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Governor: Peter Hutchinson


SNAPSHOT
Though the U.S. Senate race seemed to hold the most promise for a close race, it was the governor's race in Minnesota that grabbed the election-night headlines. Incumbent Tim Pawlenty held onto his office by just 22,000 votes over DFLer Mike Hatch. But Pawlenty saw his GOP colleagues swept out of office. In the Senate race, DFLer Amy Klobuchar easily beat Rep. Mark Kennedy.

The retirement of Sen. Mark Dayton sparked early interest in the campaign, with Rep. Mark Kennedy jumping in early. But a year later, Kennedy emerged as the lone Republican for the job, and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar's strength was forcing several Democrats, including Patty Wetterling, out of the race.

The Senate race immediately attracted national attention, but as Klobuchar surged ahead of Kennedy in the polls, much national attention turned to the 6th District, where Patty Wetterling and state Sen. Michele Bachmann were the major contenders. Bachmann beat Wettlerling. It was Wetterling's second straight loss in the district. In the 5th, Rep. Keith Ellison became the first Muslim congressman. And in the 1st, incumbent Gil Gutknecht was defeated by DFLer Tim Walz.
Polinaut
Minnesota Public Radio's Polinaut blog explores the universe of campaigns and politics. Come join us in the search for intelligent life.
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If you're not sick of political ads on TV by now you probably will be by Election Day. (10/24/2006)
You won't find anything about social issues such as abortion and same sex marriage on the gubernatorial candidates' Web sites, but they're important to many voters. (10/24/2006)
Minnesota lost nearly 13,000 jobs in September, the third largest monthly job loss in more than 50 years. (10/17/2006)
Public safety is traditionally an important issue for voters, especially those living in areas touched by drugs or violence. (10/17/2006)
A Star Tribune poll shows DFL challenger Mike Hatch pulling ahead of incumbent Republican Tim Pawlenty in the Minnesota governor's race. (10/16/2006)
Midday's Meet the Candidates series concludes three days of gubernatorial contenders with Peter Hutchinson of the Independence Party. (Midday, 10/13/2006)
Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty says the state's job market is "on fire," while his opponents say Minnesota's economic picture is not so hot. (10/10/2006)
In their first and only post-primary debate outside of the Twin Cities, the two frontrunners and Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson were forced to address the medical research issue and a railroad expansion that both loom large in the state's third-largest city. (10/05/2006)
Public education is traditionally a top issue for many Minnesota voters, and this year's election is no exception. (10/03/2006)
A new round of gubernatorial campaign ads takes aim at the candidates' tax policies, but some of the numbers fail to add up. (10/02/2006)
Moderators pressed the group to offer specific proposals for future road funding, education reform and the environment. But Mike Hatch and Tim Pawlenty mostly demurred. (09/27/2006)
The candidates have been making a lot of promises about new spending, from free college tuition to more cops on the street. (09/26/2006)
Cathy Wurzer spoke with reporter John Vomhoff, Jr. with the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, who monitored corporate campaign contributions in the state's gubernatorial race from January through August this year. (09/22/2006)
Three independent polls this week say the race for governor in Minnesota is essentially a dead heat between Republican incumbent Tim Pawlenty and DFLer Mike Hatch. The top candidates' campaign managers talk about their strategy in the coming weeks. (09/22/2006)
A new Minnesota Public Radio-St. Paul Pioneer Political analysts say the race could hinge on which candidate sways the most undecided voters. (09/21/2006)