Tim Pawlenty is completely blowing his primary competitor out of the water in fundraising while the Democratic candidates battle it out in Minnesota's gubernatorial campaign.
Democratic disarray
The race for the Democratic nomination for the governorship of Minnesota went from a contentious three-way competition to a battle between one candidate being endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic party and a conservative alternative.
State Representative Erin Murphy was endorsed as the Democratic candidate on June 2, but state congressman Tim Walz refused to concede and said he would fight for the primary on August 14. A third candidate, state auditor Rebecca Otto, dropped out after failing to perform better for the endorsement.
Otto blamed "fake news" and the rapid news cycle for her defeat.
This has frustrated officials of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, who were seeking to decided the issue early in order to begin attacking presumed candidate Tim Pawlenty and the Republicans.
Pawlenty of fundraising
On the Republican side, former Governor Tim Pawlenty is eclipsing his competitor in fundraising, and while most consider him to be the presumptive Republican nominee, there is an outside chance of an upset.
Much of the opportunity for an upset depends on the whim of President Donald Trump, and whether he'll endorse Pawlenty, who criticized Trump before the election, or his upstart challenger, Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson.
President Donald Trump tentatively endorsed the campaign when he came to Duluth and met with Michelle Fischbach, Pawlenty's running mate, at a rally in front of 8,000 supporters.
But many noted that Pawlenty failed to show up himself and greet the president, who is known for holding grudges against those who snub him.
The primary election is set for August 14 for both Democrats and Republicans.
Here's a local news video about Minnesota's gubernatorial race:
