Minnesota Lawyer
Though District 2A incumbent Rep. Dave Hancock admits he does best in interacting with voters in small settings, he said he’s also ready to take on his challenger in a series of debates.
House District 2A is not campaign turf for the faint-hearted. A diffuse region made up of 100 far-flung communities, the district is roughly the size of Connecticut, albeit with about one-90th the population.
The sprawling geography poses logistical complications for first-term incumbent Dave Hancock, the Republican who represents HD 2A (prior to redistricting, he held the seat in 2B), and DFL challenger Roger Erickson. On their door-knocking excursions through the North Country, both candidates are forced to make choices about which areas deserve most attention, focusing on the few existing “population centers” as well as areas they believe to be either sympathetic to their views or toss-up precincts.
But despite its otherwise low profile, the area has already experienced a striking influx of political money from groups aligned with both parties, which guarantees that some sort of message will likely reach even the most remote areas. Pointing to activity from political action committees and party units alike, Erickson said the race is obviously of interest to forces on both sides looking to control the Capitol.
“It’s a targeted race for the Republicans,” Erickson said, “and it’s a targeted race for the Democrats.”
Erickson spotted opportunity
Erickson’s political career started only after he realized redistricting had left his area with no incumbent. The redrawn lines also ruled out former DFL Rep. Brita Sailer, who lost her seat to Hancock in 2010. Sailer opted to run for the open seat in neighboring HD 2B.
In what he now jokingly refers to as “a moment of madness,” Erickson attended the local party’s April convention and wound up winning the DFL endorsement. A retired former teacher and longtime activist in the local DFL, Erickson now admits that it took time to find his way as a candidate. Indeed, Erickson’s campaign finance reports show that he spent $333 to take part in the DFL’s “candidate training” session at the state party convention in June.
Now entering the final stretch, Erickson feels more confident about his skills as a campaigner.
“I finally got things worked out in my own head about how to go about doing things,” Erickson said. “I’m using and working with my volunteers now, rather than trying to do everything myself.”
Supporters have provided Erickson with free places to stay or rides to meet constituents in unfamiliar territory. But other, better-financed backers are also hard at work. For months, Hancock has been the subject of negative ad campaigns paid for by the House DFL Caucus and Alliance for a Better Minnesota.
While Erickson’s campaign hasn’t sponsored any negative material, the Democrat also doesn’t denounce the criticisms levied against Hancock, whom he calls “kind of a rubber stamp vote for the Republican party.” As Erickson sees it, that party has badly mishandled the state’s finances and misled the public about its results, repeatedly pointing to the GOP’s role in Minnesota’s $2 billion-plus in delayed payments to school districts.
“Nobody,” Erickson said,” is buying that we have this great surplus and this great balanced budget.”
Erickson says he, too, has been attacked in “seven or eight” campaign pieces paid for by the Republican Party of Minnesota as well as the Coalition of Minnesota Businesses and other pro-business PACs. That tens of thousands of dollars have been spent attacking Hancock surprises the first-time candidate, given his lack of experience in elected office, which he calls “a good thing.” With dozens of incumbent legislators retiring or forced to run against other sitting lawmakers, Erickson said a lot of new faces will fill the next Legislature.
“I’m planning to be one of those,” he said.
Hancock ‘a pretty quiet guy’
Ken Cobb hopes that Dave Hancock’s legislative record speaks for itself. As the Beltrami County GOP chairman admits, the candidate himself may not.
“He’s a pretty quiet guy,” Cobb said. “I think he’s got the reputation in the Capitol for being maybe the most quiet person there.”
Cobb said such a profile is well received in the district, explaining that local voters prefer honesty and sincerity over politicians who “know how to talk to you so as to make you like them.”
Hancock admits he does best in interacting with voters in small settings but said he’s also ready to take on his challenger in a series of debates, the first of which was broadcast live on area TV and radio on Tuesday night.
Hancock said his constituents identify with his stance on the economy. Whereas Erickson would consider tax reform on the wealthiest Minnesotans and pursue the closing of some tax loopholes, Hancock said his No. 1 issue is to “improve the business climate in Minnesota” while continuing to shrink the size of government.
“We need to keep the money in the hands of our entrepreneurs,” Hancock said. “I believe in the individual, and I think that that is a message that resonates with people here.”
To make sure the right message gets out, Hancock is prepared to spend his own campaign war chest to bolster the pro-business and party support. Explaining that party leadership had instructed him, “Don’t ever quit fundraising, basically,” Hancock collected $15,772 in 2011 — 10th most among all House members — and another $12,000 through the first half of this year.
Hancock knew his seat would likely become a battleground. Alluding to the area’s longtime support of DFL U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, Hancock said he was able to win the seat even though the area is “probably perceived as a Democratic stronghold.”
“In 2010, there was a wave of Tea Party involvement,” Hancock said. “A lot of representatives, myself included, rode that wave a little bit. Maybe there’s still a little residue from that wave.”
