Capitol View: June 5, 2012 Archive
The Daily Digest
Posted at 6:22 AM on June 5, 2012
by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Daily Digest
Welcome to the Daily Digest, where it's the last day for candidates to file, expect a poll on the marriage amendment today and Wisconsin voters head to the polls.
Around Minnesota
Rep. Connie Doepke, R-Orono, will run in the primary election against the GOP-endorsed candidate in Senate District 33.
Rep. Roger Crawford, R-Mora, will not seek re-election.
Minnesota Management and Budget released its end-of-session General Fund estimates.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux community will subsidize Canterbury Park's purses in exchange for the track dropping its bid for slot machines and opposing racino legislation.
The maximum duration of extended unemployment benefits will drop later this month.
A provision in the Vikings stadium deal having to do with professional soccer worries the Minnesota Stars.
The Congressional Campaign
GOP Rep. Kurt Bills, who is running for Senate, will campaign in Rochester.
He will be attending congressional candidate Tony Hernandez's Fiesta Fundraiser today.
Today is the last day for candidates to file with the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Rep. Michele Bachmann filed for office Monday.
So did Bachmann's 2010 opponent, Tarryl Clark. She's now running in the 8th Congressional District.
Rick Nolan, who has the DFL endorsement to run against Rep. Chip Cravaack in the 8th, was endorsed by former congressman Jim Oberstar.
Marriage Amendment
Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm in North Carolina, is expected to release a new poll on the Minnesota marriage amendment today.
In Washington
Reuters writes that the looming Supreme Court decision on the new health care law has those with pre-existing conditions worried.
Wisconsin Recall
Gov. Scott Walker faces a recall challenge from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett today.
The WaPo's Fix looks at potential, surprising outcomes of the race.
The Republican Party of Minnesota has mobilized volunteers to support Walker.
The DFL is sending volunteers to Wisconsin today to help oppose Walker, per DFL chair Ken Martin's Twitter account.
Rep. Kurt Bills was in Hudson, WI, making calls for Walker.
Here's a pic from Tom Scheck.
The Presidential Campaign
A new Obama for America video featuring campaign manager Jim Messina pegs Minnesota as a "Leans Democratic" state - not a sure thing. Wisconsin and Iowa are toss-ups.
Bill Clinton supports Obama at New York fundraisers.
A new Gallup poll shows that middle-income earners lean toward Mitt Romney.
Poll: More Minnesotans oppose marriage amendment
Posted at 12:12 PM on June 5, 2012
by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Marriage Amendment
A new poll shows more Minnesota voters oppose a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman than support it.
Roughly 49 percent of registered Minnesota voters oppose the effort compared to the 43 percent that support it, according to Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling.
The latest numbers demonstrate a shift in voter sentiment among independents since January when the firm found that more people supported the amendment than opposed it, said Dustin Ingalls, who is assistant to Public Policy Polling's director.
"Independents have moved from being 50 to 40 for it to being against it, pretty strongly so," Ingalls said. "Really the entirely movement has been with independent voters."
Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats remain solidly for and against the amendment, Ingalls said.
Other recent polls have shown most Minnesotans support the amendment or that Minnesotans are effectively split on the issue.
Meanwhile, the same PPP poll shows 58 percent of voters support a constitutional amendment to require voters to show identification at the polls while 34 percent of voters oppose the amendment.
Other poll highlights:
- Gov. Mark Dayton's approval rating is 49 percent, while Republicans in the Legislature have a 21 percent approval rating.
- Legislative Democrats lead a generic ballot 48-36 percent, in part due to support from independent voters.
- Voters are divided on the Vikings stadium deal with 44 percent supporting it and 41 percent opposing it.
The poll surveyed 973 Minnesota voters between May 31 and June 3. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points. Read more about the poll here.
Here's some reaction from Minnesotans United for All Families, a group opposing the amendment:
"Today's poll shows there is a conversation happening across this state about what marriage means and how this amendment would limit the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples. The more people talk about this, the more likely they are to vote no in November, and this poll demonstrates that more and more Minnesotans are coming to the conclusion that this is not the right thing to do for our state."
We will update this story with reaction from Minnesota for Marriage, the group supporting the amendment, when it's available.
Here's reaction from Minnesota for Marriage communications director, Chuck Darrell:
"We've been polling the amendment for over a year and our most recent poll shows the race unchanged with support for the amendment in the mid‐fifties. And, every time the voters get a chance to vote on marriage, they affirm marriage as between one man and one woman. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we expect Minnesota to be the 32nd state to define marriage as between one man and one woman in its constitution."
Last day filings include Smith in House
Posted at 3:30 PM on June 5, 2012
by Tim Pugmire
Filed under: Campaign 2012: Minn. House Races, Campaign 2012: Minn. Senate Races
Incumbent state Rep. Steve Smith, R-Mound, filed today to run for re-election in House District 33B.
