I would like to comment on the Senate race for 33. Even though the margin of victory was small, the voters of Senate District 33 have spoken and my opponent has been congratulated. However, I am very concerned that the extremely negative [...]]]> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 15, 2012
Wayzata, Minnesota
CONTACT: Jonathan Aanestad (952) 471-0333

I would like to comment on the Senate race for 33. Even though the margin of victory was small, the voters of Senate District 33 have spoken and my opponent has been congratulated. However, I am very concerned that the extremely negative tone of this primary election, in addition to the amount of negative advertising by independent expenditures, has left a wound in the Republican base within our District.

I love this district and I have been blessed and proud to have served HD 33B in the State House for the past four years. I am so grateful for all of the people who supported me and worked so hard during this very contentious and hard-fought Senate campaign.

My hope is that the coming general election will be about the issues that are important to the people of SD 33, and nothing else.

Rep. Connie Doepke

###

“A recent piece of literature mailed by my campaign contained a photo and a quote by Congressman Erik Paulsen. The authorized photo was taken at the Mound Centennial Parade in July and the Paulsen campaign was aware that it was taken for [...]]]> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 6, 2012
Wayzata, Minnesota
CONTACT: Jonathan Aanestad (952) 471-0333

“A recent piece of literature mailed by my campaign contained a photo and a quote by Congressman Erik Paulsen. The authorized photo was taken at the Mound Centennial Parade in July and the Paulsen campaign was aware that it was taken for the purpose of including in my campaign literature. The related quote was a public statement made previously by Congressman Paulsen regarding his respect for my service in the legislature.”

“As a seated legislator I clearly understand the difference between an endorsement and a public statement from a longtime supporter. This piece of literature does not in any way state that Congressman Paulsen is endorsing my candidacy”

“Erik Paulsen is my friend and a long time supporter. I respect his service representing the people of the 3rd Congressional District and I am grateful for his past appreciation of my legislative service. The quote is factual but I regret that this photo and the public quote have caused some confusion regarding the Congressman’s acknowledged political endorsement of my opponent in the current primary campaign.”

“I am proud to support Erik in his own re-election bid this coming November.”

Rep. Connie Doepke

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In the 2010 election cycle the Freedom Club State PAC spent just over $220,000 on political expenditures. That money went exclusively toward mailings, phone calls, billboards and other communications attacking DFL candidates.

But the conservative independent expenditure group is apparently taking a different tack so far in 2012. The [...]]]> by Paul Demko
Politics in Minnesota

In the 2010 election cycle the Freedom Club State PAC spent just over $220,000 on political expenditures. That money went exclusively toward mailings, phone calls, billboards and other communications attacking DFL candidates.

But the conservative independent expenditure group is apparently taking a different tack so far in 2012. The group has spent just over $7,000 on the Senate District 33 GOP primary contest, according to its pre-primary campaign finance report. That money was split almost evenly between supporting Dave Osmek, the GOP-endorsed candidate, and attacking State Rep. Connie Doepke, his lone primary opponent. They are vying to replace retiring State Sen. Gen Olson in a reliably Republican district that surrounds Lake Minnetonka.

One piece circulated by the Freedom Club features suitcases stuffed with cash and a tag that reads “Destination: Latin America.” “Connie Doepke voted to waste our tax dollars in Latin America for tropical bird habitats,” the headline reads. Other pieces similarly pound on Doepke’s purported support for profligate spending on tropical bird reserves.

At issue is $10,000 that was tucked into an omnibus environment bill that Doepke supported in 2010. The money would be used to restore winter habitat in Costa Rica for migratory songbirds. It would come from taxpayers who indicated that they wish to make a “non-game wildlife” contribution on their tax forms, rather than from the general fund. It must be matched with $10,000 in private contributions and has not yet been spent.

Doepke expresses bewilderment that this provision has become fodder for attack pieces. “I couldn’t believe that they would be doing a piece on this particular subject, that this was so important to them,” Doepke said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Freedom Club once backed Doepke

The attack is particularly surprising because when Doepke first ran for office in 2008, the Freedom Club State PAC sent her a $500 contribution. But Doepke doesn’t believe that the mailings are likely to hurt her primary election prospects. “I have a proven record and that’s what we’re running on,” Doepke said. “I’m not about to get into the dirt on this at all. In my opinion, it is absolutely wrong to drag the citizens of this district through this kind of smear campaign.”

