CSPG: Elections - 2006 Candidate Profiles - Minnesota

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Elections: 2006 Candidate Profiles

Minnesota - Governor

Summary | History | Outlook | Polls

Tim Pawlenty (Republican, 1-term incumbent)

Website: www.timpawlenty.com

Mike Hatch (DFL)

Website: www.hatch2006.org

Peter Hutchinson (Independence)

Website: www.openupmn.com

Ken Pentel (Green Party)

Website: www.kenpentel.org

Leslie Davis (American)

Website: www.lesliedavis.org

Walt Brown (Quit Raising Taxes)

Website: N/A

Summary:

One-term Republican incumbent Tim Pawlenty is campaigning to improve schools in the state and continue economic growth. Pawlenty is touting his record as having created nearly 100,000 new jobs, turning a $4.5 billion deficit into a $1 billion dollar surplus without raising taxes, improving access to lower cost prescription drugs, encouraging renewable fuels, passing the toughest crime bill in state history, increasing benefits to military personnel, and helping to protect the environment.

Mike Hatch, the current 2-term Attorney General of the Gopher State, is campaigning to secure long-term economic growth, to become energy independent (ending subsidies to oil and gas companies), to improve accessibility to health care, to reduce the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on government, to safeguard citizen's privacy rights, to curb juvenile prostitution, and to stem the tide of corporate corruption.

Peter Hutchinson, a former State Finance Commissioner and Superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools, is campaigning to improve accessibility to higher education, to make better health care more accessible to Minnesotans, to invest in transportation and transit to reduce congestion, to reduce state dependence on oil and clean up Minnesota's lakes and streams, to improve government efficiency, and to help keep guns, gay marriage, religion, gambling, and a woman's right to choose out of the political arena.

Ken Pentel, an environmental activist and candidate for governor in 1998 and 2002, is campaigning for a single-payer universal health care system, increased funding for education, affordable low-cost housing, a cleaner environment, publicly financed elections with an instant runoff voting system and proportional representation, living wage jobs, and greater corporate accountability. Pentel also pledges to have an economically and ethnically diverse administration.

Leslie Davis, an environmental activist who ran for U.S. Senate in 2000 and Governor in 2002, is campaigning to lower taxes, balance the budget, control population growth, stop the drug war, reduce crime, improve education, invest in transportation, and create jobs.

History:

Republicans have won three of the last four gubernatorial races in Minnesota dating back to 1990. During that span republicans have averaged 11 more percentage points than the DFL (47 to 36) with third parties garnering an average of 17 percent. Pawlenty won a plurarlity of votes in 2002, besting Roger Moe 44-37, with Tim Penny of the Independence Party earning 16% of the vote.

Outlook:

The Minnesota race for governor is one of a handful of "toss-up" gubernatorial races across the country. Public polls have gone back and forth all year, with the latest results trending towards Hatch. One uncertainty in this race is how many Minnesotans will cast their vote for Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson (and which major party candidate - if either - will be most hurt by such a third-party vote). The Independence Party needs to garner at least 5 percent in one statewide race to retain its major party status, and Hutchinson is considered their best bet.

Polls:

Poll	Date	Pawlenty	Hatch	Hutchinson	Other / No opinion	Sample	MoE
SurveyUSA⁵	November 3-5, 2006	45%	45%	8%	2% / 1%	710 LV	± 3.8
Minnesota Poll⁶	October 31 – November 3, 2006	40%	45%	7%	1% / 7%	1027 LV	± 3.2
Rasmussen	November 1, 2006	45%	47%	N/A	8%	500 LV	± 4.5
Pioneer Press / MPR⁴	October 26-30, 2006	42%	44%	4%	3% / 7%	625 LV	± 4.0
Humphrey Institute³	October 23-28, 2006	39%	45%	9%	7%	663 LV	± 3.8
St. Cloud State	October 15-27, 2006	36%	46%	6%	4% / 7%	499 LV	± 4.0
Rasmussen	October 25, 2006	44%	45%	N/A	11%	500 LV	± 4.5
Minnesota Poll⁶	October 6-11, 2006	37%	46%	7%	1% / 9%	818 LV	± 3.4
Rasmussen	October 4, 2006	46%	50%	N/A	2% / 2%	500 LV	± 4.5
SurveyUSA⁵	September 25-27, 2006	45%	44%	6%	1% / 3%	616 LV	± 4.0
Zogby / WSJ	September 19-25, 2006	43%	44%	6%	1% / 6%	718 LV	± 3.7
Pioneer Press / MPR⁴	September 18-20, 2006	42%	39%	5%	3% / 11%	625 LV	± 4.0
Humphrey Institute³	September 13-18, 2006	42%	44%	9%	5%	1023 LV	± 3.9
Minnesota Poll⁶	September 13-15, 2006	42%	42%	7%	2% / 7%	820 LV	± 3.4
Zogby / WSJ	August 29 – September 5, 2006	41%	42%	8%	9%	N/A	N/A
Rasmussen	August 28, 2006	45%	39%	8%	8%	500 LV	± 4.5
Zogby / WSJ	August 15-21, 2006	41%	43%	6%	10%	624 LV	N/A
Rasmussen	August 1, 2006	46%	36%	6%	12%	500 LV	± 4.5
SurveyUSA²	July 21-23, 2006	50%	36%	8%	6%	616 RV	± 4.1
Zogby / WSJ	July 11-19, 2006	43%	43%	4%	10%	N/A	N/A
Minnesota Poll¹	July 6-11, 2006	43%	41%	5%	4% / 7%	813 LV	± 3.4
Rasmussen	June 25, 2006	42%	47%	N/A	11%	500 LV	± 4.5
Zogby / WSJ	June 13-19, 2006	45%	40%	6%	9%	N/A	N/A
Zogby / WSJ	March 21-27, 2006	44%	43%	6%	7%	N/A	N/A
Rasmussen	February 20, 2006	40%	45%	N/A	15%	500 LV	± 4.5
Rasmussen	January 16, 2006	47%	44%	N/A	9%	500 LV	± 4.5
Zogby / WSJ	January 6-12, 2006	41%	45%	N/A	14%	N/A	N/A

1 "Whom would you vote for if the election for governor were held today and the candidates were Republican Tim Pawlenty, Democrat Mike Hatch, Green Party candidate Ken Pentel, and Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson?"

2 "If the election for Governor were today, and the only three candidates on the ballot were Republican Tim Pawlenty, DFL candidate Mike Hatch, and Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson, who would you vote for?"

3 "Suppose that the election for Governor of Minnesota were being held today. Would you vote for: Republican Tim Pawlenty, Democrat Mike Hatch, or Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson?"

4 "If the 2006 election for governor were held today, for whom would you vote: Republican Tim Pawlenty, Democrat Mike Hatch, Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson, or Green Party candidate Ken Pentel?"

5 "If the election for Governor were today, and you were standing in the voting booth right now, who would you vote for? Republican Tim Pawlenty? DFL candidate Mike Hatch? Green Party candidate Ken Pentel? Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson? Quit Raising Taxes Party candidate Walt Brown? American Party candidate Leslie Davis? Or some other candidate?"

6 "If the election for governor were held today, would you vote for Republican Tim Pawlenty, Democrat Mike Hatch, the Green Party's Ken Pentel, the Minnesota Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson, the American Party's Leslie Davis, or the Quite Raising Taxes Party's Walt Brown?"