The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party Friday released an ad -- its first -- on Friday. It takes a whack at outgoing Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty but leaves Republican Tom Emmer out of it and strikes a positive note about DFL gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton.

It says that "under Gov. Pawlenty (schools) have been failing our kids and hurting our economy," and "Mark Dayton knows great schools mean jobs we can count on."

The statements in the ad are purely subjective and partisans are sure to take issue with them.

The ad is rather forgetable but it works to create bad feelings about Pawlenty in hopes of ginning up good feeling about Dayton. It wouldn't surprise if the ad is part of a one-two punch with punch two hitting Emmer.

It also shunts aside the pattern of parties going for the jugular when candidates do not. Dayton has asked all those that support him to foreswear negative ads so the DFL may not have the jugular option.

Here's the ad.

Transcript:

WOMAN ANNCR: Minnesota's schools. For generations, they've been a source of pride.
But under Governor Pawlenty, they've been failing our kids
and hurting our economy.
We've got to make Minnesota prosperous again.
Mark Dayton.
A former school teacher,
he knows what it'll take to make our schools the best:
Smaller classes
Full-day kindergarten
Affordable college.
Because Mark Dayton knows
great schools mean jobs we can count on.


Mark Dayton. Governor.