Olson issued a letter denouncing the lit pieces as misleading. “I suspect that the Freedom Club business people make their business decisions on better information than they are using for this political choice,” Olson wrote. “Connie Doepke will be a Minnesota senator you can respect. I urge you to cast your vote for her in the August 14 primary election.”

Rick Weible, co-chair of the GOP in the 3rd Congressional District, also wonders if the pieces could backfire with some district residents. “They may start dismissing the Freedom Club, which is kind of disappointing, because the Freedom Club has done a lot of good work,” said Weible, who is supporting Osmek in the contest. “For them to go on this particular campaign and attack in this manner, I don’t think is very smart.”

Even Osmek, the intended beneficiary of the mailings, expressed misgivings about the content of the attacks. “It’s their choice,” Osmek said. “I would have picked a lot of different subjects other than this one.”

In particular, he emphasizes Doepke’s vote in favor of public financing for the Minnesota Vikings stadium as an issue that has angered voters in the district. “We should not be publicly financing and putting the taxpayers at risk for a stadium that can be fully paid by the Vikings,” Osmek said. “People are very disappointed in that vote.”

He also points to Doepke’s answer to a question about transportation funding on a questionnaire produced by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce as proof that she isn’t fiscally conservative enough for the district. “How should Minnesota address its unmet transportation needs in the near future?” the questionnaire asked. Doepke’s response: “Minnesota should develop new revenue sources for transportation, such as toll roads, MnPass and/or mileage-based user fees.”

Doepke points out that the state’s transportation needs are currently met primarily through a “hodgepodge” of bonding projects and that a stable long-term funding solution is needed. “Right now the most important thing we can do in transportation is we need to continue to be efficient and make the right decisions with the money that we have,” said Doepke, noting that she opposes expansion of light rail transit. “But we do need to have a long-term plan.”

Basis for attacks unclear

Freedom Club officials didn’t return multiple calls from Capitol Report seeking comment about their involvement in the GOP primary. So the motivation for targeting Doepke is difficult to pin down. The group’s founder and largest donor, Primara Technology President Robert Cummins, has indicated that he’s not going to provide any more financial support to the GOP House and Senate caucuses this year.

In partiular, it’s believed that Cummins is upset that so-called “right-to-work” legislation, which would make it illegal to require payment of unions dues as a condition of employment, never came up for a vote in the House or Senate. The Freedom Club has also spent money on mailings attacking GOP State Rep. Steve Smith, R-Mound, who has been among the most vocal opponents of right to work in the Republican caucus and also faces a primary challenge.

But Doepke points out that she’s a co-sponsor of the proposed right to work constitutional amendment. Her campaign website features a letter from the chief proponent of the measure in the House, Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, thanking Doepke for her support on the issue. So that seemingly wouldn’t explain why the Freedom Club has chosen to go after her.

Others point to her support for a Vikings stadium financed partly with public dollars as a likely motive for the backlash. The GOP primary in SD 33 is expected to be one of the closest in the state. Osmek won party backing in May, garnering support from more than 80 percent of delegates on the final ballot. He’s expected to pull strongly from the Tea Party and Ron Paul wings of the party that have been ascendant in recent election cycles.

But Doepke has earned the support of the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. That will help her win support from pro-business voters who have traditionally been the core of GOP activists in the area.

Weible and others say they aren’t sure which candidate has the edge. “I think the fight is so close that it’s too close to call,” Weible said.

State Rep. Connie Doepke, R-Orono, is pushing back against a mail campaign paid for by an outside spending group that typically supports candidates on her side of the aisle.

In a letter to Freedom Club founder Robert Cummins, [...]]]> Posted at 8:00 PM on August 1, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Minnesota Public Radio – original article

State Rep. Connie Doepke, R-Orono, is pushing back against a mail campaign paid for by an outside spending group that typically supports candidates on her side of the aisle.

In a letter to Freedom Club founder Robert Cummins, Doepke, who is running in a GOP Primary in Senate District 33, says that her opponent and others have been spreading misinformation about her record on “right-to-work” legislation that would have made unions voluntary.

She’s concerned that the Freedom Club’s support of her GOP-endorsed primary opponent David Osmek, who also supports right-to-work legislation, hinged on that misinformation. Right-to-work legislation has been a top issue for the Freedom Club and, reportedly, for Cummins.

“I’ve been distressed that my opponent and others have distorted my vote and record on this issue, and especially in this past session when we came so close to putting this issue on the ballot,” Doepke quoted from a letter she wrote Cummins on July 17.

