Tuesday's primaries held few surprises while narrowing the field of candidates to one per party, per office in preparation for November's general election.
Candidates continued to campaign until the last minute. DFL gubernatorial candidate Becky Lourey appeared on campus Monday in hopes of garnering student support before the primary.
Curt Baker, a first-year Carlson School of Management student and a first-time voter, said he voted to become integrated in the political process.
"It's your chance to make it happen if there's something you want changed," he said. "It's exciting to be part of the process, because now I have a say."
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Mark Kennedy proved popular among his party's voters. With the party's endorsement, he handily defeated John Uldrich and Harold Shudlick with more than 90 percent of the vote.
Similarly, the DFL endorsee for the same Senate seat won the vote decisively. Amy Klobuchar defeated Darryl Stanton by a wide margin, also earning more than 90 percent of the vote.
Independence Party Senate candidate Robert Fitzgerald bested Miles W. Collins and Stephen Williams to gain the primary victory for that party.
The three candidates each took some of the vote, though Fitzgerald took more than half of it. Collins and Williams split the remainder.
Stub & Herb's owner Sue Jeffers unsuccessfully challenged Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, who went on to win by a vast margin.
"It's been the greatest experience of my life … to stand up to an unfriendly media and a political machine and say Minnesota voters deserve better," she said.
With the victory, Pawlenty can adjust his focus to the general election.
"The voters now have a clear choice before them," Pawlenty said in a news release. "Under my leadership we're moving Minnesota forward. … In the next four years, we'll bring additional accountability to government and continue to hold the line on taxes so Minnesotans can keep more of their paychecks and we can keep growing jobs."
DFL gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General Mike Hatch will challenge Pawlenty in November after defeating Becky Lourey.
"We've pretty much focused on Pawlenty this entire election," Hatch said. "The logic is to stay focused on what were doing - and the polls seem to indicate that."
In the general election, Pawlenty and Hatch will face the Independence Party's Peter Hutchinson. Hutchinson won his party's race against Pam Ellison.
Hutchinson said the Independence Party has a base of 400,000 to 500,000 people, but in the end students will decide the race.
"Students are going to decide the outcome of this campaign," he said.
In the race for secretary of state, Independence Party candidate Joel Spoonheim and Republican incumbent Mary Kiffmeyer ran unopposed.
The DFL race for the same position generated some competition between hopefuls "Dick" Franson and Mark Ritchie. Ritchie gained a majority of the vote, earning the opportunity to face Spoonheim and Kiffmeyer in the general election.
Jeff Johnson won the Republican primary for the Attorney General seat, defeating Sharon Anderson.
Sue has a few really big signs we would like in very strategic locations, do you have any ideas or contacts for placements? These are big, not for yards, more for businesses or along a highway.
Please let her know soon, S1U2E3@aol.com THANKS!!!
Local bar owner lays out campaign
June 14, 2006
By Jim Hammerand
Sue Jeffers is known on campus for the restaurant she’s owned since 1979, Stub & Herbs. She’s known in Hennepin County for being outspoken against the smoking ban. And now, in Minnesota, she might be known as the candidate that gummed up incumbent Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s re-election strategy.
Jeffers, a 49-year-old resident of New Brighton, will run against Pawlenty in September’s Republican primary. The Republican Party has refused to endorse her and she has yet to select a running mate.
Jeffers said she’s running with hopes to see a smaller government and reduced spending. The new Twins stadium was “the single turning point for me to go after Pawlenty,” Jeffers said.
“I was a lifelong Republican, but I feel like they let us down, and I feel like the Democrats have let their people down, too,” she said. “You can hardly tell the difference between the two.”
“Put the heat on the governor”
University professor Lawrence Jacobs, director of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs’ Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, said Jeffers will try to “crowbar” Pawlenty back in a conservative direction before the general election in November.
“The risk for the governor is that he’s going to be pushed into more conservative positions than most Minnesotans would support, and it may end up hurting him in the general election,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said that without Jeffers in the race, Pawlenty would be able to take a more central position, garnering more support than he did in 2002.
