Minnesota Lawyer
Peter Fischer (Staff photo: Peter Bartz-Gallagher)
Attorney Bob Hill has released a pair of misleading mailings in recent days attacking his opponent, DFL-endorsed candidate Peter Fischer, in the House District 43A contest.
The first piece labels Fischer, who is Catholic and runs a shelter for homeless juveniles, “pro-life.” This despite the fact that Fischer has been endorsed by the NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota Election Fund and received a 100 percent rating from the group for his answers to its candidate questionnaire.
The second piece is even more provocative. It features a caricature of Fischer being manipulated like a string puppet by a man behind a curtain. “It’s time to cut Maplewood loose from: Nepotism Cronyism Insider deals,” it reads. “And Peter Fischer is not the man to do it.” The charge is based on the fact that Fischer is the cousin of Maplewood Mayor Will Rossbach and suggests that Fischer somehow played a role in controversial municipal policy decisions. (Click here to see a photo of the lit piece.)
Hill has threatened to spend an unprecedented $100,000 to win the primary after losing to Fischer at the DFL endorsing convention. According to his pre-primary campaign finance report filing, Hill had spent $28,000 through the end of last month.
Yesterday Fischer sent out an email from U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum with the subject line “Enough is Enough.” “Over the last few weeks, it is disappointing that the campaign for State Representative in District 43A has dissolved into unsubstantiated attacks against Peter Fischer,” McCollum’s email reads. “During this election, it is important to keep in mind that these attacks reflect only a desperate opponent and not Peter’s long and honorable commitment to working for his community.”
House District 43A, which includes parts of Maplewood, White Bear Lake and Mahtomedi is DFL friendly turf. But Republicans are extremely bullish on their candidate, Stacey Stout, a former attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.
