Farmfest to be pre-primary 'Debatefest'

In most election years, candidates' debate at August's Farmfest comes just as voters are starting to tune in to the contests that will dominate the fall and in some years marks the first serious face-off.

Not this year.

With a primary that now falls on Aug. 10 instead of in September, the Aug. 4 Farmfest debate in Redwood County will come less than a week before voters head to the polls to make their primary picks.

That might make the outdoor debate, traditionally held under a tent, one of the last live debates before the primary.

Just six days later, DFLers will go to the polls to choose among three major candidates for governor -- Matt Entenza, Mark Dayton and endorsee Margaret Anderson Kelliher, along with a few lesser-known contenders.

Republicans will pick among endorsee Tom Emmer and a handful of frequent candidates, while Independence Party folks will select from among endorsee Tom Horner, Rob Hahn and other would-bes.

RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER

DFL-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher continues to rack up the union endorsements.

On Tuesday, her campaign announced she'd gotten the nod from the Communications Workers of America Minnesota State Council, the president of which praised Kelliher for her "commitment to bringing high-speed broadband to every community in Minnesota."

The endorsement adds to Kelliher's long list of union nods including: AFSCME 65, Education Minnesota, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Minnesota State Council, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49, Laborers District Council of Minnesota, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Minnesota Nurses Association, United Auto Workers of Minnesota, UNITE HERE! and the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.

DFL primary rival Mark Dayton has picked some labor support as well, including AFSCME Council 5; the United Steelworkers, Teamsters Joint Council 32 and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.

On Wednesday, one of them may add the Minnesota AFL-CIO to their list of backers. The union federation's political committee will meet to screen the two and IP's Tom Horner. DFLer Matt Entenza completed a questionnaire but will not screen.

Himle sans Horner on website

Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner seemed to disappear before your very eyes from the website of his former company on Monday.

At 10 a.m., Horner announced he was severing ties with Himle Horner Inc., the public relations firm he co-founded 21 years ago -- a move he said had been in the works for two years.

About 2:30 p.m., co-founder John Himle sent out a news release announcing the departure and that the company would be changing its name sometime later this year.

By about 6 p.m., Horner's name and signature had been removed from Himle Horner's home page and scrubbed from the staff bios.