jeff Johnson said he is the only candidate from either party with roots in rural, suburban and urban areas after growing up in Detroit Lakes, living in Plymouth and serving as Hennepin County commissioner dealing with urban issues.
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