The Republican tried to pass legislation to "weaken" drunken-driving laws he had broken -- twice. The DFLer is a "bored, rich guy" who wants to turn Minnesota into the "all new taxes state." The Independence Party candidate is just "Oily Tom."
Think Minnesota's gubernatorial race has been tough? The accusations levied so far might look like love letters as DFLer Mark Dayton, Republican Tom Emmer and IP candidate Tom Horner embark on what will be a feisty -- and expensive -- fight to replace Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
With three vivid candidates staking out often uncompromising positions "this will be a fundamental debate about the role of government in Minnesota," said Dan Hofrenning, a political science professor at St. Olaf College.
Each candidate faces substantial hurdles as they woo voters:
• Dayton must resuscitate his relationship with the party after he defeated the endorsed candidate and soothe moderates alarmed by his tax-the-rich mantra.
• Emmer now marches with a new, untested campaign crew and must move beyond early campaign slip-ups.
• Horner must hurry his transition from public relations executive and first-time candidate to top-shelf contender.
While the candidates insist the campaign is acutely focused on local issues, the self-described fight for Minnesota's soul is rooted in the national debate between the Obama administration and the influential Tea Party movement.
Republicans have gone all-in with the charismatic Tea Party favorite Emmer as DFLers united behind Mark Dayton, an unabashed liberal who last week reached out to President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for help. As Emmer and Dayton stake out opposite posts on the political spectrum, Horner seeks a political sweet spot in the middle.
Some national political experts are even watching closely to see if Pawlenty, who is testing a run for president, has "the political juice" to get Emmer elected.
'A new day'
During the primary, Emmer's free-swinging nature came with all the thrills and gasps of a high-wire act. Emmer has distinguished himself as a riveting evangelist for the causes of freedom and prosperity. To conservatives riled by runaway government spending, he offered an unwavering but as yet undefined promise: He will reform government, slice $6 billion from the state budget and cut taxes.
His back-slapping, devil-may-care charm has led to remarks that forced Emmer, a Delano trial lawyer, to double back to clarify what he meant and left the campaign distracted.
Emmer, who did not face a major primary challenger, caused a two-week campaign speed bump among restaurant workers and the Minnesotans who love them. He angered them by saying he supported a so-called tip credit, which allows servers who earn tips to make below the minimum wage.
Then the independent political group Alliance for a Better Minnesota peppered the airwaves with commercials about Emmer's two decades-old drunken driving charges and his effort to retool drunken-driving laws in the Legislature.
To ramp up for the general election, Emmer shook up his campaign and added seasoned, disciplined managers. To help raise money, Pawlenty is headlining an Aug. 23 Emmer fundraiser.
"It's a new day," Emmer said. "We get to introduce ourselves over the next 80 days as who we are rather than who they say we are."
Insider/outsider tries to unify
Dayton, a millionaire department store heir, has pledged to raises taxes on Minnesota's highest earners and use the money to balance the budget and increase funding for schools.
His steady, focused message and sterling name-recognition, borne of 35 years of campaigns, helped him emerge from a tough and expensive primary fight against DFL endorsee Margaret Anderson Kelliher and former state Rep. Matt Entenza.
Some Democrats said Dayton needs to refine or polish his tax-the-rich slogan. It unnerves some wealthy -- and moderate -- Minnesotans who said he makes it sound like having money means they are getting away with something or breaking the law.
DFLers also said he must rebuild a relationship with the party that spent months trying to defeat him. The fence-mending comes as Dayton is replenishing his campaign coffers, which already gobbled up $3.3 million of his own money.
Dayton said his personal fortune was greatly depleted during the recession and eight primary and general election campaigns.
"I am going to be hunkering down to raise the money necessary to conduct a full-fledged campaign," he said.
He'll have many Democrats behind him -- unions that endorsed Kelliher quickly gave Dayton their nods Friday. Several longtime party members said they expect supporters of Dayton's former rivals to fall in line, too.
"Democrats are hungry, unusually hungry, because of the long, long absence" from the governor's office, Entenza said.
It's been 24 years since the DFL won the office.
Man in the middle
Horner is like several third-party candidates around the country -- disenchanted with the two-party system and viable in his own right. He's a former longtime Republican and has deep ties to the business community.
Now he sounds decidedly less Republican on fiscal and social issues as he casts himself as a "common-sense" centrist. He favors raising or broadening taxes, particularly sales taxes. He also supports granting legal status to same-sex couples and public funding for a new Vikings stadium.
Despite his business connections and his goal of getting $2.5 million in funding, Horner raised less than $200,000 by mid-July, a fraction of what the other candidates brought in. Horner and the Independence Party also lack the political infrastructure, like volunteer and donor databases, of the two major parties.
"We don't have the deep bench as far as volunteers go," campaign manager Stephen Imholte said.
To help get Horner's name out, he will run his first television ad in less than two weeks.
With Emmer and Dayton digging in on opposite sides, "it's the party's best chance since 1998" when Jesse Ventura won, Imholte said.
"I don't think Dayton can win on Democrats alone and Emmer can't win with Republicans alone," he said. "Any candidate will need to draw from all three perspectives to win."
Baird Helgeson • 651-222-1288
