As the midterm elections loom in November, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen has been losing ground to incumbent Gov. Tim Walz.
A KSTP/SurveyUSA poll released on Sept. 6th indicates Walz had taken a lead of 18 points over Jensen, extended from 5 points in May. This dramatic drop for Jensen occurred as the country has faced a major shift in the realm of reproductive rights, with multiple state legislatures across the nation enacting near-total abortion bans. Despite the majority of Americans opposing the repeal of Roe v. Wade, it was heralded as a political win by the right. Consequently, it’s now increasingly showing itself as a political liability.
After decades of relentlessly pursuing the reversal of the constitutional right to choose, the GOP establishment is now beginning to absorb its political ramifications. The landmark Supreme Court decision now appears to have become an issue affecting the electability of candidates who have previously supported extreme abortion bans, especially in swing states. An initial wake-up call came in August from Kansas, where an attempt to revoke reproductive rights enshrined in the state constitution was resoundingly rebuked by the majority of voters. These results, coming from a long-standing red state, were sobering. Republican candidates across the nation scrambled to scrub their websites of the abortion ban language in an attempt to present a less extreme image. Meanwhile, others sought to exclude the topic of abortion from their campaigns altogether.
In a recent campaign ad, Jensen props up a baby and calls out Gov. Tim Walz for “weaponizing the issue” of abortion. Despite Jensen previously making it clear in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio that he was committed to eliminating abortion access with no exceptions for rape or incest, he is now changing his message less than two months before the election. In the ad, Jensen seeks to reassure voters that he is not going to try to revoke reproductive rights. He states, “In Minnesota, (abortion is) a protected, constitutional right and no governor can change that. And I’m not running to do that.” Notably, this drastic about-face is not the first time Jensen seemed to suddenly reverse course to ride shifting political winds.
A bipartisan bill that Jensen co-authored in the Minnesota Senate in 2018 would have required criminal background checks for firearm transfers, closing loopholes that allow convicted felons to obtain firearms through private transfers. Shortly thereafter, Jensen had his name officially stricken from the bill upon encountering backlash from right-wing critics. Evidently, he is not averse to abandoning promises in exchange for political points. There is little reason to believe that Jensen will not change his stance on reproductive rights, yet again, if pressured by Republican leadership.
[image_caption]Jordan Rynning[/image_caption]
Jordan Rynning is originally from Kennedy, Minnesota. A United States Navy veteran, he has a professional background in military intelligence analysis and he holds a degree in Political Science from University of Hawaii.
I hope Jensen’s prop baby sues him in about 20 years, as the Nirvana album cover baby-man did, except successfully this time.
Jensen pretends he can un-say what he said and that people will trust him. Why would anyone expect honesty from fans of world-champion liar Trump?
A new Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll of 800 likely voters shows Walz leading Jensen 48% to 41% in the governor’s race, with 10% of voters still undecided. The rule of thumb is that any incumbent who polls less than 50% will lose because the undecideds typically break for the challenger.
That drop from 18 points to a single-digit lead is probably from the voters’ being sick of the constant barrage of the same pro-abortion ads by the Walz campaign since pro-abortion advocates represent only a slight (52%) of the voters.
Oh, and that baby that Jensen “props up” is his new grandson. He’s delivered over 500 babies, which is preferable to the millions aborted.
Is that grandson from the same sex marriage of his daughter? The marriage that Jensen’s running mate Matt Brik would like to make illegal, again?
Or has Birk flip flopped on gay marriage?
“He’s delivered over 500 babies, which is preferable to the millions aborted.”
Sure, healthy babies reaching delivery & becoming unique individuals is preferred. Problem is, not all pregnancies include healthy babies.
Speaking from firsthand experience, losing a pregnancy is a devastating experience (even for the parent not carrying the child, as was my case). The forced birth crowd refuses to acknowledge the basic fact that a shockingly high percentage of pregnancies don’t reach term (I recall 25%). Many of these are due to genetic defects or other complications. Adding the potential for criminal investigations of people going through this horrible experience underscores the heartlessness of the right.
So now you’re quoting a poll whose results you call “tainted” in another recent thread?
Have you ever heard the phrase “intellectually dishonest”?
This comment may be deleted.
Unfortunately, conservatives do keep breeding, it’s true.
Very well argued piece.
The governor has the power to appoint judges in MN, as in most states. That means that the (existing) state constitutional right to choose whether to carry a pregnancy depends entirely upon not having far-right pro-life extremists appointed to the MN Supreme Court, justices who would without question strike down that existing right.
Does anyone doubt that opposition to abortion wouldn’t be the primary litmus test for appointment to the bench by pro-life extremist Doc Jensen, just as it was to Trumpolini?
Of course a Governor has the power to potentially alter abortion law in MN. The term is four years, after all…
Very sharply argued commentary, inclusion of his record abandoning background checks is effective and biting. Well done.
Another columnist from the Star & Tribune writing about Jenson’s running mate Matt Birk offered up this Maya Angelou quote: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
That quote applies equally as well to Mr Jenson.
With his moistened finger firmly in the political wind, Mr Jenson quickly changed his tune.
“In Minnesota, (abortion is) a protected, constitutional right and no governor can change that. And I’m not running to do that.”
Sorry Mr Jenson, but I don’t believe a word of what you say.