Capitol View: June 30, 2010 Archive

PoliGraph: Clark correct on foreclosures, wrong on unemployment

Posted at 10:56 AM on June 30, 2010 by Catharine Richert (3 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: U.S. House, PoliGraph

State Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud, says incumbent Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is spending too much time traveling the nation, and should stick closer to home because her district's economy is suffering.

"We have the highest unemployment, highest foreclosure rate in the state," Clark said on the June 21, 2010, episode of Hardball with Chris Matthews. "All the while she's seeking celebrity status, and off following her own agenda instead of fighting for people of the sixth district."

It's become one of Clark's key talking points against Bachmann, and she repeats it often.

While Clark correctly points out that the 6th District has the highest foreclosure rate in the state, her claim that it also has the highest unemployment rate is wrong.

The Evidence

Calculating foreclosure and unemployment rates by congressional district is tricky because district borders do not always fall on county lines, and Minnesota determines the rates by county. The 6th District includes Benton, Sherburne, and Wright counties, half of Stearns County and most of Anoka and Washington counties.

Including all of Stearns County, the 6th District has a foreclosure rate of 1.76 percent, according to HousingLink, a Minneapolis-based organization that regularly crunches the state's foreclosure numbers.

The district's actual foreclosure rate likely is somewhat less given that half of Stearns County is in the 7th District. Nevertheless, by this measure, Bachmann's territory comes out on top.

At most, the 6th District's unemployment rate is 6.76 percent. That's far less than the 8.25 percent average unemployment rate for the 8th congressional district. In fact, since Clark declared her intention to run against Bachmann in July of 2009, the 6th District has never had the highest unemployment rate in the state.

Clark is actually referring to Workforce Service Area 5, one of 18 workforce training areas designated by the state, said Clark spokeswoman Carrie Lucking. But there's a problem with that explanation: Only two of the 11 counties in this area are in the 6th District, so most of the territory is out of Bachmann's control.

The Verdict

Clark's claim that Bachmann's territory has the highest foreclosure rate in the state is correct.

However, her claim that Bachmann's district has the highest unemployment rate is wrong. Even if Clark is referring to Workforce Service Area 5, it only contains two of the 6th District's counties, so that's not a fair comparison.

As a result of PoliGraph's analysis, Clark's campaign will begin saying that the 6th District has some of the highest employment rates in the state, Lucking said.

SOURCES:

Minnesota Public Radio News, Clark sets full attention on unseating Bachmann, by Mark Zdechlik, June 9, 2010

Hardball with Chris Matthews, June 21, 2010

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, unemployment rates for counties in the 6th Congressional district, accessed June 23, 2010

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, unemployment rates for counties in the 8th Congressional district, accessed June 23, 2010

HousingLink.org, Foreclosures in Minnesota: A Report Based on County Sheriff's Sale Data, Feb. 2010, accessed June 23, 2010

Minnesota Independent, Bachmann's district continues to lead state in foreclosures, By Andy Birkey, Dec. 1, 2009

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, profile of Work Service Area 5, accessed June 23, 2010

Interview, Carrie Lucking, spokeswoman for Tarryl Clark, June 23, 2010

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The Humphrey Institute

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Entenza releases new ad

Posted at 3:23 PM on June 30, 2010 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

Democrat Matt Entenza has released a new TV ad that focuses on education. It features Entenza and his running mate, Robynne Robinson, discussing their commitment to K12 schools.

Capitol Report says Entenza and fellow Democrat Mark Dayton have bought $1.4 million in TV ad time in the Twin Cities. Democrat Margaret Anderson Kelliher's spokesman says she intends to start buying ads after July 4th.

Emmer wants new Minnesota Miracle, now open to rail

Posted at 4:55 PM on June 30, 2010 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

(Note: This story has been updated with more context )

Republican Tom Emmer is trying out a new campaign line on this week's GOP bus tour. Emmer and the other Republican candidates for statewide office are on a three day bus tour that mostly focuses on rural Minnesota. Emmer relied on his standard campaign theme of "Taking Minnesota back." But he also referenced creating a new "Minnesota miracle."

"It is time for a new government model for the state of Minnesota," Emmer said. "We can no longer keep working off of this seventies version of the Minnesota Miracle. We are looking for a 21st Century model of the Minnesota Miracle."

He said that new "Minnesota Miracle" should focus on businesses expanding in Minnesota instead of other states.

Emmer also told reporters the campaign will release more detail on his plans to fix the budget in September. He pointed to the legislation he's introduced as a state legislator for examples of how he would govern.

Emmer also didn't enter the debate over rail service in southeastern Minnesota. He said he would let the locals decide when asked where he stands on high speed rail from Chicago and the D,M and E bypass.

"The position I've taken with both groups is I think that it's up to the local authorities, the people in the local jurisdiction to come up with a plan that they want," Emmer said.

"I haven't been a fan of it in the past (rail service) which is no secret. But again, when you're governor, you have to wait until local people do the work and figure out whether it's something the state should be facilitating or not."

Update: Emmer's spokesman Chris Van Guilder says it's a "fair conclusion to draw that he's open to" considering rail projects like high-speed rail if he's elected governor.

Update to Update: Emmer has repeatedly voted against rail projects during his six years as a legislator. In 2008, he voted for an amendment to strip funding for high speed rail and other transit projects, voted against a bill that included funding for high speed rail and other rail lines and a bill that included funding for Central Corridor.

In 2009, he voted against a bill that authorized MnDOT to expend federal stimulus money, some of which was targeted at rail projects, including a pool of $8 billion for high-speed rail.

You can listen to Emmer's speech and other speeches from the Rochester portion of the bus tour here: Listen

(Order of appearance: 1st District Congressional hopeful Randy Demmer, Minnesota House Minority Leader Kurt Zellers, Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem, State Auditor candidate Pat Anderson, Secretary of State candidate Dan Severson, Attorney General candidate Chris Barden, Lt. Governor candidate Annette Meeks and Emmer.)

MPR's Liz Baier contributed to this story.

Side note: Emmer is scheduled to talk to MPR's Cathy Wurzer tomorrow on Morning Edition. The interview should run in the 7 o'clock hour.

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