18 June 2008

Southern Minnesota's Congressional Candidates Focus on Economy

Contenders put forth strategies for energy independence, Iraq, immigration

In 2006, comedian Al Franken campaigned for Tim Walz. Now Walz is running for re-election and Franken seeks Minnesota's Senate seat.

By Kathryn McConnell
Staff Writer

Washington -- Achieving energy independence and improving the economy will be key issues for voters in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District when they cast their votes from ballots that include party-endorsed candidates Democrat Tim Walz (the incumbent) and Republican Brian Davis for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Minnesota candidates received their parties' endorsements at state conventions held separately in Rochester, Minnesota, in early June. Delegates to those meetings were elected at district conventions in the spring. Candidates will be selected officially in the state primary in mid-September, but historically Minnesota voters have backed the endorsed candidates.

Walz had no serious challenger for the party endorsement. Davis is being challenged by State Senator Dick Day, a sales representative from Owatonna, who says illegal immigration should be the central campaign issue.

In the Senate race, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman faced no serious opposition within his party, but Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken, a nationally known comedian, overcame an early challenge from Minneapolis attorney Mike Ciresi and later from academic Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Minnesota, once known as a conservative state and then as a liberal stronghold, in recent years has become centrist, which makes it one of the states the major political parties consider “in play,” or able to be won by either party, for 2008.

Political pundits have speculated that Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty could be a running mate for presumed Republican nominee John McCain. They cite Pawlenty's relative youth (age 47 compared to McCain's 71) and experience as a governor as good qualities in a vice presidential candidate. Republicans will hold their national convention in September in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Pawlenty, whose term does not expire until January 2011, has been criticized for scrimping on road and bridge repair, activities some say should be funded with higher fuel taxes. But Minnesota residents, already among the most highly taxed U.S. citizens, seem resistant to additional taxes.

The issue came to the forefront in 2007 when a major highway bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, causing 13 deaths and injuries. In June another major bridge was closed for safety reasons. Big city mayors throughout the country are calling on Congress for more federal funds for infrastructure repair.

THE CONGRESSIONAL RACE

Republican Davis wants to increase U.S. oil production by allowing oil exploration and drilling offshore and in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Davis, a nuclear engineer who has worked in the energy industry, has said these areas could produce enough oil and natural gas to meet U.S. transportation needs for a decade. He opposes federally mandated mileage standards for motor vehicles.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty campaigns for John McCain. Pawlenty has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate.

His Democratic opponent opposes drilling for oil in Alaska's protected area and instead supports more research into alternative energy sources. Walz also helped get federal funding for a new biofuel research center at the university in Mankato, Minnesota.

On the economy, Walz favors more funds for re-training unemployed workers and wants job training programs for younger workers to help them gain useful job skills. He also supports tax credits for small businesses.

The Democrat, now serving his first term in Congress, recently voted for the new multiyear farm bill, which offers supports for new farmers and for fruit and vegetable growers. Walz opposes mandatory country-of-origin food labeling.

Davis has called for more examination of U.S. trade agreements with other nations to ensure they are fair, and has argued that lawsuits and excessive regulation are driving American jobs overseas. He wants reforms in those areas, and also calls for lower taxes.

IMMIGRATION, IRAQ

Minnesota is home to approximately 317,000 immigrants, 28 percent of whom have arrived since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Minnesota state demographers estimate that between 50,000 and 70,000 of these are undocumented.

Incumbent Senator Coleman seeks to ban states from issuing driver’s licenses or other official identification to illegal immigrants and wants to end the practice of "sanctuary cities" where local law enforcement authorities are barred from asking people about their immigration status during routine actions such as writing motor vehicle violation citations.

Democratic challenger Franken backs immigration reform, imposing fines or jail time on employers who violate hiring laws, and guest-worker programs to help fill seasonal jobs such as in agriculture and tourism.

Both congressional candidates say immigrants who do not have legal residency status and wish to work in the United States should be required to return to their home countries and apply for legal residency from there. Davis says employers who hire illegal workers should be penalized.

Davis supports building the border security fence along the U.S. southern border; Walz, who says a fence along the southern border of the United States would be unworkable, supports increasing the number of border patrol agents and using technology to monitor the border.

A Mayo Clinic physician and cancer specialist, Davis is opposed to a timetable for troop withdrawal, instead favoring letting Iraqis decide on the extent of U.S. involvement. Walz, a former secondary school teacher and former member of the National Guard, says it is time for the United States to leave Iraq.

The Senate candidates also differ sharply on Iraq: Franken says going to war in Iraq was a mistake, while Coleman has supported the Bush administration's Iraq policies.

This article is part of America.gov’s continuing coverage of seven of the 435 U.S. congressional districts during the 2008 campaign. Each offers a different prism though which to view U.S. politics. For more information, see U.S Elections - State and Local.