Capitol View: August 14, 2012 Archive

Doepke campaign says last minute mailer distorts her position

Posted at 11:28 AM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. Senate Races

Just before the primary election, voters in Senate District 33 got more mailers from an outside group.

This week, Americans for Prosperity Minnesota (AFP-MN) sent out fliers targeting Rep. Connie Doepke, R-Orono, that say she stands with President Barack Obama on health care.

"Obamacare is bad medicine," the mailer states. "Yet Representative Connie Doepke refused to help fight it."

It's not the first time the SD 33 primary race between Doepke and GOP-endorsed David Osmek to replace retiring state Sen. Gen Olson has attracted outside attention. Last month, the Freedom Club, a conservative group linked to GOP donor Robert Cummins, funded mailers targeting Doepke on her spending record.

The Doepke-Osmek battle to win a spot on this year's ballot is turning out to be one of the most contested races of this year's primary election. It's among several contests that pit an incumbent Republican against a challenger who leans further to the right.

Doepke, who has Olson's endorsement, said those ads weren't true, and she's saying the same about the AFP-MN mailer, said her spokesman Jonathan Aanestad.

The mailer concerns an amicus brief in support of a suit the state of Florida filed challenging the health care law. It was signed by 68 Minnesota House members, including Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Majority Leader Matt Dean, and 23 members of the state Senate.

"[Doepke] was never offered it, she didn't know anything about it," said Aanestad. "It's hard to sign something that's not offered."

Doepke "absolutely in opposition to [the law] from the very beginning," Aanestad added.

AFP-MN director John Cooney said his group hasn't polled or seen any polling that suggests Doepke is vulnerable in this race.

"Anytime there is heightened interest within a community relative to the actions of policymakers, this is an opportunity for AFP to bring issues to the forefront of discussions amongst neighbors, friends and co-workers," Cooney wrote in an e-mail. "We want people to talk about taxes, regulations and the health care overhaul. Therein lies our interest in 33."

AFP-MN is the local branch of the conservative national group backed by major Republican donors Charles and David Koch. The group supports small government and lower taxes, and in Minnesota, it has sounded off about the health care law before.

Earlier this year, AFP-MN sent out mailers opposing incumbent state house Republicans for their votes on the Vikings Stadium.

For her part, Doepke has had to clarify her own list of endorsements. After including 3rd Congressional District Rep. Erik Paulsen on a campaign mailer, Paulsen sent out a statement reiterating his endorsement of Osmek.

Primary coverage

Posted at 2:37 PM on August 14, 2012 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

Programming note on tonight's election coverage

Tonight we'll cover the results online and on the air, with more coverage Wednesday on Morning Edition and The Daily Circuit.

MPR News reporters Tom Scheck and Catharine Richert will provide updates here on Capitol View. Live results are available here.

Also on Capitol View tonight, MPR News editor Michael Olson will host two video chats looking at early results with bloggers. At 9:00p Olson will talk about the 1st Congressional District GOP contest with GOP activist and conservative blogger Michael Brodkorb. At 9:30p Olson talk with liberal bloggers Joel Sipress aka "Joel in Duluth" and Aaron Brown about the DFL contest in the 8th Congressional District. Submit your questions in the comment section here, or by sending a Tweet to @MPRpolitics.

Follow: @MPRnews, @MPRpolitics, @CatRichert and @TomScheck

Unclear where the candidates stand on the issues? Select a Candidate from Minnesota Public Radio News is back. Compare the candidates in the 1st and 8th district races.

Looking for your polling place? Go here.

See you tonight.

And the polls are closed...

Posted at 8:00 PM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. House Races, Campaign 2012: Minn. Senate Races, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

It's 8 p.m., and the polls have closed across Minnesota.

You can see results as they come in on MPR's website here. As expected, turn out across the state was low.

Tonight, we'll be keeping tabs on several important primary races on the Capitol View blog, including contests in the 1st and 8th congressional districts, and several hotly contested legislative districts.

If you haven't been following these races closely, here are a few to watch:

Minnesota's 1st Congressional District:

In southern Minnesota, Republican state Sen. Mike Parry and Allen Quist are competing to challenge incumbent DFL Rep. Tim Walz in November.

Both candidates have raised relatively little money compared to Walz, but with a few exceptions Parry and Quist generally agree on a number of issues important to the Republican party.

In recent weeks, the Parry-Quist race became more interesting after Parry brought up comments Quist made years ago about social issues, including the roles of men and women in the home.

Last week, Parry got more attention when he called Gov. Mark Dayton "scary" and said that he saw Dayton "pop 15 to 16 pills" during a meeting.

Minnesota's 8th Congressional District:

Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark and Rick Nolan are in a three-way contest to challenge Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack in November.

Nolan, a former Minnesota congressman, has the DFL endorsement, but Clark has the fundraising advantage among the three candidates. Since she entered the race, Clark has raised $1.1 million, much of it coming from her wide fundraising network outside the 8th District and the state. Nolan has so far raised $357,655 and Anderson has raised $172,359, according to their most recent campaign finance filings.