Smith is serving his 11th term in the Minnesota House. He is currently a former chairman of the House Judiciary Policy and Finance Committee.
Smith will face the endorsed GOP candidate, Cindy Pugh of Chanhassen, in the Aug. 14 primary. After waiting until the last day to file, Smith said he thought long and hard about the decision.
"I want to continue to do good work at the Capitol," Smith said. "I think I've served well for 22 years, and I want to continue."
Other incumbents who waited until the last day to file included Sen. Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, and Rep.Tara Mack, R-Apple Valley.
Vandeveer not running for reelection
Posted at 3:01 PM on June 5, 2012
by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. Senate Races
Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, announced today that he's not running for reelection. Vandeveer, who already filed for office, announced that he's reversing his decision. He said his declining health played a huge factor in deciding to not run again.
"I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2000 and my thought at that time was that I would serve until it started impacting my ability to represent my constituents," Vandeveer said. "In the wake of a grueling session I decided that the time has come."
Vandeveer was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2006. He was first elected to the Minnesota House in 1998. Vandeveer said he put off his decision until the last minute and said it was an extremely difficult.
"Campaigning has been a huge part of my family for my last 15 years and they'd walk on nails to see my get reelected but I don't want to put them through that again."
Vandeveer is one of the more conservative members of the Minnesota Senate. He said he wanted to be remembered for fighting against government spending, less government intervention and for personal freedom and opportunity.
Republicans now have to scramble to find another candidate on the final day of filing. Former Rep. Julie Bunn, DFL-Lake Elmo, is running for the seat. Update: Two Republicans have filed for the seat. Karin Housley and Eric Michael Langness. Housley failed in her bid for the Minnesota Senate in 2010. She lost to Sen. Katie Sieben, DFL-Newport.
Redistricting paired Vandeveer and Sen. Ted Lillie, R-Lake Elmo. Lillie decided to move into an open seat rather than to challenge Vandeveer for the GOP endorsement.
Vandeveer's decision means there are 16 members of the Senate not running for reelection.
Here's the list:
Democrats not running for re-election:
Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon
Sen. Mary Jo McGuire, DFL-Falcon Heights
Sen. Ken Kelash, DFL-Minneapolis
Sen. Linda Higgins, DFL-Minneapolis
Sen. John Harrington, DFL-St. Paul
Republicans not running for re-election:
Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vergas
Sen. Doug Magnus, R-Slayton
Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca (Running for Congress)
Sen. Amy Koch, R-Buffalo
Sen. Chris Gerlach, R-Apple Valley
Sen. Michael Jungbauer, R-East Bethel
Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina
Sen. Claire Robling, R-Jordan
Sen. Gen Olson, R-Minnetrista
Sen. Al DeKruif, R-Madison Lake
Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake
Walker wins in Wisconsin
Posted at 8:50 PM on June 5, 2012
by Michael Olson
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012
Filing deadline up, active primary season ahead
Posted at 6:45 PM on June 5, 2012
by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. Senate
With MPR's Tim Pugmire...
The stage is set for Minnesota's primary and general election. The filings for office closed today at 5pm.
There will be primaries in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, six Congressional races and 44 legislative races.
In Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Kurt Bills each face lesser known, perennial candidates.
The races for Congress include two highly-watched primary battles. State Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca, and former state Rep. Allen Quist are running in the Republican primary in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. Republican delegates in that race failed to endorse a candidate. The winner of the primary will face DFL U.S. Rep. Tim Walz in November.
Former Congressman Rick Nolan won the DFL endorsement in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District. He faces a primary challenge from former Duluth City Council member Jeff Anderson and former State Sen. Tarryl Clark. The winner will face GOP U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack in November.
The other Congressional incumbents are facing primary challenges from lesser known candidates.
The race for Minnesota Legislature also features several primary contests in both the House and Senate.
Incumbent state Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, is facing a primary challenge. It's one of at least nine Republican Senate primaries.
Incumbent DFL state Senators Chris Eaton of Brooklyn Center, Tom Saxhaug of Grand Rapids and Lyle Koenen of Clara City have primary challengers. There will also be DFL contests in at least seven other Senate districts, including the St. Paul district where four Democrats want to replace retiring state Sen. John Harrington.
In the Minnesota House, there are Republican primaries set in at least 11 districts, and DFL primaries in at least 14 districts. Multiple candidates filed for the seats of several retiring representatives, including Republican Morrie Lanning of Moorhead and DFLer Tom Rukavina of Virginia.
