Dutcher to run with Hatch on DFL ticket
06/24/2006
The former state auditor, out of politics since her gubernatorial bid in 2002, was a big vote-getter for the GOP in the 1990s.
Rochelle Olson,
Star Tribune
Last update: June 23, 2006 – 11:23 PM
Former State Auditor Judi Dutcher will announce her return to politics Sunday as the running mate of DFL gubernatorial endorsee Mike Hatch, the state’s two-term attorney general.
Rumors about the political pair have intensified since the DFL convention in Rochester, where Dutcher, a former Republican who unsuccessfully sought DFL endorsement for governor in 2002, showed up in support of Hatch. He has courted Dutcher publicly and privately for weeks to join his campaign as a candidate for lieutenant governor.
Sources close to Hatch confirmed the pairing Friday, but Dutcher and a Hatch campaign spokeswoman declined to speak about their plans for this article.
Hatch’s campaign gave notice Friday of a “major announcement” scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Hatch’s Burnsville home.
On Friday, it also was announced that Dutcher has resigned as president of the Minnesota Community Foundation.
The Hatch-Dutcher ticket is a potentially potent one for the DFL. The two telegenic politicians have track records as populist advocates. They also could make a volatile combination because both have strong personalities.
Both are proven vote-getters with wide name recognition from previous campaigns. In 1998, when Dutcher sought reelection as auditor, she attracted the most votes among statewide candidates for constitutional office and beat her DFL rival by 150,000 votes. Hatch was the top vote recipient for constitutional office in 2002.
Hatch and Dutcher face a DFL primary election challenge from state Sen. Becky Lourey of Kerrick and her running mate, former Vikings football player Tim Baylor. The winners of that contest will take on Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau in November.
Political conversion
Dutcher, 43, was twice elected state auditor on the GOP ticket but switched to the DFL in January 2000, during her second term. She said then that the party’s views more accurately reflected her own and that she appreciated the DFL’s acceptance of divergent views.
A protégé of former Gov. Arne Carlson, she is known for an earthy sense of humor, youthful style and hard-nosed practicality. As auditor, she was an activist at policing local government finances, earning a reputation for evenhanded nonpartisanship.
In 2002, Dutcher decided against running for reelection as auditor and sought the DFL endorsement for governor. She lost to Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe of Erskine, who went on to lose the general election to Pawlenty.
Since 2003 Dutcher has been president of the Minnesota Community Foundation, leading fundraising efforts. In 2005, the foundation was one of the fastest growing in the nation with $50 million in new charitable contributions.
She and her husband, Edwin Hedblom, who works at 3M, live in Minnetonka with their two sons and a dog. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1984 from the University of Minnesota and a law degree there in 1987 and later served as an assistant city attorney for Minneapolis.
Dutcher was a standout swimmer at Bloomington Jefferson High School. Her last name is familiar to University of Minnesota basketball fans. Her father is former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher.