Governor hopefuls Johnson and Walz hold first debate in Nisswa

Republican gubernatorial nominee Jeff Johnson and his DFL opponent Tim Walz faced each other in a debate on Friday, their first meeting since Tuesday's primary election.

At the outset of the forum, held in Nisswa and co-sponsored by a union and a business group, Walz and Johnson seemed to agree on quite a lot, including mining and pipelines, two issues that have created deep divides in northern Minnesota, where several copper-nickel mines are under development and where Enbridge Energy wants to replace an aging oil pipeline along a new route.

"I will be an advocate for copper and nickel mining and palladium mining and other precious metals," Johnson said. "With respect to the pipeline, I think it's crazy that we're even having this argument. Because, the risk of a spill or a leak, or some catastrophe is much greater with the current pipeline."

Walz said he's a strong supporter of environmental regulations, but "of the two candidates up here, I'm the only one who has voted for pipelines. And I'm the only one who voted in the movement forward on the Polymet on the land swap piece of this. So I don't think there's a lot of disagreement here."

They also agreed that health care costs are too high, but on this issue their solutions look much different.

Walz said the system should provide incentives for seeking preventative care, to keep people from developing expensive chronic health problems, like diabetes and heart disease. He also said more people need to get enrolled through MNsure, the state's individual insurance marketplace, so that there are enough young healthy people paying in to support the old and sick. He has even said he'd be open to considering a single-payer insurance program.

Johnson said, that's the worst possible solution. What health care really needs, he said, is a hefty dose of the free market.

"And I don't believe that as governor I should be able to tell someone, that if you think a limited coverage policy is best for you, I know better," he said. "Let's give people more options and choice. When you bring that competition into the marketplace, that increases quality and brings down cost. We're headed in the opposite direction right now."

Walz said the health care system is too complicated to respond to market forces.

"What's it cost to set your arm in the Brainerd hospital, anybody here know? Or the Nisswa hospital?" he asked. "Because if I were going to do the market, I'd go shop the price. What are their outcomes on that? Can I get a discount? The myth that there's a free market in this, you don't even know what things cost. How can you have a free market if you don't know cost discoveries?"

Probably the largest difference between the two candidates comes down to taxes. Walz supports raising the gas tax to pay for roads and infrastructure. Johnson does not.

For Johnson, lowering taxes and paring back government services is a major talking point. He said he'd do away with the social security tax, and cut income tax rates on everyone from CEOs to public school teachers. He says he'll slice away at government waste, and even pledged on stage that he would never raise a single tax

"I think there are certain principles that are worth fighting for. And one of them is, we are too high taxed in this state," Johnson said.

Walz said a no-tax pledge amounts to irresponsible leadership and a poor way to manage the state's budget.

"He just closed the door on any potential negotiations, with the no-new-tax pledge," Walz said. "The leadership of the governor cannot lock you in a box that ideologically does not allow you to have that discussion."

The candidates promised to meet for many more debates over the coming 12 weeks.