ST. PAUL - The spotlight has shone on the Minnesota governor's race for weeks because it appears so close.
And it could have become even closer, thanks to a controversy in recent days involving Democrat Mike Hatch and his running mate, Judi Dutcher.
However, whom to elect governor is far from the only decision facing Minnesota voters when they go to the polls Tuesday.
One of the less-publicized matters to be decided is control of the Legislature.
While there seems to be general agreement Democrats will continue to run the Senate, even some Republicans say the House could flip from their control to the Democrats.
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Then there is the U.S. Senate race between Amy Klobuchar, leading in the polls, and U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, who recently has closed the gap. All eight Minnesota U.S. representative seats are on the ballot. There are three other statewide officials to be elected, an Appeals Court judge to pick and a transportation funding amendment that needs a decision.
On top of those races, numerous other contests will be decided Tuesday, when most polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Minnesotans may cast an absentee ballot at their county auditor's office Monday if they expect to be away from their precinct Tuesday. Anyone not registered still can register when they show up to vote.
The governor's race has been close for months, although Hatch has slightly led in most polls, and may have drawn closer in the past few days. That is when, first, Dutcher asked "What is E85?," a fuel made mostly from Minnesota corn, and, then, in responding to questions about the gaffe, Hatch's "street fighter" side showed through. Hatch complained that Republicans were picking on a woman, then called reporters working for Hubbard Broadcasting "hacks" and a Forum Communications reporter wrote that Hatch called him a "Republican whore."
Hatch at first denied calling the male reporter a whore, but Friday night said he may have said that, and he regretted the comment.
Republicans, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty, immediately questioned the character of a candidate who would talk like that.
How much the Dutcher and Hatch missteps affect voters won't be known until Tuesday.
Those Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party problems were the first bit of good news for Republicans reeling from Americans' low opinion of President Bush and Republican congressional scandals.
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Pawlenty said that even though he had nothing to do with Bush's approval ratings, a sex scandal involving a Republican congressman and other GOP woes, his and other Republican campaigns were hurt.
The Klobuchar-Kennedy race fizzled from one of the country's premier contests once Klobuchar opened leads well into double digits in some polls. The Kennedy camp continually denied being so far behind but did not dispute that the Republican trailed the Democratic Hennepin County attorney.
Each of the state's eight U.S. House seats will be decided. All 201 state legislative seats are up for grabs. Minnesota House Republicans hold a 67-66 advantage, with one GOP seat vacant.
Also on all state ballots will be a constitutional amendment proposal to dedicate motor vehicle fuel tax to highways and transit, with transit being guaranteed at least 40 percent of the funds. The proposal would not raise taxes, but opponents fear the transit guarantee could hurt highway funding.
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