“She wants to put the heat on the governor and try and get as many commitments as she can for him to move in her direction,” Jacobs said.
Michael Krueger, Pawlenty’s campaign manager, would not comment for this story.
Campus Conservative Cultural Program President Tom Meyer said having Jeffers in the race encourages debate within the party and more people to get involved.
“There are alternatives to Tim Pawlenty. He’s more of a big-government conservative than Sue Jeffers would be,” the neuroscience senior said. “It allows smaller-government conservatives someone to vote and push for.”
Small-government Republicans and especially Libertarians, whose endorsement Jeffers declined so as to have a go at Pawlenty, can find plenty to love in what Jeffers said would be her first action as governor.
“Start at the top”
“I would start at the top by auditing every level of government — every level,” Jeffers said. “There are so many layers, you could basically eliminate half of them. You know the state of Minnesota is the No. 1 employer in the state? It’s outrageous. The government’s role is not to provide jobs.”
Jeffers is also against increases in the state minimum wage, especially because Minnesota is bordered by states with lower wage standards.
“It cost me $40,000 a year with no increase in productivity (at Stub & Herb’s),” she said.
Jim Rosvold runs Campus Pizza in Stadium Village and is president of the Stadium Village Commercial Association. He’s been a member of the association for almost 10 years, over which time he’s worked with Jeffers as president and board member, two elected positions Jeffers has had.
“She’s a go-getter, she has a plan and she gets things done,” Rosvold said. “She’s given us some good insight.”
Jeffers said she does not support a new light-rail transit line through the University Avenue corridor, which she sees as “an obscene waste of money.”
The proposed line would link downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, with stops at the University.
But Jeffers said mass transit does not encourage new development, solve traffic congestion or pay for itself. Instead, she said, light-rail transit lines harm small businesses during construction and increase crime in the area.
Jeffers said University tuition under Pawlenty has gotten out of control. One way to keep college costs down is to reduce the amount of funding that goes to student groups through student fees, Jeffers said.
“Did you know the University has a goat club?” Jeffers said. “There’s a phenomenal amount of these clubs that are out there. Well, they need to be self-sufficient. If you want to have a goat club, then all the goat people get together, chip in your five bucks and you can have your goat club.” Jeffers said she heard about the club a few years ago from a bar patron.
“When did it become the University’s role to sustain student groups?” Jeffers asked.
Besides the parades, speeches and festivals Jeffers has to get through, she was able to reduce the remaining stages of her campaign to one step.
“Kick Tim Pawlenty’s butt,” she said.
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NEWS RELEASE
Thursday, June 8th, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sue Jeffers Speaks at Symposium on Small Towns and Rural Summit
Morris, Minnesota – Focusing on the issues and challenges of Minnesota’s small towns, the two-day Symposium on Small Towns and Rural Summit brought together leaders and innovators from small towns across the state. The event addressed such topics as small town maintenance costs, ways for small towns to work together, and rural policy planning.
Sue Jeffers spoke to about 200 civic leaders from the bandshell at East Side Park. Jeffers’ talk focused on returning government power to the citizens. "Our founders envisioned a citizen legislature," she said, "We’ve got to take our government back from the special interests and career politicians. It’s time we put the people back into politics."
Jeffers addressed taxation and government spending. "We’re getting a new ballpark in Minneapolis, and Hennepin County taxpayers are stuck with the bill. Adding insult to injury, voters there have no say. You have to ask, is your county next?" Jeffers went on to say that money from rural communities is being used to pay for inner-city problems, like crime and transportation. "A billion dollars for a light rail transit line, another billion for a ball park, another billion to bail out a pension fund, money spent on urban issues does nothing to help solve the issues facing rural Minnesota."
The candidate’s forum was followed by music by Homemade Jam and Minnesota storytelling from the Long Arm of the Small Town Storytelling Festival. Bella Cocina, a new local restaurant provided a picnic-style Italian meal for attending civic leaders.
###
Contact:
Sue Jeffers For Governor
P.O. Box 120015
New Brighton, MN 55112
(651) 636-6355
Sue Jeffers...the Minnesota political buzz!
