Posted: 7/18/06
District 47 Senate candidates Foley and Schulte have similarities but also differences
by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter
They have things in common.
District 47 Sen. Leo Foley, DFL-Coon Rapids, and Republican challenger Scott Schulte reject the No New Tax mantra.
Sen. Leo Foley
Both Foley and Schulte, a Coon Rapids Council Member, disparage federal No Child Left Behind law -- President Bush or the Department of Education flubbed it, the latter suggested.
They both support a gas tax increase.
Both Foley and Schulte want an Anoka County sales tax referendum part of a Minnesota Vikings stadium deal.
They both speak of the importance of early childhood education.
But while the candidates have similarities, there are differences.
Foley and Schulte veer in different directions on social issues like abortion and the proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage.
In terms of age, Schulte, 45, is some 30 years younger than Foley, 77.
Minority Leader calls Schulte top challenger
Schulte, whom Senate Minority Leader Dick Day, R-Owatonna, considers one of the top two or three Senate Republican challengers in the state, insists age difference is not an issue. "I would never tell Senator Foley, ÎHey, don't run,'" he said.
Nonetheless, Schulte portrays Foley as prime for retirement. "I think it's time for him to start collecting the fruits of his labor and collect some of those government pensions he has coming," said Schulte of Foley.
Foley represented the district in his "early years" quite well, said Schulte.
But if voters check on his record now, "it will become obvious that Senator Foley should retire," he said.
"I just think it's time," Schulte said.
As might be expected, Foley sees things differently.
He's seeking his fourth term, Foley explained, because there's things he wants to get done and now has the seniority in the Senate to do them.
"I frankly have not had any trouble keeping the (Senate) schedule -- the 20, 24-hour days I've had," said Foley. "If I thought that was the case, I'd be the first to get out," he said.
Republicans were keen on recruiting Schulte, House Speaker Steve Sviggum and Day both courting the two-term city council member, he said.
Schulte's roots in Coon Rapids run deep.
Challenger Scott Schulte
His father Mel -- who served on the city council -- started an oil business in 1958, later expanding it to a service station which his son bought in 1998.
Wants to do something to fix it
Schulte explained his decision to run for city council as keeping faith with a personal dictate that whenever he bellyaches about something several times a week, he has to do something to fix it. "And now I find myself complaining about the Legislature," said Schulte, pointing to last summer's state government shutdown as fueling his discontent.
Beyond his business and political ties, Schulte is a church official at Ephiphany Catholic Church in Coon Rapids, a suburban megachurch with a 5,000 household membership.
Schulte ascribes his social beliefs to his Catholic upbringing.
Unlike Foley, Schulte would like to see the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade abortion decision overturned.
And he favors passage of the proposed same-sex marriage ban amendment.
Schulte withholds judgment on the morality of homosexuality, he explained. "Frankly, it's not my place to judge," he said. If people want to live in gay or lesbian relationships, they can, he said. "But I think by the government sanctioning that as marriage, I think we're confusing future generations," he said. "I think we're confusing them to what marriage is," said Schulte.
For his part, Foley argues state law already defines marriage as between a man and woman and further legislation is unneeded.
"If there were a need for that (the marriage amendment), that would be a different thing," said Foley. "It's just not an issue," he said.
Foley favors a civil union provision, arguing that it's a matter of extending fairness not only to gays and lesbians but to others as well. Foley has been the target of pro-amendment political activists.
Foley chairs Senate committee
A former State Patrol major and practicing attorney with Anoka County, Foley chairs the Senate Crime Prevention and Public Committee -- he worked for years on passing .08 blood alcohol legislation through a reluctant Legislature but finally saw it passed.
Foley points to prison crowding, fighting meth, and other public safety issues as "unfinished business" that nudged him on to seek another term. "My duties have increased significantly," he said of his advancing in the Senate ranks.
Foley attributes the partial government shutdown last summer to a lack of leadership from the Governor's Office.
While Schulte describes himself as a pragmatic fiscal conservative, Foley -- though saying he doesn't know his opponent well -- wasn't able to discern a political pattern in Schulte when watching him on the city council, he explained.
Still, another thing Foley and Schulte have in common is a challenging district.
About two-thirds of District 47 lies across the Mississippi River from Coon Rapids and includes the City of Champlin and northern Brooklyn Park.
Schulte admits he's not yet well-known across the river.
Foley has good relationships with city
Foley says he has good relationships with city officials, but with recent bridge construction just getting to the southern district has been difficult, he explained.
Senate Republicans are keen on the District 47 race and the caucus has afforded Schulte a part-time staffer.
"He's (Schulte) is one of our priorities and we're doing everything we can," said Day.
The minority leader pointed to the 2002 election as an indictation of just how competitive the district is.
In 2002, the Republican challenger ran a blotched campaign, Day opined.
Still, Ray Egan garnered just shy of 40 percent of the vote with the Independence Party candidate grabbing about 15 percent.
Foley was reelected with about 46 percent of the vote -- he compares the vote breakdown to the one that put Gov. Tim Pawlenty in office.
But Day, predicting nothing, sees opportunity.
(Foley won election in 1996 with about 52 percent of the vote and about 53 percent in 2000.
Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, sees Foley as "fully engaged and ready to go."
The Legislature is strengthened by having people of different ages serve in it, Johnson explained. He's "quite confident" that Foley will be returned to the Senate in November.
Tom Dwyer, a retired railroader and union activist from Coon Rapids, said Foley is a hard campaigner -- Dwyer thinks Foley will be re-elected. It could be very close, he opined.
Champlin City Council Member Greg Payer said Champlin is the biggest constituency in District 47. Payer, a conservative on statewide issues, pointed to Rep. Denise Dittrich, DFL-Champlin, as an example of a candidate -- visible, hardworking -- that successfully tapped into a moderate vein running through the City of Champlin.
There's a sizable moderate vote, Payer opined. "(That's) when the right candidate comes along," he said.
He hasn't yet observed either Foley or Schulte campaigning in the city. "It's still early," said Payer.
Capitol Roundup
ECM Publishers, Inc.
4095 Coon Rapids Blvd.
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
