Lt. Gov. Candidates Weigh In On Allegations Against Rick Nolan
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With just over two weeks until the Aug. 14 primary, it remains unclear what impact the #MeToo charges against a former staffer of one of the candidates for lieutenant governor will have on the governor's race.
Earlier this month, the online publication MinnPost revealed that U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, who is the running mate of Attorney General Lori Swanson, had in 2016 hired a staffer to work on his campaign who had been previously accused of sexual harassment in the congressman's office.
Nolan has said as soon as he was made aware of the hire he fired the man and he has apologized to the women involved.
An NBC/Marist poll released last week shows the DFL race for governor is tight.
Swanson leads Rep. Tim Walz, 28 percent to 24 percent. Erin Murphy is trailing at 11 percent.
Meanwhile, 37 percent of voters say they're undecided.
The poll's margin of error is 5.6 percent.
Most of the polling was done before the MinnPost story broke.
WCCO-TV asked Nolan to be on WCCO Sunday Morning. He was not available.
The other two DFL running mates, state Rep. Peggy Flanagan, who is running with Walz, and Rep. Erin Maye Quade, who is running with Rep. Erin Murphy, did appear on WCCO Sunday Morning.
"We should all be troubled by Congressman Nolan's behavior, and frankly I think he perpetuated this behavior in his office," Flanagan said.
"People who are seeking leadership in our state should not be promoted when they have allowed this behavior to continue," Maye Quade said.
Maye Quade has had her own #MeToo moments.
It was her accusations of sexual harassment by State Rep. Tony Cornish and State Sen. Dan Schoen that led to their resignations from the Minnesota Legislature last year.