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Area legislative candidates enter last month of campaign(Post-Bulletin (Rochester, MN) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 9--When voters head to the polls Nov. 4, they will not only elect a new president, they also will elect a new Minnesota House of Representatives. Of the 134 members that make up the state House, four are from the Rochester area. Here is an update of those races. House District 29A: GOP Rep. Randy Demmer and DFL challenger Jim Jensen The Rochester area, once solidly Republican red, is now dominated by Democrats at the state House level. The one exception is House District 29A, now held by state GOP Rep. Randy Demmer. Demmer, a former businessman, is seeking his fourth term in the Minnesota House. His DFL opponent is Jim Jensen, a 29-year Dodge County deputy sheriff and member of the Triton School Board. Jensen said the district needs a representative who will listen to them. He says Demmer has fallen short in that area, turning a deaf ear to state and local needs, particularly in the area of education funding. He also criticizes Demmer for voting against last session's transportation funding bill that included a gas tax increase. "I believe people are looking for a candidate that will serve them when they reach office, whether it be state or federal office," Jensen said. Even in a strong Democratic year, Demmer has been a formidable opponent. Two years ago, he won by nearly 3,000 votes out of 17,000 votes cast, even as Democrats largely swept southern Minnesota. Demmer said he is focused on creating a pro-growth agenda for the state. As a member of the House tax committee, "it's crucial that we have an economic climate that brings job-creating ideas to our area," he said. Demmer said the charge that he has ignored public education is "simply not borne out by the facts." Demmer said he has not only voted to increase funding for K-12 education, but pushed to make schools more accountable. Demmer said he supported more funding for transportation, but preferred an alternative package that relied on less cash upfront and more bonding. House District 29B: DFL Rep. Kim Norton and GOP challenger Jason Johnson For some time, it didn't look like there would be much of a race for House District 29B. DFL Rep. Kim Norton, seeking her second two-year term, appeared ready, but her GOP opponent, Jason Johnson, was largely missing-in-action. Johnson, an independent technology contractor, wasn't showing up to forums or doing much campaigning. But lately the race has begun to show a pulse, as Johnson lawn signs have begun to sprout and Johnson has begun to revive his campaign. Johnson admits he was "out of action" for a couple of months when his fiancee began to suffer kidney failure and to undergo dialysis. "I had to step away. But I'm absolutely 100 percent in," Johnson said. Johnson fairly brims with confidence. He says the make-up of his district favors the conservative candidate. And he notes that when Norton defeated GOP candidate Rich Decker, she won by only 99 votes. But Johnson will be running against a DFL opponent with a solid base of support and a proven record. A two-time member of the Rochester School Board, Norton was elected to the Minnesota House in 2006 after losing to former GOP state representative Fran Bradley. Since then, Norton has developed a record of moderation in the Legislature. Her voting record so irked the state's teachers union, Education Minnesota, that it declined to endorse her. But the state's largest small-business group, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, bestowed upon her its "Guardian of Small Business Award." Norton said she is campaigning on a message of moving the state forward. With the state looking at a huge state deficit next year, it is going to take proven leadership to extricate the state from its budget mess and get the state growing again, she said. House District 30A: DFL Rep. Tina Liebling and GOP challenger Jake Dettinger Four years ago, DFL Rep. Tina Liebling was one of two state representatives to break the GOP's three-decade grip on the Rochester area. She has since risen to a leadership role in the DFL House caucus as a House assistant majority leader. Now seeking her third term, Liebling is being challenged by GOP candidate Jake Dettinger, a small business owner making his first foray into electoral politics. Liebling says she has been spending a lot of time listening to constituents while out door-knocking. She said she detects a fair amount of anxiety from people concerned about the direction of the economy and how it will impact their lives. She said it is one reason she wants to return to St. Paul. "I think people know I work very hard, that I try to listen to all sides of the question, and that I care about them and what happens in their lives," Liebling said. Dettinger also has been out door-knocking and handing out literature. Dettinger describes himself as a "regular small business guy" who got sick and tired of complaining about the politicians and decided to do something about it. It is time for legislators to have a long overdue discussion about the role of government, Dettinger says. State spending needs to be reined in, and one way to do that is to impose spending caps on some areas of the state budget. One area he would target is health and human services, which is projected to grow 17 percent over the next biennium. Dettinger said the state could go a long way toward solving next year's anticipated budget shortfall by just scaling back projected increases in state spending. To see more of the Post-Bulletin, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.postbulletin.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |