ST. PAUL — Minnesota’s governor faces a problem this November from a Republican household apply doctor who made a reputation for himself as a critic of measures supposed to cease the unfold of COVID-19 earlier than clinching his celebration’s endorsement earlier this 12 months.

Scott Jensen, a physician and former state senator, is working towards Democratic-Farmer-Labor Gov. Tim Walz, who’s in search of a second time period in workplace. Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan have presided over an eventful first time period that noticed a world pandemic and widespread unrest and a nationwide reckoning over race and policing following the homicide of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020. Walz’s file on each have formed a lot of the dialog in 2022.

In a way, the race for governor was already underway in March 2021, when Jensen introduced his candidacy and began touring the state capitalizing on resistance to Walz’s orders to close down companies as a measure to cease the unfold of COVID-19. Jensen had already began to marketing campaign effectively earlier than another potential Republican nominees had even declared their intentions to run.

Whereas COVID has all however light as a problem within the race after the virus’ omicron variant precipitated circumstances to surge earlier in 2022, rising crime and inflation stay on the middle of the race, as does abortion following the U.S. Supreme Court docket’s choice overturning Roe v. Wade in June.

However regardless of Jensen’s important following on social media, help from opponents of pandemic measures, and polling earlier this 12 months that instructed the race may very well be a toss-up, Walz has loved a substantial benefit in marketing campaign fundraising and spending from allied political teams equivalent to Alliance for a Higher Minnesota, which has spent hundreds of thousands on promoting since August.

As of Sept. 20, Walz’s marketing campaign had greater than $3.2 million in its coffers, versus Jensen’s roughly $864,000. That has allowed Walz to buy extra airtime than his Republican rival. Thus far this 12 months, Walz has spent $4.6 million on campaigning for his second time period as governor. In the meantime, Jensen has spent $2.8 million.

Polling, whereas by no means a remaining predictor of an election, has usually proven Walz within the lead previously month. A current ballot from Minnesota Public Radio, KARE 11 and the Star Tribune discovered 41% help for Jensen and 48% for Walz. The remaining 11% have been undecided or gave one other reply.

Who will maintain the state’s prime workplace following Election Day Nov. 8 might come all the way down to how Minnesotans really feel about a number of key points.

Crime is entrance and middle within the Minnesota gubernatorial race, with Jensen taking intention at Walz for a rise in violent crime that occurred throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an total nationwide improve in crime.

Minnesota noticed a 21.6% improve in violent crime final 12 months, following a soar of 17% between 2019 and 2020, in accordance with the state public security division. And whereas the state didn’t monitor automotive jackings as a separate crime till 2021, an obvious surge within the crime within the Twin Cities Metro led officers to tally the jackings — greater than 700 final 12 months, with all however a handful within the Twin Cities.

In a

10-point public security plan

launched this June, Jensen backed harder penalties for repeat offenders, creating a particular offense for carjacking and new guidelines that might maintain judges from handing lighter sentences to violent offenders.

Walz has not advocated for a similar stiffer penalties Jensen and Republican legislators have promoted, however he has proposed important funding for regulation enforcement companies. Within the 2022 legislative session, Walz proposed $300 million in funding for regulation enforcement companies throughout the state.

Within the remaining days of the 2022 session, Walz, the Republican-controlled Senate and the DFL-controlled Home had reached a tentative settlement on spending $450 million on public security, however negotiations fell aside and a greater than $9 billion surplus stays on the desk.

Walz over the summer season introduced his administration had directed state regulation enforcement to help police within the Twin Cities metropolitan space in addressing harmful offenses equivalent to road racing in addition to violent crime. These state regulation enforcement officers will stay within the metro

till at the very least the top of the 12 months

, Walz stated.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court docket’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June, abortion has turn out to be a big concern in races throughout the nation. In Minnesota and throughout the U.S., Republicans have tried to downplay the problem’s significance within the election, and Jensen has pivoted on abortion since earlier this 12 months.

Prior to now, Jensen and his working mate, Matt Birk, have each stated they oppose abortions in all circumstances besides when a mom’s life is threatened, one thing the Walz marketing campaign and different Democrats pounced on. Incumbent Walz has pledged to guard abortion rights in Minnesota following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Jensen in early September

launched an commercial insisting his Democratic opponent is “weaponizing” the problem

within the marketing campaign. Regardless of the top of federal abortion protections, rights stay protected in Minnesota beneath the 1995 state Supreme Court docket choice Doe v. Gomez.

