From Kohls for Governor
June 23, 2009

Dear Friends,
Welcome to the very first Kohls for Governor email update!

The last few weeks have been some of the most exciting and encouraging weeks of my life. As I've worked the phones talking to party leaders and others, the level of support for my candidacy has been tremendous. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to talk, and I look forward to speaking personally with each of you over the next weeks and months.

I am running for Governor because I believe that creating a stronger and more prosperous future for Minnesota requires new bold leadership today. We should never disregard where we have been, but if we are going to succeed we must change our focus - from the status quo and what we've done to what needs to be done to ensure a brighter future.

Put simply, it's all about tomorrow, today!

In my seven years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, I've been one of the strongest and most consistent voices for limited government and fiscal restraint. In fact, as many of you know, last December I proposed The Minnesota Spending Freeze. My Spending Freeze proposal provided that state government spending needed to be reduced to meet projected revenues. Governor Pawlenty's recent unallotment decisions are consistent with that proposal.

I'm proud to be a leader in the Minnesota House, and I'm thrilled that this campaign will give me an opportunity to take my message of limited government, fiscal responsibility, personal freedom and liberty to all Minnesotans.

I hope you join me and support my bid to become Minnesota's next Governor. Please visit my new website at www.kohlsforgovernor.com. There you can learn more about me and my campaign, sign up to volunteer, and make a secure on-line contribution to help me spread my message across Minnesota. You can also email my campaign at kohlsforgovernor@gmail.com with questions or comments.

From Politics in Minnesota (http://www.politicsinminnesota.com/2009/jul02/3407/handicapping-gop-fiel...)

The not-so top tier Republicans

Preface: Most of the names on this list have what we call the "legislative problem." That's shorthand for (1) untested in fundraising; (2) untested in organizing for a heated endorsement contest; (3) no clarity on general election prospects; and (4) not-yet demonstrated potential in the jazz factor department.

Caveat: The "legislative problem" could have been ascribed to Pawlenty when he first started running for governor in 1998. The assumption is that some of the not-so top tier candidates are thinking, "If that's how Pawlenty did it, I can, too." Alternatively, they may be trying to position themselves as Lt. Gov. material.

Michelle Fischbach. Sen. from Paynesville. The legislative problem.

David Hann. Sen. from Eden Prairie. The legislative problem.

Bill Hass. Former Rep. from Champlin. The legislative problem, compounded by losing a House race (but then so did Lincoln).

Mike Jungbauer. Sen. from East Bethel. The legislative problem.

Paul Koering. Sen. from Fort Ripley. The legislative problem minus the jazz factor. What's not to like about a jovial rural Republican who came out?! And who was eventually endorsed in one of the most conservative GOP territories in the state?

Paul Kohls. Rep. from Victoria. The legislative problem.

Morrie Lanning. Rep. from Moorhead. The legislative problem.

Carol Molnau. Current Lt. Gov., former Comm. of MnDOT and former Rep. from Chaska. We were surprised Molnau opened the door to a possible candidacy, and we're betting she closes it rather quickly this summer.

From an interview with Rep. Kohls Monday morning at the Chanhassen Villager office

"So what does Kohls bring to the table? "I have the ability to take a conservative message and communicate it in such a way that it resonates with people."

"The state of Minnesota needs to control spending."

"The principal of fiscal conservatism and limited government is absolutely the right principle."

"I think the field is completely wide open."

"I am the most capable person to lead the Republican ticket."

Kohls on Twitter (July 15)- "Just home from a great meeting with one of the top party leaders in S metro."

On Monday, July 27 District 38 Republicans will gather for a fundraiser in Eagan that will include: Gov. Tim Pawlenty, MN Republican Chair Tony Sutton and Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb and gubernatorial candidates Pat Anderson, Tom Emmer, Bill Haas, David Hann, Mike Jungbauer, Paul Kohls, and Marty Seifert, the Pioneer Press reports.

From Paul Kohls---

It has been a great week full of meetings with party activists, local party leaders, the 7th Congressional District board, and donors. In the last two weeks, I've put over 1900 miles on my car and consumed countless cups of coffee. I am having a great time and getting a great response!

I had a blast walking with Senate District 44 GOP activists in the Hopkins Raspberry parade this past Saturday and I'm looking forward to visiting as many county fairs and GOP activities as possible in the coming weeks.

I am delighted to say that my message continues to be well received and interest in the campaign is growing each day. Let's just hope that all of the eating out I've been doing when meeting with activists doesn't lead to my waist following a similar growth pattern!

Rep. Kohls Criticizes Government-run Health Care and Urges Action

August 3, 2009

Friends,

The Kohls for Governor campaign has had another great week! One of the issues I'm discussing as I meet with Minnesotans all over the state is the issue of health care.

Of course, the debate is currently being dominated by what is happening in Washington. As you know, the liberals in Congress are insisting on a major expansion of government-run health care. If Americans don't act quickly to persuade members of Congress that government-run health care is unacceptable, we could see massive growth in government and further intrusion by the government into our lives.

Given my grave concern over the direction the D.C. Democrats want to take our country, I felt it was important to weigh in on the discussion. Below is a copy of the press release I issued today opposing 'Obama Care' and encouraging Minnesotans to act during the Congressional recess.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 3, 2009

Rep. Paul Kohls Criticizes Congress' Attempt at Health Care Reform and Calls on Minnesotans to Act

In a statement released Monday, Minnesota State Representative Paul Kohls (R, Victoria) criticized the efforts of Congressional Democrats and the Obama Administration to pass their version of health care reform. Kohls called it, "nothing more than an effort to lead America toward a system of government-run health care that will undoubtedly lead to a rationing of health care."

