Minn. Politicians Make Final Push For Votes Before Election Day
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Republicans and Democrats are fanning out across the state for the final few days of fall campaigning.
Top candidates for both political parties are making the final push for votes before Election Day on Tuesday.
Most Republican and Democratic voters have already made up their minds.
But these next few days is when independents will decide.
And the candidates for Governor want to make sure they get noticed.
On a chilly fall morning, from the State Capitol steps Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton is warning voters that electing a Republican to replace him will make Minnesota more like Wisconsin.
"My opponent says he wants to go all Scott Walker on Minnesota. That's the theme," Dayton said.
"That's not progress. Believe me, that's not progress."
It's all part of the frantic final days of the 2014 campaign.
A DFL bus will hit 30 cities around the state in six days.
Republican Jeff Johnson is campaigning in southern Minnesota GOP strongholds, and is on TV making his final arguments.
"I don't think my opponent Mark Dayton is a bad guy. But after 37 years in politics, he's just not up to the job anymore," Johnson said in a recent ad.
State Republican leaders are playing seven days of "bad cop" before Election Day.
They are highlighting Dayton controversies from Vikings stadium missteps, to the botched roll-out of the state's health exchange.
Using these examples to call him "incompetent."
"It just shows a temperament and an attitude toward these things of not wanting to take responsibility, and making the mistakes and then blaming others. We just find to be unacceptable. Especially when you think about another 4 years," Minnesota politician Keith Downey said.
Democrats and Republicans are putting a lot of energy into their "Get Out The Vote" efforts in part because there are a dozen or so extremely close legislative races that could change the make-up in the Minnesota House.
It's possible, depending on turnout, that it could switch from Democrat to Republican.
