The State Canvassing Board on Tuesday certified the results of last week's state primary, confirming that the turnout was the highest in more than a decade.
In the final voting results, the canvassing board said that 606,394 Minnesotans voted last Tuesday, which translated to 15.93 percent of eligible voters. In addition, the board reported, voters in last week's primary cast a record 31,276 absentee ballots.
The closely watched DFL gubernatorial primary yielded these final results: Mark Dayton, 182,738 votes, or 41.33 percent; Margaret Anderson Kelliher, 175,767 votes or 39.75 percent, and Matt Entenza, 80,509 votes, or 18.21 percent.
MIKE KASZUBA
Emmer passes on fourth debate
Republican candidate Tom Emmer said he will skip a Thursday gubernatorial debate in Winona -- the fourth among the three candidates in the past week -- because, a campaign spokesman said, Emmer "must focus on other activities."
The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, the debate's sponsor, lamented the decision, saying it hoped "Emmer re-evaluates the message that his absence at this critical forum sends to greater Minnesota communities." Emmer's gubernatorial challengers, DFLer Mark Dayton and Independence Party candidate Tom Horner, have confirmed they will attend.
The gubernatorial candidates have been debating at a blistering pace since the primary, appearing on TPTV's "Almanac" program on Friday, a Game Fair debate on Saturday and a Minnesota Chamber of Commerce debate on Tuesday in Nisswa.
Cullen Sheehan, Emmer's campaign manager, said that "Unfortunately, debates are just one of the many demands made on our campaign." Emmer, he said, "will try to participate in as many [debates] as possible."
MIKE KASZUBA
1 percent Pawlenty
Gov. Tim Pawlenty has tried to raise his profile in Iowa recently, including an appearance last week at its State Fair, but his polling numbers still barely register a heartbeat in the state where the first presidential caucuses are held.
Pawlenty scored 1 percent in a poll of Republican presidential hopefuls released Monday by the Iowa Republican, putting him in a distant tie for sixth out of 10 candidates in the poll.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 Iowa caucuses, led at 22 percent, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 18 percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 14 percent and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at 11 percent.
The one bit of good news for Pawlenty is that three other candidates -- former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Texas Gov. Rick Perry -- failed to reach the 1 percent threshold.
Twenty-three percent of respondents said they remain undecided.
Pawlenty has yet to register above single digits in any 2012 presidential poll.
JEREMY HERB
No 'Doc' on the ballot
The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that Dan "Doc" Severson, the Republican candidate for secretary of state, cannot use his nickname on the ballot.
The order, by Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, instructed that Secretary of State Mark Ritchie's office remove Severson's nickname from the November ballot. In last week's primary election, where he was allowed to use the nickname, Severson ran unopposed as a Republican and collected 112,903 votes. He will oppose Ritchie, a DFLer, in November.
"It's not a big deal. It was kind of anticipated," said Severson, who said a court case challenging his use of the "Doc" nickname was backed by DFL activists and was "the typical DFL dirty tricks stuff."
"I've got a 28-year history with the name," said Severson, who said the nickname was given to him during his days as a Navy pilot. "Dan or 'Doc' is fine, but I'd rather be known [as] 'Mr. Election Integrity,' " referring to his quest to become the state's top administrator on election issues.
MIKE KASZUBA
