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Capitol View®
Catharine Richert

DFL ad targets Johnson’s education record

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The Minnesota DFL launched a $1 million television ad buy with a spot that targets Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson for voting to cut education spending.

"I would hate to see Minnesota take a step backward on education," says Melissa Olson, a woman featured in the ad who has a 4-year-old and "one on the way."

The spot focus on votes Johnson cast during his time in the Legislature almost a decade ago.

If some of the talking points sound familiar, they are. The Alliance for a Better Minnesota, which backs Democratic candidates including Gov. Mark Dayton, already went after Johnson on his education record.

PoliGraph found some claims in that ad misleading.

Meanwhile, a Johnson campaign spokesman said education was a top priority for Johnson.

"Jeff repeatedly voted to increase education funding as a legislator," said campaign spokesman Jeff Bakken. "Like most Minnesotans, Jeff also knows that there is a lot more to education than just spending."

The spot is scheduled to run in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Rochester, Mankato, and the Fargo/Moorhead area.

Here's the DFL ad: