Pioneer Press Endorsement

10/24/2006

October 24, 2006


Dear Fellow Minnesotan:

I am pleased to let you know that the St. Paul Pioneer Press has joined the Star Tribune in endorsing my candidacy for Attorney General.

The Attorney General’s race does not get as much attention as some of the others.  It is, however, a very important office that can make a real difference in the lives of ordinary people. I ask that you help me keep the Office in the hands of a strong legal advocate by making an online donation today.  There are only 14 days left, and I need your help now to match my opponent’s television ads!

Minnesota has a proud tradition of Democratic Attorneys General--including Miles Lord, Mike Hatch, Warren Spannaus, Skip Humphrey, and Walter Mondale--who understood that their job was to stand up for ordinary people.  I want to follow in this tradition.  Unfortunately, there is a movement around the country, orchestrated by right-wing extremists like Karl Rove, to capture Attorneys General offices to pursue extremist agendas.  I want to build on the legacy of my Democratic predecessors by fighting hard to give ordinary people a fair shake, not setting back the cause of civil justice for our citizens.

My Republican opponent and I have far different views and agendas.  As a member of the state legislature, my opponent:

• Co-authored a bill to strip the University of Minnesota of all public funding for using private funds to conduct stem cell research, and he supports George Bush’s position (the Attorney General’s office has already once been asked for an opinion--which it did not give--that the University of Minnesota was violating the law by conducting stem cell research).

• Sided with a small minority of legislators in opposing a bipartisan amendment requiring insurance companies to cover screenings for women at risk for ovarian cancer.

• Authored a radical bill to restrict the ability of those of middle income and modest means from pursuing valid claims in court by forcing them to first post a cost-prohibitive bond.

• Sided with a small minority of legislators in opposing a bipartisan bill to prohibit employers from requiring employees to undergo genetic tests (which over 30 other states already outlawed).

The national publication, The Nation, calls our campaign “impressive” and my goals for the office “ambitious,” but notes that we are facing attacks by right-wing conservatives.  You can be sure that many of the special interests I have opposed in the Attorney General’s Office are bankrolling my opponent.  I need your help!  I know that, with the busy election cycle, many people are experiencing “donor fatigue.” This is a very important race, however, and the short duration of this campaign has resulted in very little time for fundraising.  To that end, I ask that you consider opening your wallet one more time this election cycle and making an online donation of $250, $100, $50, or whatever you can afford.

I thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Lori Swanson