The race heated up in recent weeks when Women Vote!, the political spending arm of Emily's List, a group that supports female candidates who support legalized abortions including Clark, sent out a mailer to voters in the 8th questioning Nolan's voting record on abortion issues.

And the Clark campaign released an ad challenging Nolan's work as founder and chairman of the Minnesota World Trade Center. Nolan called the ad "gutter-dirty politics."

Senate District 33:

State Republican Rep. Connie Doepke of Orono and GOP-endorsed David Osmek are both vying to replace retiring Republican state Sen. Gen Olson.

Doepke lost the endorsement to Osmek earlier this year, and the race has since attracted attention from outside groups including the Freedom Club and Americans for Prosperity Minnesota.

Both organizations have a conservative bent, but both have also sent out mailers challenging incumbent Doepke's record on spending and President Barack Obama's health care law. Doepke said the mailers distorted her record.

Meanwhile, Doepke has been forced to clarify her endorsements. After including 3rd Congressional District Rep. Erik Paulsen on a campaign mailer, Paulsen sent out a statement reiterating his endorsement of Osmek.

Also worth watching: House District 33B, where incumbent Rep. Steve Smith, R-Mound, lost the GOP endorsement to Cindy Pugh, who has views tend to be more conservative than Smith's.

Senate District 47:

Bruce Schwichtenberg of Carver is trying to unseat Senate Tax Chair Julianne Ortman of Chanhassen. After a two-hour fight at the May convention, delegates in Senate District 47 left without endorsing a candidate.

Ortman said that the convention's unusual outcome had a lot to do with high turnout among delegates who support Ron Paul. They backed Schwichtenberg over Ortman.

For his part, Schwichtenberg said Ortman is not conservative enough for the district.

House District 4A:

Here, three Republicans and two Democrats want to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Morrie Lanning of Moorhead.

House District 6B:

Three Democrats and two Republicans filed for DFL Rep. Tom Rukavina of Virginia's seat, who is retiring after 13 terms.

Video: 1st Congressional District GOP results analysis

Posted at 9:15 PM on August 14, 2012 by Michael Olson (3 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. House Races, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

Update: Quist wins.

Allen Quist "is going to have to work hard in presenting himself as an electable Republican. Because that's not something has has a record of doing. He hasn't won an election since the mid-80s and that is a long time" -- Conservative blogger and GOP activist Michael Brodkorp on the challenge ahead for Allen Quist as he faces Incumbent Rep. Tim Walz in November.

Live at 9:00pm: A discussion of the results from the 1st Congressional District GOP contest.

MPR News editor Michael Olson hosts a video chat focusing on the early results from the 1st Congressional District GOP contest with GOP activist and conservative blogger Michael Brodkorb.

Submit your questions in the comment section here, or by sending a Tweet to @MPRpolitics.

Candidates: Mike Parry, Allen Quist

Live Election Results from MPR News

More on Brodkorb's new blog and his employment dispute with the state after the jump.

Continue reading "Video: 1st Congressional District GOP results analysis"

Video: 8th Congressional District result analysis

Posted at 9:30 PM on August 14, 2012 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. House Races, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

Live at 9:30pm: A discussion of the results from the 8th Congressional District DFL contest.

MPR News editor Michael Olson hosts a video chat focusing on the early results from the 8th Congressional District DFL contest with liberal bloggers "Joel in Duluth," Joel Sipress and Minnesota Brown, Aaron Brown.

Submit your questions in the comment section here, or by sending a Tweet to @MPRpolitics.

Live Election Results from MPR News

Dehn wins DFL primary

Posted at 8:43 PM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert (1 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. House Races

The Secretary of State's website reports that Raymond Dehn has won the DFL primary in House District 59B.

The area, which encompasses part of North Minneapolis, was previously represented by Bobby Joe Champion.

Dehn beat DFL contender Terra Cole and Ian Alexander.

Competing against Dehn will be Gary Mazzotta, who beat Bill McGaughey with 55 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, Democrat Joe Mullery will be competing against Republican Cindy Lilly in House District 59A this fall.

Update from the 8th

Posted at 9:18 PM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

Only 8 percent of the 8th Congressional District precincts have reported results so far, but primary night parties are in full swing on the Iron Range.

MPR News reporter Mark Zdechlik writes that DFL endorsed candidate Rick Nolan says he feels "terrific" about his primary campaign:

Nolan said he expects he will prevail but that the results will be close in the end and he had high praise for the work the DFL party has done on his behalf.

"The party stepped up in ways that I've never seen them do before. They ran television ads for me, they sent out literature for me. They've had a very, very good, aggressive get out the vote campaign for us in this race so I feel very, very good about it," said Nolan.

Nolan also predicted that whoever ends up winning tonight, Democrats will unite tomorrow behind an effort to take back the 8th District seat from first-term Republicans Congressman Chip Cravaack.

Meanwhile MPR's Dan Kraker reports that Tarryl Clark's party at the Black Woods Grill and Bar in Duluth is relatively quiet so far:

About 25 supporters are here at 9 p.m., sipping drinks and watching the returns slowly trickle in on a big TV screen. Campaign workers say they expect a long night waiting for returns from the far flung corners of Minnesota's 8th district.