Forty-six incumbents will not run for their current office in the Minnesota Legislature. 11 of those incumbents are running for another office. They include Bills and Parry, who are running for federal office. Nine members of the Minnesota House are opting to run for a state Senate seat.
There's an unusually high turnover of candidates for a regular campaign year but that's in large part because redistricting pairs incumbents together and forces others to consider retirement.
Minnesota's Legislative Library say 47 members of the 2002 Legislature opted not to run for their current seat. That's the last time the political lines were redrawn as a result of redistricting.
Here's the retirement list:
Democrats not running for re-election in the Minnesota Senate:
Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon
Sen. Mary Jo McGuire, DFL-Falcon Heights
Sen. Ken Kelash, DFL-Minneapolis
Sen. Linda Higgins, DFL-Minneapolis
Sen. John Harrington, DFL-St. Paul
Republicans not running for re-election in the Minnesota Senate:
Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vergas
Sen. Doug Magnus, R-Slayton
Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca (Running for Congress)
Sen. Amy Koch, R-Buffalo
Sen. Chris Gerlach, R-Apple Valley
Sen. Michael Jungbauer, R-East Bethel
Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina
Sen. Claire Robling, R-Jordan
Sen. Gen Olson, R-Minnetrista
Sen. Al DeKruif, R-Madison Lake
Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake
Democrats not running again in the Minnesota House:
Rep. Marion Greene, DFL-Minneapolis
Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Kate Knuth, DFL-New Brighton
Rep. Denise Dittrich, DFL-Champlin
Rep. Larry Hosch, DFL-St. Joseph
Rep. Bev Scalze, DFL-Little Canada (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Kent Eken, DFL-Twin Valley (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Nora Slawik, DFL-Maplewood
Rep. Bill Hilty, DFL-Finlayson
Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville
Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia
Rep. Kory Kath, DFL-Owatonna
Rep. Sandra Peterson, DFL-New Hope
Rep. Tom Tilberry, DFL-Fridley
Republicans not running again in the Minnesota House:
Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove
Rep. Mike LeMieur, R-Little Falls
Rep. Pat Mazorol, R-Bloomington
Rep. Connie Doepke, R-Orono (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Ron Shimanski, R-Silver Lake
Rep. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Kurt Bills, R-Rosemount (running for the U.S. Senate)
Rep. Brandon Peterson, R-Andover (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Keith Downey, R-Edina (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Mark Murdock, R-Perham
Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan
Rep. Bruce Anderson, R-Buffalo Township (running for Minnesota Senate)
Rep. Carol McFarlane, R-White Bear Lake
Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead
Rep. Roger Crawford, R-Mora
The Daily Digest (Walker wins Wisconsin, Filing period closes, Dayton won't appeal child care ruling)
Posted at 11:11 PM on June 5, 2012
by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Daily Digest
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker defeated efforts to recall him.
Republicans say the election means Republicans will defeat President Obama in November. Democrats say polling shows those voting in last night's election support Obama by a wider margin.
Politico says Big Labor is the Big Loser.
AP says MItt Romney is facing new scrutiny over his (non) military record.
Economy
AP says there are few options left for President Obama on the economy.
The CBO says the federal debt will exceed 70 percent of economic output.
The Federal Reserve faces political heat in weighing more economic stimulus.
Spain is pleading for help in the European crisis.
Greece warns of going broke as the country's taxes dry up.
2012
The filing period has closed in Minnesota. The active primary season is ahead.
Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, announced he's reversing his decision and will not run for reelection. Vandeveer said his health was a major factor in his decision. He's had Parkinson's Disease since 2000.
Rep. Steve Smith, R-Mound, says he's running in the primary.
MPR says more than a dozen former lawmakers will attempt comebacks this year.
GOP Sen. David Hann and GOP Sen. Michelle Fischbach are leading the Senate Republicans political efforts.
GOP state Rep. Mary Franson filed a restraining order against her former boyfriend, McLeod County GOP Chair Eric Harpel.
Same-sex Marriage Amendment
MPR says the marriage amendment motivates voters on both sides.
Public Policy Polling says more Minnesotans oppose the proposed amendment.
Under the Dome
Gov. Dayton says he won't challenge a child care ruling.
Minnesota's economic growth is so-so.
The Minnesota National Guard says no records support a claim by an "America's Got Talent" singer. The singer claimed that he was injured during combat.
A lawsuit alleges the MPCA failed to enforce a standard.
Congress
Al Qaeda's number two leader was killed in an air strike.
The Senate GOP blocks Democrats' equal pay bill.
Race for Congress
MPR interviews Republican Chris Fields. He's challenging DFL Rep. Keith Ellison.
AP says Democrat Tarryl Clark makes the most of her challenge in the 8th District run.
Race for Senate
Republican Kurt Bills will visit Redwood Falls on Friday.
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Master Archive
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