“In Minnesota, it’s a protected constitutional proper, and no governor can change that,” Jensen stated within the advert, holding his new child grandson. “And I’m not working to do this. I’m working as a result of we want protected streets, wonderful colleges, parental rights and more cash within the household price range.”

Jensen has softened or restricted his statements on abortion since earlier this 12 months, earlier than the August main and the June overturning of Roe. In a Minnesota Public Radio interview this spring, he stated he would attempt to ban abortion and didn’t help exceptions. On the day the Supreme Court docket overturned Roe v. Wade, Birk advised an anti-abortion group he didn’t help abortions for rape victims as a result of “two wrongs received’t make a proper.”

However in July, Jensen and Birk appeared in a video through which Jensen described his previous feedback on his abortion positions as “clumsy” and outlined a plan to help ladies, together with insurance policies like adoption tax credit and help for household and maternity go away.

Walz, in the meantime, has positioned himself as a protector of abortion rights and known as Jensen’s previous statements on abortion bans out of step with most Minnesotans’ views on the problem.

“The stakes are clear and so they couldn’t be greater. The governor’s workplace is now the final line of protection towards an abortion ban in Minnesota,” Walz stated at a information convention days after the choice on Roe. “If my opponent Scott Jensen is elected, these rights are gone.”

As shopper costs soar, Jensen has made addressing the impacts of inflation a central theme of his marketing campaign, and Thursday, Oct. 13, introduced a jobs and financial growth plan geared toward addressing hovering prices of residing. A part of the plan included supporting copper-nickel mining and timber manufacturing in Minnesota, in addition to encouraging state capital funding in hard-hit rural and concrete areas of the state and tax credit for job creators.

Jensen and Birk have floated the thought of eliminating the state particular person earnings tax as one solution to increase the incomes of Minnesotans. Nonetheless, they didn’t present particular particulars on how the state would recoup the misplaced income, with Jensen as an alternative saying the state had ought to take a look at mining as a possible manner to usher in extra income.

Minnesota woud lose about $15 billion in income with out state earnings tax — round half of its annual income. DFLers say the losses would imply cuts to crucial social applications and training.

Walz has stated he doesn’t imagine the governor is able to instantly tackle nationwide and worldwide inflation traits, and expressed skepticism about Jensen’s plan. To supply households reduction from hovering prices of residing, Walz has proposed

utilizing the state’s historic price range surplus to ship funds

of as much as $1,000 per particular person and $2,000 per household.

Republicans have known as that an election-year gimmick, and with management of the Legislature cut up between the GOP and DFL, the chances of Walz’s proposal really occurring are slim to none. Nonetheless, over the summer season, the governor repeatedly known as on lawmakers to return to the Capitol to move the funds.

Walz has signed some tax cuts and new tax credit whereas governor.

Gov. Walz has known as for pressing motion to deal with human-caused local weather change, and his administration in 2019 had Minnesota

undertake clear automotive guidelines first carried out by California

that might require automakers to supply extra electrical and hybrid autos.

Transportation is the highest contributor to greenhouse emissions, in accordance with the state’s environmental company. However that transfer has been criticized by Republicans and the Minnesota Auto Sellers Affiliation, who say it locations unfair restrictions on sellers to hold autos customers received’t need.

Walz in September

launched an bold local weather plan

that goals to considerably curb Minnesota’s greenhouse fuel emissions within the coming many years, with the last word purpose of constructing the state have zero web carbon emissions by 2050, which included persevering with the clear autos rule.

In July

Jensen and Birk launched an vitality plan

that included ending the California emission requirements and lifting Minnesota’s moratorium on new nuclear energy vegetation, although the coverage proposal didn’t point out human-caused local weather change. At a debate with Walz in August at Minnesota Farmfest,

Jensen expressed skepticism concerning the extent to which

human-caused local weather change has generated extreme climate occasions.

“I believe we have to separate climate from local weather. We see climate occur on a regular basis and we’re impressed with it, we’re impressed with this storm or that storm. Local weather, we must be cautious, as scientists we have to make sure that we’re not smug about what we predict is occurring.”