ROCHESTER, Minn. (CBS Minnesota/KFGO) – In the race for Minnesota governor between Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the recurring theme of their final televised debate was seeing who could distance themselves further from leaders of their own respective parties.
While moderators with FOX9 and Gray Media brought up topics ranging from gang violence to health care, Klobuchar made repeated attempts to tie Demuth to President Donald Trump, who is deeply unpopular in Minnesota according to public opinion polls.
“I don’t think we need a rubber stamp for Donald Trump in the governor’s office,” Klobuchar said.
Demuth had a similar attack line of her own, arguing that Klobuchar is in lock-step with Gov. Tim Walz. He bowed out of the race in January after facing mounting criticism for the way that fraud has exploded in social programs during his tenure.
“A vote for Amy Klobuchar is a vote for a Tim Walz third term,” Demuth said.
It was these barbs that brought the most contentious moments in Wednesday evening’s debate at KTTC/KXLT’s studio in Rochester.
Klobuchar said repeatedly that she believed Walz could have done far better when it came to reigning in the fraud sooner; she also said she disagreed with the pardon of an immigrant in Minnesota who sexually abused a 10-year-old girl.
That man was pardoned by The Board of Pardons, which consists of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson.
“I disagree with Tim Walz on fraud, I wouldn’t have pardoned the sex offender, I would have put the money into infrastructure,” Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar challenged Demuth to explain how she differed from Mr. Trump given the widespread economic impact of both the war in Iran and his tarrif policies.
“As far as the war in Iran I’ve been very clear about talking about that it needs to come to an end soon. I have also separated when it comes to bringing foreign beef and some of the other tariffs. Our top trading partner is Canada,” Demuth said.
The debate comes less than two weeks from election day. On paper, Klobuchar has the upper hand as Demuth attempts to become the first Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota in decades.
According to their most recent filings, Klobuchar has nearly six times the cash on-hand that Demuth has; Real Clear Politics gives Klobuchar an advantage of about eight points in the polls.
On fraud, Demuth made the case that she has been fighting to correct apparent issues since she first joined the state legislature in 2019.
Klobuchar pointed to her experience as a prosecutor, once again critical of Walz’s actions.
A WCCO review of their respective fraud plans found similarities.
On healthcare, housing, and the economy, Demuth argued that democratic policies have lead to overregulation and high costs; Klobuchar said that she’s committed to building 100,000 new housing units statewide and said she will not raise taxes.
Both candidates also faced questions on the relatively new issue of violence related to Somali-gangs in the Twin Cities Metro.
Demuth touted her endorsement from The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis as she argued that officers and judges need to be allowed to go after criminals aggressively. She said that she would support an ongoing gang-violence task force.
Klobuchar said that, through her experience as a prosecutor, she understands what it takes to take on gangs and end the problem by working with the Minnesota BCA.
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