Although he didn't officially announce his candidacy for Minnesota governor until a couple of weeks ago, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton had begun his pursuit of the position more than a year ago. And he hit the ground running as soon as he kicked off his campaign, “A Better Minnesota,” by heading out on a quest to visit every one of Minnesota’s 87 counties in 87 days.
Polk County garnered special attention in his itinerary, as the Democrat racked up three visits – two in Erskine and one at the University of Minnesota, Crookston – in two days. A campaign representative attributed this to Dayton's popularity in the county as well as the geographic distance it spans.
“Minnesota is in crisis. We can and must do better,” Dayton told a crowd of a couple dozen people at UMC recently. “More than anything, the reason I'm running: It is the responsibility of my generation to leave the state in better condition than we inherited. And make no mistake, this will be a challenge.”
He is confident, though, that he's up to the task. Dayton cited his work serving Minnesotans over the past 34 years, as commissioner of Economic Development, commissioner of Energy and Economic Development, state auditor, and senator.
“I can offer the strong and experienced leadership that Minnesota needs for these tough times,” he declared. “I know our state far better than any other candidate. I know how it can work and be a better Minnesota. I won't let you down.”
It was disclosed this week that he is the clear forerunner among the pool of candidates for governor from all parties. In 2009, he reported raising $641,822, far more than his closest competitor. However, the majority of that – $570,000 – is from a personal loan to the campaign from none other than Dayton himself, an heir to the Dayton's department store fortune.
Rather than spending more time and effort in attempting to gain the Democratic Party's endorsement at its state convention in April, Dayton is instead concentrating on securing the nomination in the primary, currently set at Sept. 14 but subject to change, which is what really counts when it comes to getting your name on the November General Election ballot.
Two early polls have shown Dayton leading the pack of then 12 candidates (Steve Kelley has since dropped out of the race).
The issues
The Crookston meet and greet drew some local members of Teamsters Joint Council 32 and Minnesota's largest state employee union, AFSCME Council 5, both of which include a number of UMC employees. Dayton noted that he's received support from these two powerful unions.
Much of the conversation at UMC dealt with, appropriately, education. People attending voiced concerns about inequities between school districts across the state and the rising costs of college tuition.
“A good education is important to successes later in life,” said Dayton, who taught science in New York City right out of college. “My conscience was seared by the terrible injustice that my students had so little and I had been given so much. This is where I decided to devote my life to improving social and economic equality.”
Dayton provided a brief outline of his stances on important issues facing the state:
-- Education: Noting that Minnesota teachers' salaries are 3.3 percent below the national average and public schools are extremely underfunded, he proposed a constitutional amendment that would dedicate a certain amount, with appropriate increases, each year to fund public education. He also stressed the need to concentrate more on individualized educational strategies and less on standardized testing.
As for post-secondary education, Dayton said he would work to make colleges and universities affordable again so students won't have to go many thousands of dollars into debt.
-- Taxes: One of the most noteworthy tenets of Dayton's campaign is to tax the rich. The state's richest people pay only two-thirds of their fair share of state and local taxes, he said. His plan is to raise taxes on the wealthiest 10 percent, which would raise $3.8 billion in the next biennium.
“I will not raise taxes on the rest of Minnesota, though,” he declared.
-- Jobs: “Creating jobs in Minnesota is a huge challenge we all face,” said Dayton. “It's not a political issue, it's an American issue.”
Once a leader in national job creation, he said that after 19 years of failed leadership, Minnesota is now one of the poorest states in employment growth. His plan is to initiate a
state stimulus package that includes infrastructure projects and transportation the will poise the state for long-term economic growth and jobs creation.
-- Health care: More than 400,000 Minnesotans have no health insurance, said Dayton, and about 140,000 children are living in poverty. He wants to eliminate the “profiteering of health insurance companies and put every dollar into quality care for all Minnesotans.” He'll put his lieutenant governor in charge of senior citizens services.
If elected, I won't let you down,” said Dayton. “I'll put 110 percent into being governor of this great state.”
Crookston, Minn. —
