Campaign 2010

GOP gets out vote for AG candidate to avoid primary upset

by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — State Republican party officials are waging an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort for Tuesday's primary to make sure their endorsed candidate for attorney general wins.

Minnesota GOP leaders aren't worried about gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer making it to the November general election, but they can't say the same for Chris Barden, their candidate for attorney general.

With low turnout expected, Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Tony Sutton says he's concerned frequent candidate Sharon Anderson could beat Barden, in a repeat of her 1994 upset of Tom Neuville in a primary contest for the same office.

Sutton says that's why the party has been making hundreds of thousands of get-out-the-vote calls.

"I was a young activist back in '94 when she beat Tom Nueville in that Republican primary then," he said. "That keeps me motivated not to take any of this stuff for granted."

The winner of the GOP primary will face DFL incumbent Attorney General Lori Swanson in November.