GOP governor hopefuls attack each other as primary nears

There are just five days left before the primary election, and the four Republican candidates for governor are sharpening their attacks.

Most of the barbs are aimed at Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson, the GOP endorsed candidate. Johnson said his primary rivals are targeting him because he's the frontrunner.

The latest swipe at Johnson comes from former House Speaker Kurt Zellers, who is trying to point out some key differences on taxes. Zellers is criticizing Johnson for saying he'd be open to expanding the state sales tax while lowering the rate. He said Johnson is carrying the same "tired ideas" as DFL Gov. Mark Dayton.

"That is unfair to middle class Minnesotans, and whether it's Mark Dayton doing it or it's Jeff Johnson being open to this idea, I think it's a bad idea for middle class Minnesotans," he said.

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Zellers is pledging no tax increases as governor, although his running mate Dean Simpson described himself earlier this summer as a tax moderate and said he would be willing to look at a broader sales tax. Simpson has since signed the same anti-tax pledge as Zellers.

Johnson and a group of supporters gathered near the state Capitol Thursday where construction on a new $90 million Senate office building began this week. They held a mock groundbreaking for the project they oppose. Johnson used the event to criticize DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, who he hopes to challenge in November.

He turned aside the criticism by Zellers and other GOP challengers.

"We've noticed that all of the Republicans in the race have gone on the attack, not against Mark Dayton, but against me. I think that shows they're seeing the same thing that we are, that we feel like we're in a pretty good spot," Johnson said. "I'm going to keep my focus on Mark Dayton, because he is our opponent and not each other. That's the only way we're going to win the general."

Zellers, he added, "probably recognizes that he's a ways behind and needs to go on the attack pretty hard."

Former House Minority leader Marty Seifert also took aim at Johnson on taxes. Seifert, who previously raised questions about Johnson's electability in a statewide race, said Republican voters deserve to know where the candidates stand.

"We can't be having a candidate running around talking about taxing clothing and food as a Republican candidate. It's bad policy and it's bad politics," Seifert said. "The people of Minnesota rejected that idea when Mark Dayton brought it up last year."

Seifert accused Johnson of employing a "hide the ball" strategy ahead of the Aug. 12 primary by refusing to further debate his rivals.

A final, pre-primary radio debate was canceled after Zellers and businessman Scott Honour dropped out. They said they wouldn't participate without Johnson, who said he had a scheduling conflict.

Honour took several shots at Johnson during last week's MPR News debate. The first-time candidate accused Johnson of having a "defeatist attitude" toward government reform, and an overly cautious and slow approach to the budget.