Walz, Jensen face off in sole televised debate of 2022 gubernatorial campaign - KSTP

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his Republican challenger Dr. Scott Jensen debated Tuesday nighttime connected television, but residents successful the Twin Cities were lone capable to ticker done online streams.

The sheet of 4 journalists asked questions connected a bevy of issues, including abortion, the state’s effect to riots aft George Floyd’s execution and the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation.

Walz and allied groups person utilized the termination contented arsenic their main country of onslaught connected Jensen, claiming helium volition question to prohibition termination successful Minnesota if he’s elected governor.

In run videos and media interviews, Jensen said helium would prohibition abortion, but helium has walked backmost that rhetoric successful the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s determination to overturn Roe v. Wade, leaving termination laws successful the hands of authorities legislatures.

“Because successful Minnesota termination is simply a legally protected close it is not connected the ballot successful November,” Jensen said Tuesday night. “What is connected the ballot successful November is without question skyrocketing inflation, transgression retired of power and our kids are not getting the acquisition that they need. As governor, I won’t prohibition abortion, I can’t.”

In his effect to Jensen’s answer, Walz criticized Jensen for changing his stance mid-campaign.

“Scott was precise wide successful May. He mocked maine and said, ‘No kidding, Sherlock, I’m moving for politician to get things done. We’re going to prohibition abortion, that’s not news,” Walz said. “That changed aft Roe versus Wade. I deliberation what astir of america cognize again you heard this done galore antithetic places, this is not astir trusting women. This not astir wide convictions. It’s astir changing your positions arsenic the winds blow.”

The moderators besides asked the candidates astir the state’s effect to riots that erupted successful the Twin Cities pursuing George Floyd’s murder. Walz and Jensen were asked what they would bash otherwise if thing akin happened again, but they mostly talked what happened successful 2020.

“Nothing similar this had been seen earlier — the level of unit aft the execution of George Floyd,” Walz said. “I think, again, determination volition beryllium stories written and this volition beryllium written astir for rather immoderate time. I’m arrogant of Minnesota’s response. I’m arrogant of Minnesota’s archetypal responders who were retired determination from firefighters to constabulary to National Guard to citizens that were retired there.”

Jensen took the question arsenic an accidental to enactment Walz’s enactment of archetypal responders successful doubt.

“You heard it here: Governor Walz conscionable told you, ‘I americium arrogant of Minnesota’s response,’ referring to the riots of May and June of 2020. Wow,” Jensen said. “This isn’t a one-off situation. There’s a crushed the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association has endorsed maine unanimously.”

The candidates besides addressed the $250 cardinal Feeding Our Future fraud investigation. Jensen claimed Walz could person stopped the strategy overmuch sooner.

“Governor Walz and his squad could person stopped this anyplace on the line,” Jensen said. “But erstwhile it was getting lukewarm successful the room for Governor Walz due to the fact that basically, it appears there’s a cover-up. Two questions are immense connected each of our minds. What did Governor Walz cognize and erstwhile did helium cognize it?”

For his part, Walz said authorities and national agencies alike needed to bash amended to enforce the rules for however nationalist funds are disbursed.

“During COVID the national authorities relaxed immoderate of their rules and they sent retired arsenic they should person assistance to states successful presumption of uprecedented numbers,” the politician said. “Now, making definite those safeguards are successful place? Absolute priortiy. Once the Minnesota Department of Education recovered this, they alerted the FBI. Now it’s an ongoing investigation. I conjecture we’ll get much clarity erstwhile they commencement to travel to that.”

When fixed a accidental to respond, Jensen doubled down, laying the blasted squarely connected the Walz administration.

“You conscionable heard a smokescreen. This is not astir the national government, this is astir the authorities of Minnesota, and the Office of the Legislative Auditor should person been notified,” Jensen said.

The 2 besides tangled implicit the fund measure that stalled successful the Legislature successful May.

Walz said Jensen urged Republican senators to artifact the measure that would person delivered taxation cuts and rebates, but Jensen said it besides would person accrued authorities spending by billions of dollars.

Lack of debates nether scrutiny

The one-hour statement betwixt the 2022 candidates for Minnesota politician was hosted successful Rochester and was lone broadcast connected Greater Minnesota TV stations. It was the 2nd of 3 scheduled debates betwixt Walz and Jensen but the lone 1 to beryllium televised.

Walz rejected offers to statement connected astatine slightest 3 Twin Cities tv stations, including KSTP-TV.

“Tim Walz is ahead, but he’s not a prohibitive favorite,” says Carleton College governmental expert Steven Schier. “He’s astir apt up successful the azygous digits, astir apt the precocious azygous digits but that is not harmless territory 3 weeks out.” Schier says though minimizing the fig of debates is intelligibly strategy of the Walz campaign, it doesn’t mean it volition work. Although helium says Jensen needs the debates much than Walz. “The 2 of them request to conscionable face-to-face successful bid for Jensen to effort and adjacent that spread due to the fact that the further distant Walz is from Jensen personally successful this contention the amended it is for Walz.”

The lone different clip Walz and Jensen debated was eleven weeks agone astatine Farmfest adjacent Redwood Falls connected August 3. That was lone seen by a fewer 100 radical who attended the statement and radical who saw highlights connected tv oregon online.

This volition beryllium the archetypal clip successful astatine slightest 40 years the candidates for Minnesota politician volition not statement successful premier clip connected Twin Cities television. The lone different statement presently scheduled is astatine noon, Friday, Oct. 28 connected Minnesota Public Radio.

KSTP-TV volition big a “Debate Night successful Minnesota” that volition aerial statewide successful premier clip connected Sunday, Oct. 23. Walz declined to participate, truthful Jensen volition look questions from a sheet of reporters by himself. The large enactment candidates for lawyer wide and caput of authorities person each agreed to participate.

We’ll person highlights of Tuesday’s statement connected “Nightcast” connected 5 Eyewitness News astatine 10.

For Related Stories: 2022 Elections  Gubernatorial Race  Scott Jensen  Tim Walz  Tom Hauser