By Emily Haavik Do you know your Minnesota political parties? Keep reading to find out.
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party: The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party began in 1944 with the merging of the Democrats and the Farmer-Laborers. Some of the main issues the party focuses on, according to its party platform, are: support of family farms; regulations on big business; separation of church and state; a woman's right to choice; public education; and equal rights for all regardless of race, religion, immigration status, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, etc.
Candidates: Mark Dayton for governor and Yvonne Prettner Solon for lieutenant governor. ........................................................................................................
Republican Party: The Republican Party of Minnesota, according to its 2010 Statement of Principles, is focused on the following issues (among others): lower taxes; pro-life legislation; protecting our religious, political and economic liberties; preserving civil rights; parent-based and teacher-based education; supporting the role of the traditional family; protecting public safety; preventing abuse of the legal system; smaller government; and strong national defense.
Candidates: The candidate running for governor of Minnesota on the Republican ticket is Tom Emmer, with Annette Meeks for lieutenant governor.
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Independence Party: The Independence Party of Minnesota began in 1992. Its core values, as outlined in the party platform, include: strong citizen involvement in the democratic process, a fair and affordable justice system, locally controlled government whenever possible, strong defense of constitutional rights to privacy and liberty, reducing our dependence on oil, government-sponsored health care, and increasing need-based financial aid for college students.
Candidates: The independent candidate for governor is Tom Horner, with James Mulder for lieutenant governor.
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Green Party: The Green Party of Minnesota's 10 key values include: grassroots democracy (including public campaign financing); overcoming racism, sexism, class oppression, ageism and homophobia; creating an ecologically sustainable society; nonviolence (including the attempt to end war, police brutality, the death penalty, etc.); the decentralization of wealth and power; community-based businesses and local economic development that protect the environment and workers' rights; equity between the genders; respect for diversity of culture, ethnicity, race, sex, spirituality and religion; personal ecological responsibility; and protecting natural resources.
Candidates: Farheen Hakeem for governor and Dan Dittman for lieutenant governor.
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Ecology Democracy Network: The Ecology Democracy Network's key issues, according to their mission statement, include: restoring our relationship with Earth through education and grassroots organizing, protecting the environment from the free market, putting an end to big money in politics, proportional representation, publicly funded elections to put an end to excessive campaign spending, and free airtime for political candidates.
Candidates: The Ecology Democracy candidates for governor and lieutenant governor of Minnesota are Ken Pentel and Erin Wallace, respectively.
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Grassroots Party: The Grassroots Party of Minnesota was co-founded in 1986 by its current candidate for governor, Chris Wright. One core value of the Grassroots Party of Minnesota is the legalization of cannabis hemp, otherwise known as marijuana. According to Wright, legalization will help to end the drug war. The legal cultivation of hemp can also raise state budgets, provide jobs, and become a new source of energy. Hemp can be used to make paper, fiber board, lumber, food, medicine, clothing, and many other products. Other key values of the party include a plan to create energy independence using a process called biomass gasification, ending corporate personhood, single payer health care, and a guaranteed right to education.
Candidates: Chris Wright for governor and Ed Engelmann for lieutenant governor.
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Resource Party: The Resource Party's key issues, according to its party platform, include: equal rights for all citizens; separation of church and state; freedom of and from religion; the right to vote; the ending of tax-exempt status for foundations; responsible use of our natural resources (including the replanting of forests when used for commercial or other purposes, and the ending of commercial gill netting of game fish in public bodies of water); the expansion of the fish farming industry; high standards of education without an emphasis on social engineering and political correctness; and free market competition for health care, with people paying their own health care bills without help from the government.
Candidates: Linda S. Eno for governor, running with Howard B. Hanson for lieutenant governor.