May 10, 2006
By Bob Smith
At last... a little FUN in Minnesota politics. Sue Jeffers, candidate for Governor, has caused a lot of harumphs among Republicans. She's upset their comfy little applecart, by trying to challenge a sitting Governor from within his own party.
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Conservative challenger could help Pawlenty
Sue Jeffers might make governor look more moderate to voters
Apr. 28, 2006
BY BILL SALISBURY, Pioneer Press
Even though she may be the longest of long shots, Minneapolis bar owner Sue Jeffers is at least a speed bump in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's road to the Republican endorsement for re-election in June.
But she may inadvertently give his campaign a boost.
Jeffers, 49, a libertarian from New Brighton, formally announced Thursday that she would ask the state Republican Party to endorse her at its state convention in June.
That is unlikely to happen. Pawlenty is popular with Republican activists, while Jeffers is a political unknown with little money, organization or delegate support.
At a Capitol news conference, the feisty Jeffers acknowledged she's an underdog but said she wants to give Republicans a choice.
"I am the only fiscal conservative running in this race," she asserted.
She supported Pawlenty when he ran in 2002 but said she became disillusioned with him last year, when he and the Legislature increased state fees by $559 million, and again this year when he proposed nearly $1 billion in state borrowing to finance construction projects.
Jeffers said her "tipping point" was Pawlenty's support for a new Twins ballpark financed by a Hennepin County sales tax without a voter referendum. Although Pawlenty favors a referendum, he has said he would sign a stadium bill that doesn't require voter approval.
To suggest Pawlenty is not fiscally conservative, however, flies in the face of conventional political wisdom. Facing a $4.6 billion budget shortfall when he took office in 2003, the governor balanced the budget by slowing the rate of state spending growth while, with the exception of a new 75 cents-a-pack cigarette charge, he avoided increasing state tax rates.
"I think most Minnesotans would find the idea that Tim Pawlenty is not a fiscal conservative to be laughable," said Mike Krueger, the governor's campaign director.
Nonetheless, Jeffers' challenge will remind conservative Republicans of two unpopular Pawlenty decisions: increasing the cigarette charge and supporting a government-subsidized Twins stadium.
"But in a broader sense, Sue Jeffers is giving the governor a gift," said Sarah Janecek, Republican co-publisher of the electronic newsletter Politics in Minnesota. "She will attack him from the right, positioning him as the moderate in the race."
That poses a problem for Democrats who have been trying to portray him as the most conservative Minnesota governor in recent history.
Though Jeffers may appeal to some fiscally conservative Republicans, she likely will have trouble winning support from the social conservatives who dominate the party. As a libertarian, she said, she doesn't believe government should outlaw abortions, bar same-sex marriages or impose the death penalty — positions that contradict the Republican Party platform.
Jeffers owns Stub & Herb's Restaurant near the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus. She has been in the news as an outspoken opponent of smoking bans in Twin Cities bars and restaurants.
GOP officials contend Jeffers is not a Republican and have refused to give her their list of delegates and will try to block her from addressing their state convention.
Jeffers registered with the state campaign finance board as a Libertarian Party candidate, said Republican Party spokesman Mark Drake. "The Republican convention is open to Republicans; it is not a Libertarian Party convention.
"I think this is a publicity stunt, and at the end of the day she's a fringe candidate," Drake said. "This is her 15 minutes of fame."
If Jeffers fails to win the Republican endorsement, she said, she would consider running as a Libertarian.
Jeffers Makes It Official: Will Seek GOP Endorsement
APRIL 25, 2006
St. Paul, MN - April 25, 2006 - Sue Jeffers will make an official announcement, Thursday, April 27 at 12:00 o'clock noon that she will seek the Republican Party endorsement for governor. The announcement will be held in the Rotunda of the State Capitol Building. Voters of all parties are invited to join Sue in this effort to make People Before Politics a reality.
