WILLMAR -- Rep. Al Juhnke, DFL-Willmar, and Republican challenger Bonnie Wilhelm are both pro-life and for the Defense of Marriage Act, against state funds for a Vikings stadium and for clean water and a clean environment.
The candidates, however, expressed differing opinions on many other issues during the Willmar League of Women Voters debate Tuesday in Willmar. Juhnke is the five-term incumbent in the race for the House of Representatives in District 13B. Wilhelm is challenging him for a second time.
A key area where the candidates differ is renewable energy.
"Any form of renewable energy must be market driven," Wilhelm said, adding that businesses will get into energy if there is a market for it, and government shouldn't mandate for renewable energy.
Juhnke supports mandates and noted that state mandates have created the ethanol, biodiesel and wind energy industries in the state.
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"There would be no turbines up on Buffalo Ridge without mandates," he said. "Mandates started the biodiesel industry in the state. We can grow jobs and grow energy ... and make our state self sufficient in the area of energy."
The state doesn't need to push more money to K-12 education, Wilhelm says. Teachers, she says, tell her that schools are adequately funded and that class sizes are appriopriate, but that the challenges in education come from discipline issues.
Juhnke says the state needs to fund rural schools based on their individual needs, with real costs figured in for busing, capital projects and teacher pay. "We need to fund the needs, based on the previous year's expenses," he said.
The candidates differ on higher education. Juhnke says he will vote to decrease college tuition. "I support rolling back college tuition for our kids," he said.
Wilhelm noted that the government doesn't set college tuition rates and said that tuition is going up because of the high demand for college education.
On the Defense of Marriage Act, both candidates voices support for marriage defined as one man and one woman.
"The entire makeup of our society will change if that definition changes," Wilhelm said.
Junke also supports one-man, one-woman, but asks for respect for everyone in the marriage debate.
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"We need to have respect for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation," he said, noting that certain protections can be given to same-sex couples, such as the right to pass on property or visit each other in the hospital.
The candidates do agree that attack advertising doesn't address the issues that are important to voters in the district.
Juhnke held up a handful of attack ads, most of which portray him as overweight due to an unattractive camera angle.
"This is not the way democracy should work," he said. "I'm offended. They are making fun of me physically."
He stressed that the voters in the district deserve more than junior high antics in a serious race that should focus on the issues.
Wilhelm noted that the local candidates do not know when and where the attack ads will appear and have no control over what is in them.
"Attack ads don't address the issues," she said, encouraging voters to look at the tagline, which is required on political advertising, to see who paid for the advertising.
