Negative campaigning goes both ways

State DFL dirties the water

by Leigh Pomeroy

Kathy Sheran, DFL candidate for State Senate in District 23, is disgusted. "It's a shocker," she says. "I was anticipating something happening, and waiting for it to happen to me." She's talking about negative campaigning, but it's not against her. It's against her opponent, Republican Mark Piepho.

The piece, which arrived in Mankato mailboxes yesterday, is labeled as an "Independent expenditure paid for by the Minnesota DFL Party." It also sates, "Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."

"I met for two hours yesterday trying to figure out what to do about it," Sheran said. "I think it stinks and is very poor judgment on the part of the DFL."

Sheran is squaring off against Piepho in a district that encompasses Mankato, North Mankato and St. Peter, as well as all of rural Nicollet County and parts of Sibley County. The seat has been held by DFLer John Hottinger for the last 15 years, which he won from Piepho in 1990.

The piece states:

Not Mark Piepho.
Piepho LOBBIED TO RAISE THE GAS TAX—that would have made prices at the pump EVEN HIGHER!

REJECT MARK PIEPHO.
We just can't afford to make the same mistake twice.

Back when Mark Piepho was State Representative, he voted against lowering tuition at state colleges and universities for working families.
Mark Piepho didn't seem to understand how middle-class Minnesotans get squeezed. Source: Senate File 1523, 5/6/85

And Piepho's recent work to raise gas taxes shows he's still up to the same old tricks.
In the Spring of 2006, Mark Piepho lobbied the state legislature to pass higher gas taxes—that's right, Piepho pushed for higher gas taxes—at a time when prices at the pump were hitting records.

On November 7th,
REJECT MARK PIEPHO.
We just can't afford to make the mistake of electing him again.

FACT CHECK:

Prior to his brief stint in the State Senate, Piepho represented the Mankato area in the State House, and did support a position calling for lower funding for state colleges and universities. However, this was over 20 years ago when tuition was significantly less than it is today.

Piepho supports an increase in the gas tax, but so does Sheran. In an email she wrote, "One thing that is problematic about the piece is that it implies the reason to reject Mark is because he lobbied for a gas tax increase which is something I have supported in the past myself" as founder and first president of the Highway 14 Partnership.

In a telephone interview Piepho was philosophical about the mailer. "I don't want to resort to negative advertising back. Most people are tired of it."

Sheran said, "I don't want to be a participant [in this]. I want to give people reasons to vote for me, not against someone else."

For relevant articles, see:

• "Phone-sex election ad offends both candidates"
• "Gil Gutknecht is lying his way to a 7th term in Congress"
• "Dirty Politics in the West Metro"
• "John Kline has no Immigration Policy, Only Attacks"
• "Project Vote Smart condemns Gutknecht for ethical lapse"
• "Pawlenty Releases Most Factually Inaccurate Ad to Date"