Gov. Mark Dayton and his Republican challenger, Jeff Johnson, sparred for the last time Friday, with Dayton arguing that successes of his first term should earn him a second, while Johnson vowed to be the kind of hands-on governor that he said the state is lacking.
"Minnesota is moving forward," said Dayton, who's asking for four more years leading the state. "We've overcome a lot of problems that I inherited when I came in four years ago. We're on the right track, moving ahead."
Johnson, a Hennepin County commissioner promising a state government that spends less, pointed to missteps during Dayton's tenure that he said showed a chief executive not tuned into the state he leads.
"After 37 years in politics, I don't think he's up to the job," Johnson said. "I don't think he's been an engaged governor."
It's been a frequent criticism from Johnson, and one he has ratcheted up in recent weeks, including in several TV commercials. He has returned to several high-profile initiatives under Dayton's watch that generated controversy, with the Vikings stadium and the MNsure health insurance exchange chief among them.
In response, Dayton called Johnson a "desperate candidate" who, trailing in the polls, has only offered criticism.
"He's not offering any ideas, he's just trashing me," Dayton said. He then mentioned Johnson's first campaign commercial, which showed the Republican measuring blades of grass in his yard in a lighthearted attempt to portray him as detail-oriented.
"You were on your stomach looking at every blade of grass, and you found one or two out of line," Dayton said. "My job as governor is to look at the whole lawn."