Doepke says her support for right-to-work is clear, pointing to a letter Rep. Steve Drazkowski, a chief proponent of the bill, wrote thanking her for her support on the issue.

Doepke said that Cummins is one of her constituents and that he has been supportive of her campaigns in the past. The Freedom Club has also donated to Doepke in the past

But this time around, the Freedom Club, which is backed by wealthy Republican donors including Cummins, who is the organization’s most generous financial benefactor, has been sending mailers to voters in Doepke’s district near Lake Minnetonka targeting her spending record and praising Osmek .

“Connie Doepke voted to waste our tax dollars in Latin America for tropical bird habitats,” says one mail piece sent by the group.

“Politicians like Connie Doepke’s fiscally irresponsible leadership and wasteful spending is pushing out state and nation to the brink,” the mailer goes on.

The same message is echoed on a website also set up by the Freedom Club.

But Doepke says those accusations aren’t true, and so does retiring Sen. Gen Olson, the Republican both Doepke and Osmek are vying to replace this fall.

Olson, who has endorsed Doepke, came to her defense in an opinion piece posted on Doepke’s website.

“Residents of the new Senate District #33 have received two literature pieces recently trashing Connie Doepke for wasteful spending of your tax dollars on tropical birds,” Olson wrote. “They have been generated and paid for by the Freedom Club PAC with money given by business people for whom I have had great respect. These allegations, however, are not the truth.”

Doepke voted in favor of the environment, energy and natural resources funding bill, which included a provision that allowed the DNR Commissioner to set aside money to improve habitat in Costa Rica for Minnesota songbirds, Olson wrote. That money comes from the Non-game Wildlife Fund, which Minnesota taxpayers voluntarily contribute to on their tax return. The check-off has been around since 1980, Olson explained.

For her part, Doepke is surprised by the amount of money the Freedom Club has so far spent on a primary race between two conservative candidates.

“I think that the unprecedented spending in a primary, this is amazing,” Doepke said.

According to a recent finance report, the Freedom Club has spent more than $7,000, roughly split between mailers in support of Osmek and in opposition to Doepke.

The group has also spent about $2,500 against Republican Rep. Steve Smith, who is running for re-election in House District 33B. Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers recently endorsed Smith’s opponent Cindy Pugh over Smith.

Candidates: Representative Connie Doepke, Candidate for District 33 Senate Date: Thursday, August 2, 2012 Place: Wayzata City Hall, Rice Street, Wayzata, MN Time: 7:00pm – 7:45pm Opportunity to ask questions by audience.

Residents of the new Senate District #33 have received two literature pieces recently trashing Connie Doepke for wasteful spending of your tax dollars on tropical birds. They have been generated and paid for by the Freedom Club PAC with money given by business people for whom I have had great respect. These [...]]]> To the Editor:

Residents of the new Senate District #33 have received two literature pieces recently trashing Connie Doepke for wasteful spending of your tax dollars on tropical birds. They have been generated and paid for by the Freedom Club PAC with money given by business people for whom I have had great respect. These allegations, however, are not the truth.

The small footnote on these pieces refers you to House Journal 2010, which includes all of the actions of the MN House of Representative for that session. They have isolated a miniscule provision (on page 12,973 of the House Journal) included in a 108-page bill on Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources, a final agreement that most of us voted for, supporting then-Governor Pawlenty.

This provision allowed the DNR Commissioner to enter into an agreement, not yet reached in 2012, for improving winter habitat in Costa Rica only for songbirds that breed in or migrate thorough Minnesota, not toucans or parrots as portrayed in the literature. The money that is used for such an endeavor is from the Non-game Wildlife Fund to which people can contribute on a line on their income tax form, which clearly states that it reduces their refund or increases the amount owed. This option has been on our tax form since about 1980.

The Commissioner has set aside, but not spent, $10,000 (dollars, not millions) for this one-time effort. It must be matched by private dollars. Only people who wish to invest in efforts to preserve and protect the songbirds and other non-game wildlife are paying for such a project.

I suspect that the Freedom Club business people make their business decisions on better information than they are using for this political choice.

Connie Doepke will be a Minnesota Senator you can respect. I urge you to cast your vote for her in the August 14 primary election.

Sincerely,

Gen Olson
State Senator
District #33
Minnetrista
952-472-3306

Minnesota Business Partnership (click here to view full size pdf)

Minnesota Chamber of Commerce (click here to view full size pdf)