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Senate: Amy Klobuchar (DFL)
The Senate seat up for grabs this year here in Minnesota has garnered national attention from Republicans as one of the only seats they might be able to pick up this election. Largely due to the strengths of Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic candidate, the chances of a Republican pickup are looking slimmer and slimmer. Klobuchar’s differences with her opponent Republican Mark Kennedy are clear, and she would fit in seamlessly with a Democratic revival in Washington. Kennedy’s stances on most issues—”security first” immigration policy, pro-life abortion policy, and the status quo in Iraq—place him a bit too close on the political spectrum to our dear president for our liking.

Governor: Mike Hatch (DFL)
Less glamorous but even more relevant is this year’s governor’s race. Tim Pawlenty, the Republican incumbent, and Mike Hatch, his Democratic challenger, are running dead even going into Election Week. Hatch is your classic establishment Democrat—as our columnist Timothy Den Herder-Thomas notes in his piece this week, he’s not our best hope for change, but he’s better than the alternative. Hatch has thrown his support behind abortion rights, immigrant rights and consumer privacy legislation. Pawlenty, on the other hand, is your classic establishment Republican—he’s eviscerated state social programs and aid to struggling local governments, is against abortion rights, and was responsible for passing the Conceal and Carry Act. Hatch has at least one thing right: Minnesota has had P(aw)lenty.

Minnesota State House District 64A: Jesse Mortenson (Green)
Closer to home is our local state legislature race. We’re endorsing Jesse Mortenson’s Green Party bid for House seat 64A (that’s us!). Mortenson has a genuine energy and ambition, the likes of which we rarely see in politicians. Whether or not any of the more fundamental policy changes he advocates stand a chance of being realized in the short term, getting a guy like Mortenson in the House would certainly be an important step in the right direction. Many of our political system’s woes can be attributed to the apathy that incumbency produces in voters and politicians alike. A vote for Mortenson, we feel, is a vote against the stupor that threatens to smother our country in its sleep.