Adeline Wright, 34, who owns a hair salon in Duluth, is the kind of voter the Clark campaign is banking on. She says the fact that Clark is a woman is important to her.

"I want there to be more equal representation for women," she said.

But she also believes Clark is the best suited of the three DFL candidates to beat Republican incumbent Chip Cravaack in the general election.

"She has the ability to raise the funds," she said. "She's progressive and qualified, and I think she would be the best person to do the job."

MPR's Stephanie Hemphill has this report from Jeff Anderson's campaign, who is so far trailing Nolan and Clark:

The small crowd here at Carmody Pub is cheerful as they check their smartphones for results. A raucous cheer erupts as Ely's votes are reported. Anderson trounced the others in his home town.

Northern Minnesota's remote rural precincts are notorious for their slow returns. But Anderson says his strength is the same in Duluth as it is further north, so the earlier Duluth returns will be a good indication of his prospects.

Photo: Rick Nolan, center, greets supporters at the 8th congressional district DFL-endorsed candidate's primary party, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 at the Sunshine Kitchen and Moonshine Lounge in Brainerd. (MPR's Jennifer Simonson)

Ortman wins spot on GOP ticket

Posted at 10:28 PM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. Senate Races

Senate Tax Committee Chair Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, will face-off against Democrat James Weygand in this fall's elections to represent Senate District 47.

Ortman defeated Bruce Schwichtenberg in a heated primary battle.

After an endorsement fight at the district's May convention, neither Ortman or Schwichtenberg had secured support from the party.

Ortman said that the convention's unusual outcome had a lot to do with high turnout among delegates who support Ron Paul, and who supported Schwichtenberg.

For his part, Schwichtenberg said Ortman was not conservative enough for the district.

"Leading into November I hope we're going to have a very courageous conversation with the resident of the state of Minnesota about the issues that matter most," including the economy, Ortman said.

If she wins the general election in November, Ortman said won't change the way she legislates despite the turn further right her primary race took.

"This was a very important election to provide all the authority I need to go back to the state capitol and continue the work that I've been doing," Ortman said.

Quist to challenge Walz for MN CD 1 seat

Posted at 10:52 PM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

Allen Quist will represent the Republican party this fall in his bid to unseat 1st Congressional District DFL Rep. Tim Walz.

Quist had been running against GOP state Sen. Mike Parry, who conceded to Quist late Thursday night in a phone call.

Parry said he would support Quist in his race against Walz.

"I told [Allen Quist], as I'm going to tell you right now, this is all about Tim Walz," Parry said. "This is about a Congressman who has failed to represent the first district. This is about a congressman that has joined lockstep with the Obama administration and actively does not support production agriculture."

Parry said he believes Quist is an electable Republican, despite the negative tone the primary race took in the last few weeks.

"Based on what I see tonight, things are changing in the first congressional district. [Quist] is well-versed, he gets it, That's why I'm excited to join his team, to move forward with a common cause and that's to defeat Tim Walz."

At 10:30 p.m., the Secretary of State's office reported that nearly 70 percent of the southern Minnesota district had reported; Parry had 45 percent of the vote while Quist had 54 percent of the vote.

In Mankato, Quist told the crowd that he welcomes Parry to his team.

"We'll work together from now on," Quist said.

Quist told supporters that there's a lot of work ahead, but he's confident that a conservative Repoublican can win the congressional seat.

"Our focus in going to be the number one problem facing our country, and that is the debt crisism" Quist said. "We absolutely have to change direction. We don't have a choice."

Quist contributed much of his own cash to his campaign, and Parry was not able to match Quist's fundraising.

In recent weeks, the Parry-Quist race became more interesting after Parry brought up comments Quist made years ago about social issues, including the roles of men and women in the home.

Last week, Parry got more attention when he called Gov. Mark Dayton "scary" and said that he saw Dayton "pop 15 to 16 pills" during a meeting.

Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Pat Shortridge used Quist's victory to make the party's case against Walz.

"Voters in southern Minnesota deserve representation in Washington that will fight to get spending and regulation under control," Shortridge said in a statement. "Despite election-year conversions, Tim Walz has been a blank check for the Obama administration on key issues like cap and trade, Obamacare, and the failed stimulus. The Walz legacy for future generations will be one of more debt and regulation, and one of less opportunity and growth."

MPR's Elizabeth Baier and Tim Pugmire contributed to this report.

AP: Nolan wins DFL primary in MN CD 8

Posted at 11:31 PM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

The Associated Press has called Minnesota's 8th Congressional District DFL primary in favor of Rick Nolan.

Nolan, who represented Minnesota in the U.S. House from 1974 to 1981 will challenge GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack this fall.

Late Tuesday night, Nolan had nearly 40 percent of the vote with 70 percent of the precincts reporting results. His opponents Tarryl Clark and Jeff Anderson were splitting the difference.

Nolan was not the top fundraiser in the race. He had brought in only $357,655 since the start of the race, while Clark raised $1.1 million, much of it coming from her wide fundraising network outside the 8th District and the state. Anderson only raised $172,359, according to the most recent campaign filings.