Facts vs. Smears

Scott has been writing about the race for Governor of Minnesota that is now in progress. Incumbent left-wing Governor Tim Walz is running scared, for obvious reasons. Challenger Scott Jensen, a doctor rather than a professional politician, is working hard and resonating with voters. The latest polling has the race tied.

We spent the day today at the Minnesota State Fair, one of the world’s extraordinary events. The two candidates’ fair presences highlight the differences in their campaigns. Scott Jensen is running an admirable campaign: fact-based, data-driven, all about the issues. This is his fair booth; it features charts and graphs:

Scott engages with passers-by, talking facts and issues. Here he is explaining a chart that shows the violent crime rate in Minnesota. Scott’s staff placed Tim Walz’s head at the point in time where he took office. The chart speaks for itself:

So what of Tim Walz? He can’t run on his record, which has been disastrous. On the other hand, he and his party are rolling in money. Insiders say that he will outspend Scott Jensen by ten to one. So Walz, like Joe Biden in 2020, has gone to ground. He is doing as little as possible, counting on his huge cash pile and the Democrats’ registration advantage in Minnesota to carry him through, despite being a lousy governor.

Three weeks ago at FarmFest, Walz and Jensen debated before a large, rural audience. It did not go well for Walz. His record is indefensible, and he is an angry, unlikeable man. So Walz pulled out of the remaining scheduled debates. Yesterday, at the State Fair, he was interviewed by a reporter who asked him why he won’t debate Dr. Jensen. He said that he didn’t want to participate in spreading disinformation. There is contemptible, and then there is beneath contempt. Tim Walz, darling of the far left, is in the latter category.

So this year’s race for governor is a conflict between substance and smears. Rich liberals from the coasts are pouring millions of dollars into Walz’s campaign, and local television is deluged with ads, all of which are about abortion. Which, needless to say, is not on the ballot.

If money were the key in factor in politics, Scott Jensen’s issue-based campaign wouldn’t have the chance of a snowball in Hell. But facts matter, and buying votes isn’t as easy as the Democrats think. Still, our best candidates need and deserve our financial support. You can contribute to a solid conservative campaign, run by a hard-working candidate who eminently deserves to win, here. I might add that during the caucus process, I supported my good friend Kendall Qualls, who I thought had the best chance of winning in November. But Dr. Jensen got the nomination, and he has done a terrific job as the Republican nominee. I support him unreservedly.

So, why was I at the Fair? My organization, Center of the American Experiment, had a booth at the Fair today. It was astonishingly successful. Our booth was in a prime location, and we had a spinning wheel where people could win American Experiment merchandise. We also are giving away a $250 gasoline card, and fairgoers could enter our drawing which will be held on Monday. Somewhere around 1,800 people entered the drawing.

We had people lined up for our spinning wheel a half hour before the booth even opened:

That was what it looked like all day, for 8 1/2 hours straight. This video shows the scene:

Thanks to the Power Line readers who stopped by to say hello. Along with vast quantities of merchandise–the wheel was spun on the average every 15 seconds–we gave away copies of our most recent reports and the last few issues of Thinking Minnesota, one of America’s top conservative publications with a circulation of 115,000. You can see our recent reports and the magazine here, and you can subscribe to Thinking Minnesota–for free!–by sending an email to [email protected], with your name and mailing address.

The Left has the money, but we have the facts on our side. I like our odds.