On Facebook Wednesday, Rep. Tim Miller shared the image at the top of this article, in a post whining about the West Central Tribune's endorsement of his DFL opponent.
Proof positive I have been faithfully serving the people of my district. The West Central Tribune Circulation once again did not endorse me. In the past it’s because I was too Republican. This year I’m not Republican enough for them. I don’t serve a Party or special interests. I serve the people of my district.
I am proudly endorsed by the groups in the photo. I am also supported by multiple Ag groups including Southern MN Beet Sugar Cooperative, MN State Cattlemen, and MN Soybean Producers. All of the major pro-life groups support me. All major Second Amendment groups support me.
I am the only pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-small business candidate in my race. I am not pushed around by special interest groups. The WC Trib editor has always gone after me for those things. I embrace and proudly proclaim that paper’s lack of support. It confirms to me I am doing the right thing. I ask for your vote.
Your mileage, dear readers, may vary on whether the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the like are special interests. What does seem odd about the post is the impression that it leaves that the paper has never endorsed Miller.
And the comments of Miller's followers about the paper being "a communist rag" and "they're a left-wing biased newspaper, just like the Star Tribune"? The paper's endorsement track record suggests otherwise.
Let's review that record.
The 2012 contest
In 2012, the paper wrote in Editorial: Our picks for the Legislature - Gimse, Falk, Sawatszky, and Urdahl:
House 17A: DFL incumbent Andrew Falk of Murdock is being challenged by Republican Tim Miller. Falk is a farmer and businessman from Murdock and Miller is a business development consultant from Prinsburg.
Falk has served two terms representing former District 20A and previously had worked as a legislative aid in the district. Part of a five-generation family farm, he focuses on agricultural and rural issues, including ethanol industry development. He believes the state needs to address the structural budget deficit, which began during the Ventura administration. He believes government and public policy have a role in improving people's lives. His weakness at times is his youthful exuberance at times become too focused on political themes.Miller believes that state government should serve a greater good, but it has become too large and costly. He follows a conservative approach focusing more on reducing spending in the state budget and not raising revenues. He recommends targeting government inefficiencies to save budget funding. He believes he has the ability to be a good communicator and be a "translator" to facilitate compromise. His weakness would be the lack of legislative experience.
The West Central Tribune believes Falk has represented his previous district well, especially on agricultural and rural issues, and recommend his re-election in District 17A.
The criticism of Miller isn't of his conservatism, but rather his legislative inexperience. Note also that the paper endorsed two Republican and two DFL candidates for the races. Not exactly a bastion of liberal Democratic bias.
2014: No endorsement
In 2014's roundup, Editorial: A review of our 2014 endorsements, there's no endorsement for the Minnesota House 17A seat. The paper did endorse Republican challenger Dave Baker over the DFL incumbent in 17B.
Incumbent Andrew Falk remembers that the paper did not endorse in the 17A seat that year. We've contacted the editor to see if we've missed something here.
Editor Kelly Bolden replied via email: "The West Central Tribune did "not" make an endorsement of either candidate - Andrew Falk of DFL or Tim Miller of GOP - in House District 17A in 2014."
Miller won the election.
2016: Miller endorsed
Falk and Miller opposed each other for the third time in the 2016 election. There's only a headline online for the 2016 November 2 endorsement editorial, Tribune 2016 Endorsements: Re-elect Koenen, Baker and Miller in District 17 legislative races. Two of the three candidates endorsed by the paper are Republicans.
An November 8 editorial, West Central Tribune endorsements for 2016, states:
State senator, District 17: Our editorial board recommends incumbent Lyle Koenen be re-elected.
State representative, District 17B: Our editorial board recommends incumbent Dave Baker be re-relected.
State representative, District 17A: Our editorial board recommends incumbent Tim Miller be re-relected.
Koenen, the sole DFLer endorsed by the paper for the state legislature, lost to Andrew Lang.
2018: No endorsement, equal good will
In 2018, Koenen ran for the Minnesota House (he had served there before winning a special election following the death in office of Gary Kubly) against Miller.
The paper made no endorsement in the race, but praised the legislative experience of both men in Here are our endorsements for the 2018 election, while endorsing the Republican incumbent in the other half of the Senate district:
Legislature
House 17B: The House 17B race features incumbent Dave Baker, R-Willmar, who has served two terms in the Minnesota House. He should be re-elected for a third term.
House 17A: The House 17A race features two candidates with legislative experience - incumbent Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, and Lyle Koenen, DFL-Clara City. Either candidate would be a suitable choice for the district. The final choice will be up to District 17A voters.
Not exactly a Miller bashing.
2020: Now we're getting somewhere
Once again, after eight years, the West Central Tribune endorses a Democrat for this seat. In West Central Tribune Endorsements: Minnesota House, we read:
House District 17A
The House District 17B race has incumbent Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, being challenged by Ben Dolan, DFL-Appleton, and Ed Engelman of the Legal Marijuana Now Party.
Miller claims he works across the aisle, yet he cannot even get along with his Republican Party. After losing a bid to be the Republican House leader in December, he was one of the four Republicans to leave the House Republican Caucus and form the New House Republican Caucus of 4.
Most recently, when Minnesotans needed the long-delayed 2020 bonding bill, which included Montevideo flood hazard mitigation, Miller voted simply no. Other local legislators supported the bipartisan bonding bill.
Engelman will have minimal support and no chance of election in this contest.
Dolan is a graduate of Lac qui Parle Valley High School and attended Southwest Minnesota State University, where he was student body president. Then he earned a Juris Doctorate at the University of South Dakota School of Law, while also serving as a class president. He is currently a judicial law clerk in the Minnesota court system.
Dolan seeks to build positive change in his district, supports broadband investment and understands the importance of health care, daycare, housing and mental health in rural Minnesota. He believes you need teamwork within your party and across the aisle.
It is time for District 17A to choose a fresh face for its future. Ben Dolan is the right choice to represent District 17A in 2021 in the Minnesota House.
Smack!
It's worth noting that the editors of this "communist rag" that's "a left-wing biased newspaper, just like the Star Tribune" not only endorses Republicans Baker in MN17B and Lang in Senate District 17 over their DFL opponents, but they also endorse Dean Urdahl in House District 18A:
Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City, is running unopposed in District 18A in 2020. First elected in 2003, he has served his district and Minnesota well.
Urdahl should be re-elected to continue as the District 18A voters’ state representative for the next two years.
Those dirty reds!
We can only conclude that Tim Miller has an awfully thin skin and his supporters have very short memories.
Screengrab: Miller whines about the West Central Tribune in a post accompanying this image. To visit the active Facebook page of the paper, try this link instead of the one Miller provides.
We recommend a subscription to those dirty hippies at the West Central Tribune; subscribers are able to access Forum Communications papers from Rochester to venues in North and South Dakota.
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