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Capitol View®
Tom Scheck

Gov. Dayton declines MPR State Fair debate invitation

Democrat Mark Dayton, Republican Tom Emmer and Independence Party candidate Tom Horner participating in the 2010 gubernatorial debate at the MN State Fair. Jeffrey Thompson/MPR News

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Gov. Dayton has declined an invitation by MPR News to participate in a debate at the Minnesota State Fair.

Dayton campaign manager Katharine Tinucci did not give a specific reason as to why Dayton declined the debate invitation. Instead, she said Dayton participated in more than 30 debates in 2010, a number she said was “far too many for the candidates and also for Minnesota voters.”

“So we reviewed the other campaigns for either governor or U.S. Senator during the past decade,” Tinucci wrote in an email to MPR News. “We found that the principals debated between four and seven times. We have decided that Governor Dayton will participate in six general election debates, starting after Labor Day.  We look forward to negotiating with the GOP nominee after the Primary Election to determine the debates.”

Tinucci did not specify where or when those six debates will be held.

“Six debates are near the top of the usual range for a Minnesota statewide election and more than in virtually every other state. We believe they will provide Minnesotans with good opportunities to hear and compare the candidates’ views,” she wrote.

MPR News has traditionally hosted State Fair debates that feature the candidates for governor and U.S. Senate.

Dayton, Republican Tom Emmer and Independence Party candidate Tom Horner appeared at the gubernatorial debate in 2010. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and DFLer Mike Hatch declined MPR’s invitation in 2006. Pawlenty and the other major party candidates for governor did participate in MPR’s State Fair debate in 2002.

Dayton is the second Democrat to opt out of this year's State Fair debate. Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Al Franken declined MPR’s invitation to debate his major party opponents at the Fair.