Third Party Candidate Surges in Minnesota Governor's Race

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2010— -- In an election year dominated by polarized politics, candidates staking out the middle ground haven't gained much momentum with voters. But in Minnesota, an independent candidate for governor is bucking the trend.

Tom Horner, a 60-year-old public relations executive who's never held office, has overcome virtual obscurity among voters in recent weeks and surged in the polls, to position himself as a viable third-party contender.

Although Horner trails Democrat Mark Dayton and Republican Tom Emmer by double digits, his support has climbed steadily to around 17 percent of likely voters, causing many observers to wonder whether he can follow in the footsteps of Jesse Ventura.

Twelve years ago Venutra, the pro-wrestler-turned Reform Party candidate for governor, mounted a come-from-behind victory over Republican Norm Coleman to win the state's top job – a feat that has gone unmatched by any third-party candidate elsewhere in the nation, since Ventura left office in 2003.

Horner is in a similar position in the polls as Ventura was in early October 1998. And aides say the steady flow of campaign donations and endorsements from prominent state moderates are signs his candidacy is on the rise.

Former two-term Gov. Arne Carlson and three-term Sen. Dave Durenberger, both Republican moderates, have endorsed Horner. The Minneapolis Star Tribune, the state's largest newspaper, has also given him glowing reviews, calling him a "serious contender" who "deserves full consideration."

"Horner's opportunity and challenge is that a quarter of the electorate knows who he is now, but they have yet to make up their minds," said Horner campaign spokesman Matt Lewis. "We know it's not about his policies. Our conversations haven't been about who people think would be the best governor. The conversations are always about, can you win?"

Meanwhile, polls show large numbers of Minnesota voters remain undecided about their choice for governor, and neither Dayton nor Emmer has broken out with a clear majority. The situation reflects moderate voters' relative distaste for their choices, experts say.

"I don't think you'll find a starker choice anywhere in the U.S.," said Steven Schier, political science professor at Carleton College, in Northfield, Minn.

Dayton, who leads in most polls over Emmer and Horner, has proposed raising state income tax rates to levels already among the highest in the country, while Emmer wants to cut taxes and shrink state government in the face of an historic $5.8 billion budget deficit.

Horner is playing to the middle with a mix of cuts to state spending, and new sales taxes, to close the budget gap. He also favors new infrastructure projects to create jobs and using state gambling revenues to help fund a new Minnesota Vikings football stadium.