Although Jeffers has not officially accepted the Libertarian Party endorsement, she is seeking support from various parties, in order to win this election. Since no one is challenging Tim Pawlenty from within the GOP, Jeffers had no other choice but to enter the race.
Sue believes the Republican party no longer represents the principles it once stood for freedom and personal rights, smaller, affordable, and effective government.
Jeffers, who worked on the Pawlenty campaign in 2002, said "Take a look at the voting records for our elected officials and ask yourself if it sounds like the Republican platform? Apparently, anyone is welcome to run as a Republican unless you are Sue Jeffers and want to challenge Tim Pawlenty's record."
"The Republican leadership thought I could run for every other office as a Republican, just not governor. Now they want to play insider games, and try to change the rules on a whim, to prevent a new voice from being heard. Thankfully those days are over, and the general public and Republican delegates will not tolerate it."
Four years with a Republican governor, Republican House, and a split Senate have not changed Minnesota for the better. Instead, Minnesota is still on the top ten list for one of the highest taxed states in the nation. "I know we can do better. We deserve better."
Apr 21, 2006
(AP) Minneapolis Sue Jeffers, who entered the governor's race in January as a Libertarian candidate, is now challenging Gov. Tim Pawlenty for the Republican Party endorsement.
But party officials say the 49-year-old bar owner is not a real Republican and are blocking her efforts.
"We cannot give (Pawlenty) a free ride," said Jeffers, who owns Stub & Herb's, a Minneapolis bar near the University of Minnesota campus.
"I am the only fiscal conservative running in this race," she said.
Jeffers has helped lead the fight against local smoking bans. She pushed successfully for Hennepin County to soften its smoking ban, and has also spoken out against a proposed statewide smoking ban.
Republican Party chairman Ron Carey noted that until recently Jeffers was running as a Libertarian Party candidate and has its endorsement. The state convention "is reserved for Republicans and Republican candidates," he said. "We can monitor who we want there."
The party's executive committee will not provide Jeffers with the lists of about 1,500 recently elected state convention delegates, which is an essential tool for organizing an endorsement campaign, Carey said.
Convention rules, which are not written yet, might include requirement for a minimum number of signatures from delegates for a candidate to be allowed to compete, Carey said.
Jeffers describes herself as both a libertarian and a "lifelong Republican." She said she has always voted for Republicans, volunteered for the Pawlenty campaign in 2002 and has served as a Republican election judge.
She said she began talking to delegates and other activists about the switch in her candidacy a few weeks ago and plans to make an announcement next week.
Pawlenty campaign chairman Mike Krueger said Jeffer's criticism of the governor is not fair. He said Pawlenty is "one of the most fiscally responsible governors in modern history."
 | April 13, 2006
Mark Selzer: The Libertarian Alternative
Sue Jeffers, Minnesota State Coordinator of The Smoker's Club, Inc., and Candidate for Governor. |
Watch more videos
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2006
Doran Leaves Race, Jeffers Only Fiscal Conservative Left
St. Paul, MN, March 24, 2006 — The crowded field of Gubernatorial
candidates reflects Minnesota voters dissatisfaction with Governor Tim
Pawlenty. Kelly Doran announced the end of his gubernatorial campaign
today, becoming the first of the DFL candidates to quit. Minnesota's
DFL has little room for any candidate leaning toward the middle.
"Pawlenty is ripe for the picking" stated Sue Jeffers, Libertarian
candidate. "His billion dollar bonding bill loaded with pork, higher
fees and higher taxes do not represent the fiscally sound ideals
Pawlenty was elected to preserve."
The Sue Jeffers' campaign from the start has campaigned to put People
Before Politics. Her campaign is about changing the way things get
done in Minnesota. Jeffers can and will provide the efficient,
effective, and affordable government.
"I can't wait for the debates, Minnesota needs a new voice with
innovative ideas to solve issues important to Minnesota voters, I am
that voice" Jeffers said
Sue Jeffers for Governor
"People Before Politics"
A new era in Minnesota politics has begun. A packed house of supporters, volunteers and media cheered as Sue Jeffers announced her bid to be the next governor of the state of Minnesota.
