MINNEAPOLIS — Gov. Tim Walz and the man who wants to replace him, Dr. Scott Jensen, made their final pitches to the party faithful on the eve of the 2022 Midterm Election, both saying they've given it all they've got.
That was quite apparent with Walz, who had clearly lost most of his voice when he took the stage at a mini rally in Brooklyn Park Monday, just one stop on the DFL Party's bus tour featuring the full slate of statewide candidates.
"To see you out here, to see this coalition that's put together, this group of folks who think that Minnesota is for everyone, welcoming, inclusive, innovative and looking towards the future, it warms our heart," Walz told the crowd.
"It's not just coach-speak. We're leaving it all on the field! Thirty hours. Thirty hours to control our own destiny. Thirty hours to keep Minnesota a shining beacon of progress in the upper Midwest!"
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Secretary of State Steve Simon, State Auditor Julie Blaha, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and House Speaker Melissa Hortman were among those on the stage urging people to get their friends, family and neighbors to the polls.
Republican Scott Jensen, a longtime physician in Chaska, spent Monday afternoon closer to home. But Monday night he drew a huge crowd to the Rustique Barn, an event center five miles west of Delano.
He said it's up to Millennials and Gen-Z Republicans to push back against the restrictions enacted by Gov. Walz during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It’s you who are gonna stand up. You are going to say, 'I’m taking back my rights! I’m taking back the power! You don’t get to do this to me! You are not going to lock our kids out, you are not going to lock our parents and grandparents in, you are not going to lock our businesses down!' You have to be the ones that say we’re not doing it anymore!"
Jensen accused Gov. Walz of undercutting police by endorsing Rep. Ilhan Omar after she had called for the Minneapolis Police Department to be dismantled following the murder of George Floyd. Walz opposed the unsuccessful Minneapolis Ballot Question 2, which would've replaced the MPD under the control of the mayor with a new public safety department controlled by the Minneapolis City Council.
Jensen also hit on a familiar theme from the campaign trail, that public school curriculum shouldn't include topics on race and gender that parents would oppose.
"There is a new normal bubbling up. We’re not standing for it. You will not talk to our second graders about their choice of gender! You will not tell us about critical race theory!"
Earlier, Jensen told KARE 11 he has put everything he can into the campaign, referencing a quote from George Bernard Shaw, who once wrote, "I want to be thoroughly used up before I die."
As Jensen put it, "We have not let any gas remain in the engine. We spent it all. There is no gas in the tank. Everything we could do, we did."
Walz appealed to the crowd to think of the four unwritten words he believes are on the ballot.
"I would add that these are on the ballot - decency, civility, kindness and compassion!" Walz declared.
"Let's make sure our democracy stays intact, let's make sure we allow and trust women to make their own healthcare decisions, let's continue to invest in our children, and let's move forward addressing our toughest challenges, like climate change."
Jensen has called for using some taxpayer dollars for scholarships to private schools. Running mate Matt Birk, who founded a Catholic school, said he wouldn't benefit financially from such a change because the costs of running a private school will always outstrip the revenue from tuition.
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