DFL Party-endorsed candidate Erin Murphy says she welcomes Attorney General Lori Swanson’s entry into the contest for governor as one more voice in the race, “but I am on a very strong path to earning the primary election [win], and I’m really excited about it.” Three Democrats are now running for governor in the August primary: Murphy, Swanson and Congressman Tim Walz.
Former Governor Tim Pawlenty, a Republican running for his third term, says all the Democratic contenders’ records suggest they like more government spending. “At first blush it seems like they’re sort of peas in a pod,” he says. Pawlenty himself is challenging the Republican-endorsed candidate for governor, Jeff Johnson, in the August primary.