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  • Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer (left), his running-mate Annette Meeks and former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman rally supporters Saturday at the Blue Earth County GOP headquarters in the downtown Mankato Place. Pat Christman

    Candidates

October 30, 2010

GOP candidates rally the faithful in Mankato

By Tim Krohn The Free Press

MANKATO — Republican candidates spent Saturday rallying the faithful with the message that voter turnout will be the key to who wins in Tuesday’s elections.

GOP governor candidate Tom Emmer and former Senator Norm Coleman headlined a rally at Republican headquarters in the downtown Mankato Place Saturday morning, joined by nearly a dozen area legislative candidates.

Later in the day, Randy Demmer, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato, stopped at the headquarters.

Coleman reminded supporters of his own slim loss to Al Franken by a difference of one-third vote per precinct.

“One-third of a vote per precinct put Franken in as the 60th vote,” Coleman said.

“If our people show up, we will win,” Emmer told the crowd of dozens of supporters.

Using the theme he has carried through the campaign, Emmer portrayed Democrat Mark Dayton as part of the political elite who “is running to protect government.”

Emmer said he does not accept the premise that you have to raise taxes or cut services, saying services just need to be delivered more efficiently.

Demmer sounded a similar theme in his address, portraying Walz as following the Democrat majority in raising taxes through the healthcare reform legislation, driving up the deficit and harming job growth.

“We don’t need a government that comes in and tells us how to run our healthcare,” Demmer said. “They want a government-run, single-payer health system.”

Saying Republicans are referred to as the “no” party, Demmer said the saying needs to be amended. “I think we are the party that can say no when it’s needed.”

On what he is calling his “Heartland Values Tour,” Demmer is planning to visit communities in all 22 counties in the First Congressional District by Monday.

 

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