Privacy and public officials

St. Paul, Minn. — Candidates for governor recently were asked by the Minneapolis Star Tribune about their mental health histories, after Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton disclosed his past struggle with depression and alchohol abuse. Political figures also have spent a lot of time in the past year coming forward with revelations of sexual affairs. Should the public know everything about politicians, whether it wants to or not?

Guests

• Carol Dahmen: Political strategist who worked for former California Gov. Gray Davis. She also advised Gary Condit and the California secretary of state Kevin Shelley, who resigned in 2005 amidst charges of sexual harrassment.
• Florence Graves: Founding Director, Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University.
• Frank Farley: Psychology professor at Temple University. He studies risk taking and mental health issues.
• Bob Shrum: Longtime Democratic political strategist. He's now retired and teaches at New York University. He has worked with many campaigns including John Kerry's presidential bid and Sen. George McGovern's in 1972. He also advised Mark Dayton's first Senate campaign.

More from MPR

• MPR News Cut: The press and private lives

Resources

• Minneapolis Star Tribune: Gubernatorial Hopefuls Disclose Mental Health Info
• Florence George Graves: Redefining the 'Private Lives' of Public Officials
• About Carol Dahmen
• About Bob Shrum
• About Frank Farley
• The Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism