Political Notebook

Walz's SPAM Town Hotdish fails to win over the judges

The results are in and DFL Sen. Al Franken and Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack tied for first place in the second annual "Hot Dish Off."

Members of Minnesota's Congressional Delegation squared off today in the hotdish competition, hosted by Franken. For his entry, 1st District DFL Rep. Tim Walz used Austin-made SPAM for his inspiration. His SPAM Town Hotdish features pasta shells, onions, cheese, cream of chicken soup, bread crumbs and, of course, SPAM.

“I’m proud to feature SPAM, an iconic product made right here in the First District, in my hotdish this afternoon,” Walz said in a statement. “Today we come together to share our hotdish recipes, tomorrow let’s continue to act in a bipartisan manner and share ideas on how we can work together to get things done for all Minnesotans.”

Alas, Walz's SPAM creation failed to win over the judges — former Republican Congressman Vin Weber and House Chaplain Patrick Conroy.

In a blind taste test, Franken's "Mom's Mahnomin Madness Hotdish" and Cravaak's "Minneosta Wild Strata Hotdish" tied for the top spot. The other members of Minnesota's congressional delegation who competed prepared the following hotdishes:  Sen. Amy Klobuchar made "Ted the Turkey Memorial Hotdish;" Rep. Collin Peterson made "Pølse and Potet Hotdish;" Rep. Michele Bachmann made "St. Croix River Crossing Hotdish; Rep. Erik Paulsen made "Double Barrel Pheasant Hotdish;" and Rep.Keith Ellison made "Minnesota Meat on Your Bones Shepherd’s Pie."

To see the participants' recipes, go here.

 

Engstrand running for congress again — in Texas

Looks like Jim Engstrand won't be running for the 1st Congressional District seat again. Instead, the former Pine Island resident is running for Congress in Texas.

Engstrand is seaking to represent Texas' 36th Congressional District — a new district created as a result of the 2010 Census.  Engstrand ran for the 1st Congressional District seat in 2010 but dropped out after failing to win the GOP endorsement. Hayfield Republican Randy Demmer won the endorsement. Demmer ended up losing to incumbent DFL Congressman Tim Walz by 5 percentage points.

Engstrand served 22 years in the National Guard. On his new campaign website, he touts growing up on a family farm and his military service. The website sums up Engstrand as follows: "If you want a fighter who will call a lie a lie , If you want a Big Government Spending Cutter (25% ACROSS THE FULL SPECTRUM OF GOVERNMENT), If you want a down to earth approachable liberty loving tyranny fighting non- establishment candidate please sign up to get Jim elected."

Republican Sen. Mike Parry of Waseca is the first Republican to announce he is running against Walz in 2012.

 

 

 

 

Demmer not running for congress

Don't expect to see any Randy Demmer campaign signs next fall. The Hayfield Republican said he has decided not to run again for the First Congressional District — or any other political office. Instead, he is focusing on his new job as director of business operations for Construction Ventures Inc. of Winona. The company invests in construction-related businesses and provides management and support services to their affiliated companies.

Demmer came within 5 percentage points of defeating DFL Congressman Tim Walz last year. Prior to his congressional run, Demmer served four terms in the Minnesota House. On Friday, Republican state Sen. Mike Parry of Waseca announced he is running against Walz. So does Demmer support Parry? At this point, Demmer said he is not in a rush to endorse any candidates.

"I always like to check out all the options before I jump," Demmer said.

A look at how much campaigns raised in Rochester

The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board today released the latest campaign finance reports covering the 2010 elections. Here is a quick look at how much Rochester area legislative candidates raised and spent on the race.

A couple of interesting things to note. Former DFL Rep. Andy Welti of Plainview outspent his GOP opponent Rep. Mike Benson by nearly $15,700. But it is important to keep in mind that plenty of money outside the campaigns flowed into that race in the final days. The challenge is getting a real sense of where all that money came from and how much was spent.

Also GOP Sen. Carla Nelson raised more than $69,000 beating out former DFL Sen. Ann Lynch, who raised nearly $56,500. But they both spent roughly $65,000 on the race. Similar to the Benson/Welti race, this race also attracted plenty of dollars from around the state.

Here are the fundraising totals for Rochester area legislative candidates.

Senate District 29
Greg French, DFL-Byron
Total receipts: $14,937
Total expenditures: $14,932

*David Senjem, R-Rochester
Total receipts: $44,468
Total expenditures: $41,193

House District 29A
*Duane Quam, R-Byron
Total receipts: $22,108
Total expenditures: $19,853

Doug Wunderlich, DFL-Mantorville
Total receipts: $12,374
Total expenditures: $13,610 (includes $1,000 loan)

House District 29B
*Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester
Total receipts: $30,464
Total expenditures: $33,856

Mike Rolih, R-Rochester
Total receipts: $24,883
Total expenditures: $24,339

Senate District 30
Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester
Total receipts: $56,464
Total expenditures: $65,008

*Carla Nelson, R-Rochester
Total receipts: $69,113
Total expenditures: $65,996

House District 30A
*Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester
Total receipts: $27, 483
Total expenditures: $32,262

Charlie O’Connell

UPDATE: O'Connell turned in his report by the deadline but it was not posted online until today.

Total receipts: $100

Total expenditures: $3,038 with funding coming from O'Connell.

House District 30B
*Mike Benson, R-Rochester
Total receipts: $22,491
Total expenditures: $22,939

Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview
Total receipts: $25,129
Total expenditures: $38,627

* Winner of the 2010 election

Walz invites a Republican senator to State of the Union Address

1st District DFL Rep. Tim Walz announced he  has invited state Republican Sen. Julie Rosen of Fairmont to the State of the Union address. According to the press release, the move is intended to highlight the need for civility and respect in our national and local debates.

“While Julie and I don’t always agree on everything, I have tremendous respect for her as a public servant. We do not have to be members of the same party to have productive conversations to move our country forward,” said Walz. “We may never know why the horrific violence in Tucson unfolded, but we don’t need a tragedy to tell us our politics have become too divisive, our words too harsh and our debate too disrespectful. In this time of reflection, I hope we will remember that we have more that unites us then divides us and that’s what Julie and I will be talking about on Tuesday," Walz said in a statement.

Sen. Rosen said she appreciates the invitation.

"I'm thankful for this invitation from Congressman Walz, and glad for the opportunity to participate in this memorable occasion," said Rosen.  "Our record of working together for southern Minnesota has brought successes of all types, and I hope the amiability, respect, and dedication that Congressman Walz and I share will continue in the future."

It's interesting to note that in the lead up to the 2010 election there was plenty of buzz about Rosen possibly taking on Walz. She ultimately decided not to get into the race.

 

Norton campaign cleared of any wrongdoing

Yesterday the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board announced it had cleared a Rochester group accused of coordinating campaign efforts with state Rep. Kim Norton, a Rochester Democrat. For whatever reason this morning, the board's website is down so I cannot look at the ruling myself. But here is a report from local news editor Mike Dougherty who wrote the story yesterday when I was off.

Robert Cline, the treasurer of the Rochester Citizens Coalition Committee, is also the chairman of Norton’s campaign. State laws do not allow coordinated efforts between independent groups such as the Rochester group and a candidate. Last month, the state board received a complaint from Bruce Kaskubar, chairman of the Olmsted County Republican Party. The complaint alleged that radio and newspaper advertisements prepared and paid for by the Rochester Citizens Coalition Committee in support of Norton are not independent expenditures, as stated in the disclaimer provided on the advertisements.

John Scanlon, vice chairman of the board, signed the ruling that said there was probable cause to believe Cline does not perform the duties of treasurer of the citizens coalition.

However, the board said the committee must amend its registration with the campaign finance board to identify the individual who performs the daily financial operations of the committee and who is responsible for the filing of reports with the board as the treasurer of record. The amendment to the registration must occur within 10 days of receipt of the order. The citizens coalition said earlier that another individual arranged for the ads and Cline had no knowledge of it. It also noted that the radio ads were not for Norton, but Sen. Ann Lynch, a Rochester Democrat, who lost to Republican Carla Nelson in Senate District 30.

Norton defeated Republican Mike Rolih, 7,820 to 6,829, to win her third term for House District 29B.

Emmer concedes the governor's race

Republican Tom Emmer conceded the governor's race to Democrat Mark Dayton this morning at a press conference in front of his home in Delano.

"Minnesotans made their choice by however thin a margin and we respect that choice. Now is the time for all of us to come together and do what is best for Minnesota," Emmer said surrounded by his family.

During the press conference, he said that his analysis of yesterday's Minnesota Supreme Court opinion left open the door to a possible lawsuit because it noted that not every precinct in the state did perform "reconciliation." That is a process where the number of ballots cast are matched up with the number of voters. He said some had urged him to take up the legal fight knowing that it would mean Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty would stay on with a Republican-led Legislature. But Emmer said he did not believe that was the right thing to do.

"We must address the questions raised by recent elections in this state, but I do not believe a delay in seating the next governor will hep to unite us or move our state forward," he said.

Dayton is expected to address the media at 2 p.m. today.

Emmer expected to concede this morning

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer is expected to concede the governor's race this morning, according to several news conferences. A press conference has been scheduled at 10:30 a.m. at his home in Delano.

Emmer's decision came after a Minnesota Supreme Court issued an opinion rejected an argument being made by Emmer's campaign that could have been a vehicle for a lawsuit. Democrat Mark Dayton lead Emmer by nearly 9,000 votes heading into the recount and the numbers have not changed significantly.

So what do local party activists think about the news?

Olmsted County Republican Party Co-chair Bruce Kaskubar said he believes given the court's decision and the recount outcome that Emmer is doing the right thing.

"I think it was a big enough vote difference that the result I think not suprisingly has held up. And I think it is right to concede at this point," he said.

Olmsted County DFL Chair Lynn Wilson said she is excited at the prospect of having a Democrat back in the governor's mansion after a 20-year drought. She added that she believes Emmer did what he had to do by going through the recount process but given the results and the court's decision, it was time for him to concede.

"To his credit then having no further means to win he is doing what is right and is conceding to the will of the people of the state of Minnesota who elected Mark Dayton as their next governor," Wilson said.

Dayton is expected to hold a press conference later today. Emmer's concession allows Dayton to get to work on his transition into the governor's office.

Recount confirms Murray defeats Brown

My Austin Post-Bulletin colleagues Kay Fate and Jim Troyer sent in a report this morning that recounts in Mower and Freeborn counties confirmed that Republican Rich Murray defeated two-term DFL Rep. Robin Brown. Here is their report:

A mandatory recount between District 27A candidates Rep. Robin Brown, DFL-Austin, and Murray, the Republican challenger, showed no change in the Nov. 2 results in Mower County. And 22 miles away in Albert Lea, Freeborn County officials found no vote changes either, giving Murray a 57-vote margin.

Freeborn County was the difference for Murray.

In Freeborn County, Murray received 6,889 votes compared to 6,474 for Brown, a difference of 415 votes. Murray trailed Brown in Mower County's tally by 358 votes.

Freeborn GOP leader Al Arends noted that the District 27 vote was close and that Brown’s strong showing in Mower County was predictable. “Mower is more Democratic,” he said. “We are more of a swing county.”

Noting that the Albert Lea High School teacher has held the seat for the past four years, Arends said, “It’s good to get it back.”

Mower's recount of the legislative race took less than two hours Monday morning. It's the third time this election season that local ballot counts have been checked — and found to be 100 percent accurate. Focus then shifted to Freeborn County where it took seven hours.

Dayton gains 13 votes in Olmsted County recount

Olmsted County wrapped up its recount of 55,671 ballots within nine hours — much faster than anticipated. DFLer Mark Dayton got a boost from the recount netting 13 additional votes while Republican Tom Emmer lost 9 votes. A total of 10 ballot challenges were made with all six of those made by Emmer volunteers being deemed "frivolous" by election officials. That means these ballots were included in the final vote totals. Of the four challenges raised by Dayton volunteers, two were considered frivolous.

Statewide, 45 percent of the ballots have been recounted. Dayton gained a total of 20 votes and Emmer lost a total of four votes. A total of 367 ballot challenges were accepted with 281 of them coming from the Emmer campaign. Heading into the gubernatorial recount, Dayton was leading by 8,770 votes.

For number lovers, here is a breakdown of the recount results for area counties in southeast Minnesota. The first number is the Nov. 2 vote totals, the second is recount total and the third is the vote change. It should be noted that Mower County's results have not yet been posted on the Secretary of State's website.

Dodge County

Dayton:  2,579, 2,576, -3
Tom Emmer: 4,117, 4,116, -1
Ballot challenges by Dayton volunteers: 1
Ballot challenges by Emmer volunteers: 4

Fillmore County
Dayton:  3,535, 3,535, 0
Emmer: 3,648, 3,649, +1
Ballot challenges by Dayton volunteers: 0
Ballot challenges by Emmer volunteers: 5

Goodhue County
Dayton: 7,247, 7,260, +13
Emmer: 9,178, 9,180, +2
Ballot challenges by Dayton volunteers: 0
Ballot challenges by Emmer volunteers: 2

Houston County
Dayton: 3,187, 3,182, -5
Emmer: 3,774, 3,774, 0
Ballot challenges by Dayton volunteers: 2
Ballot challenges by Emmer volunteers: 12

Wabasha County (43% of ballots recounted)
Dayton: 1,317, 1,320, +3
Emmer: 1,950, 1,950, 0
Ballot challenges by Dayton volunteers: 1
Ballots challenges by Emmer volunteers: 1

Winona County
Dayton: 8,275, 8,273, -2
Emmer: 7,950, 7,950, 0
Ballot challenges by Dayton volunteers: 3
Ballot challenges by Emmer volunteers: 5