U.S. senators face far different campaign landscape in Minnesota

Now that both political parties have weighed in at their state conventions the campaign for Minnesota's two U.S. Senate seats begins, but the Democratic incumbents face greatly different challenges.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has reasons to be optimistic as she seeks a third six-year term, while Tina Smith is trying to move from an appointed senator to one chosen by voters.

Klobuchar won her previous two elections by wide margins and took 85 of 87 counties in 2012.

As of the end of March she had $6 million on hand for her reelection effort, and she is regularly mentioned as a potential 2020 presidential candidate.

When asked about the campaign ahead, Klobuchar preferred to focus on her work in the Senate, citing efforts to pass a farm bill and her ongoing work to lower prescription drug prices.

Still, she acknowledged that she has an important role this year to help other DFL candidates.

"Minnesota has everything at stake here. So, that makes me know we have a special burden here to make this work for the people of our state," she said.

Republicans endorsed state Rep. Jim Newberger as their candidate to face Klobuchar. He's not nearly as well known as the incumbent and at the last report had less than $12,000 on hand for his campaign.

But Newberger insists that voters want a change and a conservative voice in Washington. He's embracing his underdog status.

"I'm a paramedic. I've been one for 30 years. My job has always been to take on impossible situations and turn them around," he said. "This is no different. I will take on this job because that's how I'm wired."

Smith has been Minnesota's junior senator since January, when Gov. Mark Dayton appointed her to fill the seat vacated by Al Franken. She's running to fill the remaining two years of Franken's term, and said she's been spending a lot of her time introducing herself to voters.

"Even since I've been in the Senate, I've made over 90 visits around the state in all parts of the state, talking to Minnesotans about their lives and what's happening to them. I'm going to continue that work on the campaign side," she said.

Smith has faced voters only once before, in 2014 as Dayton's lieutenant governor running mate.

Smith has only some of the advantages of an incumbent, said Kathryn Pearson, an associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota.

"She's just much less well known than most statewide candidates running as an incumbent would be. So, I think that this race will be certainly much more competitive than Sen. Klobuchar's seat," Pearson said.

Smith won a first-ballot endorsement over three DFL rivals at the state convention, whom she will likely face again in the August primary. One of them is Richard Painter, the former Republican and U of M law school professor.

"I think it's important for the people to make these decisions," he said about his decision to challenge Smith in the primary. "That's going to instill a lot of confidence in the winning candidates going into November, if the people feel they've had an important role in the process."

Republicans endorsed state Sen. Karin Housley to run against Smith.

In her speech to delegates in Duluth, Housley criticized Smith for opposing President Trump's agenda, and for her record in the Dayton administration.

Smith didn't mention Housley in her convention speech, but her supporters say Housley's record in the Legislature will be a target, including a vote against a bill to put a fee on drug makers to fight opioid abuse.

Housley contends she will have broad appeal to Minnesotans come November.

"There is not a voter that we are not going to try to contact," she said. "We're not going to just listen to Republicans. We're going to get out there and talk to people in Minneapolis and St. Paul and the suburbs and in Greater Minnesota. We're not going to exclude anybody. We're going to try to get all of the votes."