Star Tribune Endorses Franzen for Senate District 49

Voters still have to wait a few more days to have their say on who should be Senator of District 49, but the Star Tribune has offically weighed in on the local race.

In an editorial published earlier this week, the Strib endorsed Melisa Franzen (DFL) in her race against Keith Downey (R) for Sen. Geoff Michel's former seat. The paper said Downey represents a hard right turn from Edina's traditionally moderate Republican representation at the Capitol.

"His heavyhanded proposals to shrink the state workforce and limit the scope of collective bargaining have earned him the enmity of public employee unions," the Star Tribune wrote. "He might have more to show for those largely futile efforts had he chosen to collaborate with unions rather than clash with them to achieve his goals."

The Star Tribune argues Franzen is more in keeping with Edina's moderate roots, saying she "may be the year's most impressive DFL newcomer."

"Unlike Downey, Franzen strongly supports the proposed Southwest Corridor light-rail line," the editorial reads. "Unlike Downey, she calls for creation of Minnesota's own health insurance purchasing exchange. Unlike Downey, she opposes the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Unlike Downey, she supports fair taxation of Internet sales. She's on the pro-business side of each of those questions."

Read the full endorsement for yourself here. Learn more about Edina's local races by consulting our 2012 Election Guide.

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