Jeffers campaign stated Minnesota needs a new voice, a new vision and new leadership. "The two major parties have let us down, both remarkably similar, continue to offer more "fees," more laws and more programs that do not solve the problems that the people of Minnesota consider top priorities." Jeffers said.
A vocal spokesperson for property rights at all levels, Jeffers discussed issues important to the voters. Issues included schools, property taxes, gun control, transportation, the Kelo ruling and limiting government growth.
Minnesota's last legislative session added $559 million in new fees and fee increases fro 2006 and 2007. Pawlenty has already recommended almost a billion dollars for the upcoming bonding bill. Jeffers promises to "sign a no new tax pledge and keep her promise."
Jeffers, best known for her vocal stance against smoking bans, is a champion for property owners, small businesses, and personal freedoms. Jeffers said, "It is time to get back to the basics, to put people before politics. The constitution provides a clear direction for our government. The free market works and a government solution is seldom the answer. I CAN be the voice of the voter."
Minnesota Needs New Leadership
For over 50 years our government spending has been out of control from both political parties. The voters have tried every combination and our government continues to have major problems.
Our Minnesota $30 billion state budget has nearly doubled in just over 10 years. Has your paycheck doubled? Have you received double the government services for your family? Has there been real improvement in our state education, economy, transportation and health care? Shouldn't the government work for the people and not the other way around?
Since you pay 47% of your income in federal, state, and local taxes (According to the U.S. Census Bureau), you have less to spend on health care, higher education, a down payment on a new home, retirement, and many other priorities for your family. It's no wonder why it's more difficult to achieve the American Dream. There is so much potential for real change and growth.
Our Republican and Democrat government is moving in the wrong direction, but we can take Minnesota back in the next election.
A Positive Direction For Minnesota
I'm running for governor because people are fed up with the two-party system and voters want an alternative choice that truly represents them. My neighbors, co-workers, friends, family and the public have been ignored. I will be their voice in this election.
Both parties do have their differences, but overall they both continue to offer more taxes, "fees", laws, and programs as the solution to our problems. Republicans have proposed an 8% spending increase and Democrats have proposed 11%. Both parties are making government much larger, which means less control and choices you have in your life. We need a voice for smaller, effective government.
I'm running for governor because I want people to have more opportunities, keep more of their money, increase choices, return power to parents, and better protect citizens from violent criminals.
The Support Is Growing From All
People of all walks of life are supporting my campaign including independents, "Blue Dog" Democrats, "classic" liberals, and pro-liberty Republicans and new voters. They are joining around my campaign to oppose the status quo and make a real change for Minnesota.
Work For People, Not Special Interests
In a climate of partisanship and gridlock, as governor I will work with both parties to find common ground, instead of the special interests.
I will work with Democrats on issues we agree on including:
- stopping corporate welfare projects
- helping the working poor with lower taxes
- protecting our environment from dangerous polluters
- protecting our civil liberties
I will work with Republicans on issues we agree on including:
- protecting property rights
- advocating choice in education
- reforming excessive regulations
Both parties will take my lead in lowering taxes and spending for the first time in decades. It's time they listen to the voters and work with someone who is not a career politician.
Read > On The Issues
Sue Jeffers announced Monday, January 23 that she is running for Governor of Minnesota in front of a full room with over 140 supporters and the media. If you missed it view the Windows Media Video. (20 MB)
Smoking-ban foe to run for governor
Jan. 24, 2006
Sue Jeffers, an opponent of smoking restrictions, launched a campaign for governor Monday under the Libertarian Party banner.
Jeffers — who owns Stub & Herb's, a Minneapolis bar near the University of Minnesota campus — has helped lead the fight against local smoking bans. She pushed successfully for Hennepin County to soften its smoking ban and has spoken out against a proposed statewide smoking ban.
The 49-year-old New Brighton resident said her campaign will focus on lowering taxes, reducing regulation of businesses and reforming schools.
"People are ready for a breath of fresh air in Minnesota politics," Jeffers said in a prepared statement posted on her campaign Web site.
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