Kohls, a Republican candidate for Governor, also expressed concern over the cost of the reforms being proposed by the Democrats in Washington. With some projecting its cost at $4 trillion in its first ten years, the proposed 'ObamaCare' program shows the administration's continued disregard for the expanding national debt that has ballooned in size since President Obama first took office six months ago.

Kohls commented that the failure of the Congress to pass the legislation prior to its August recess provides Minnesotans with an opportunity to act.

"Minnesotans do not want government-run health care, and I hope they will let our Congressional delegation know that Washington bureaucrats should not be making decisions about whether they'll get treated and what type of treatment they will receive, " said Kohls.

Emphasizing a more viable alternative to the Congressional Democrats' plan, Kohls stressed the relative success of health care strategies that give the consumer choice and control over their health care.

Kohls said, "We need to empower consumers, not build bigger bureaucracies. Unfortunately, in our current system costs are largely concealed from consumers, insurance options are too limited, and administration is cumbersome and costly. Reform efforts should expand upon some of the successes we have implemented here in Minnesota."

Kohls noted that Minnesota has consistently been a leader in providing innovative approaches to health care at a lower cost. According to Kohls, "Minnesotans can be proud of the fact that we have some of the best health care in the county. We should not stand by idly while the Obama Administration and Congressional leaders try to lead us down the path to government-run care."
###

Please feel free to forward this along. Let's make sure that we are all doing that we can to stop the government takeover of our health care.

Warmest regards,

Paul Kohls

Kohls on KSTP: interviewed as candidate

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s1088286.shtml?cat=63

The St. Paul Legal Ledger has an interview with four gubernatorial candidates- two from the GOP and two DFLers. The story is at http://legal-ledger.com/item.cfm?recID=12135

Cited and quoted in a story with U.S. Rep. John Kline on Aug. 27...

"Minnesota state Rep. Paul Kohls (R), who is running for governor in 2010, says he shares the concerns that have been raised by the public. As a candidate, Kohls said, the biggest anxiety is about how reform could impact state Medicaid budgets.

“There’s a huge concern about the impact on all the states’ Medicaid budgets,” Kohls said. Additionally, Kohls said that Minnesota has led the way in health care reform in the past and he wants to make sure that those reforms remain.

“We’ve led the nation here in Minnesota,” Kohls said, citing the growth of health savings accounts among Minnesotans. “I don’t want to see those reforms being rolled back as a result of nationalized health care.”

For the full story from Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill since 1955, go to http://www.rollcall.com/news/38005-1.html

From Twitter: Sept. 3- Great day today. Mtgs with donors, party activist, GOP lawyers and a SE metro GOP group.

Republican activitists in the St. Peter area held a candidate forum and straw poll on Sept. 10, and Rep. Paul Kohls (Victoria) placed a distant fifth. Rep. Tom Emmer "won convincingly with 34 votes, more than twice as many votes as his nearest actual rival, Pat Anderson, who got 15 votes," reports a blog called "Truth v. The Machine."

Here are the results of the vote.

Tom Emmer: 34

Undecided: 17

Pat Anderson: 15

Marty Seifert: 9

Paul Kohls: 7

David Hann: 6

Mike Jungbauer: 4

Bill Haas: 3

Phil Herwig: 2

Leslie Davis: 2

For more, go to http://www.truthvmachine.com/?p=11773

Kohls pledges smaller state government

"I'm coming forward with a specific plan that will actually move Minnesota down the path to smaller, more limited government," Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria) vowed in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

"If elected Governor, my first budget will propose freezing state general fund spending at the 2004-2005 levels. This will result in cutting state spending to approximately $28 billion, or about $2 billion below the current budget after Governor Pawlenty's unallotment. This is also about $6 billion below the projected revenues, which means we can both reduce spending and significantly lower taxes for all Minnesotans," he stated.

Doug Grow from MinnPost had this to say: "Many thought Gov. Tim Pawlenty tied his own hands before he ever took office by taking the “no new taxes” pledge. That vow, though, looks pretty flexible, compared with the one Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Kohls is making these days" (http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2009/09/22/11806/candidate_kohls...).

Here's what Hooah Mac at Redstate.com has to say about Rep. Kohls.

"Paul Kohls - Also a member of the MN state house. He has repeatedly called for a state spending freeze. One of his top priorities is education. He used the term “educrats” in his discussion of state education. His strategy for victory is to use his good temperament to persuade the middle to choose conservative ideas."

"There are other candidates, but I focused on these because they either have the best chance of winning or had some interesting things to say. The other candidates either were completely uninteresting or a little fruity."

For the full commentary, go to http://www.redstate.com/hooah_mac/2009/10/08/mn-gov-and-the-return-of-th...

A Kare 11 report has Kohls, a Vikings fan, coming out against a new Vikings stadium that's funded in part by taxpayers.

"We shouldn't be financing stadiums for owners and millionaire players," he reportedly told Kare.

According to the report, "He conceded building a stadium would generate jobs in the construction trades, but he argued public sector spending is no substitute for job growth private sector."

For more information, go to http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=827130&catid=391

The Star Tribune reports "U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann will speak at a Minnesota Capitol rally Monday in support of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed spending cap amendment to the state constitution."

Joining her will be state Republicans, including state Rep. Paul Kohls, Sen. Amy Koch and party chairman Tony Sutton. To see the story, go to http://www.startribune.com/blogs/78473037.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP...