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A Republican legislator from Minnesota apologized for taking over the microphone from his Democratic opponent during a recent debate, saying Newsweek that his "nerves have had the best of me".
Reputed GOP representative Duane Quam of Minnesota House District 25A and his Democratic opponent Jamie Mahlberg clashed Monday night for a debate organized by the Rochester Women's Women's League in a local public library.
Sitting next to each other at a small table, the two candidates cordially passed the microphone to each other during their response period. one minute. In response to a question about the link between education funding and inflation, particularly on the consumer price index, Quam said he believed that There should be no fixed formula for determining the funding of education. Instead, an evaluation of schools and special education programs should be done every three to five years to determine the improvements to be made.
Mahlberg then gave her answer, claiming that she supported "some kind of formula so that decisions are not based on a whim" or taken by special interest groups. She thought that one formula would provide a more "sustainable and predictable" form of funding.
Quam seemed to lift a piece of green paper after Mahlberg's response, the official indication that a candidate had a reply. As Mahlberg's head turned in the opposite direction, Quam reached out and pulled the microphone out of his hands, obviously leaving her surprised.
"The problem is that we finance badly," said Quam. "What we have to do is finance success." The incumbent has put forward a bill that he would have proposed to increase, according to some sources, the funding of education by the state by 3% in order to better prepare high school students college graduates.
"I want to finance success, not failure, and the formula contributes to funding failure," Quam said as he offered Mahlberg the microphone. She refused, so Quam put the microphone in front of her with a thud.
Members of the public, as well as the moderator, seemed surprised by how Quam handled the situation. Reactions and comments ranged from calling Quam's actions "odious" to "intimidation", according to the local newspaper Post-Bulletin.
In an email to NewsweekQuam said he wanted to apologize to Mahlberg.
"First of all, I want to apologize to Jamie Mahlberg. I respect Jamie and my actions at Monday's forum did not reflect that, "said Quam. "Unfortunately, my timed responses put a strain on my nervousness and I was not as gracious as I should have been while we shared the microphone. My sincere apologies to Jamie and I look forward to continuing a positive campaign. "
Mahlberg did not answer to Newsweek request for comment, but she said Post-Bulletin his campaign received some donations supposed to be the result of the incident.
"How would anyone feel a victim of this disrespect?" Mahlberg said. "I was very surprised and taken aback and finally disappointed."
Despite the lack of respect and disappointment, Mahlberg said that she did not think she intended to raise money from the video or publish it on her social networks. She has asked other political groups to refrain from using it for fundraising purposes as well.
"I can not control what others feel and, given the current climate, people, especially women, do not really accept this kind of behavior," Mahlberg said. "If others share it, it's their prerogative."
Some public schools in Minnesota have reportedly been struggling financially in recent months, with at least 59 school districts facing budget deficits in the spring. As a result, Democratic Governor Mark Dayton has asked Republican lawmakers to support a $ 138 million one-time emergency funding program to prevent cuts and layoffs. Efforts to find a compromise on one type of funding have finally failed, forcing schools to make the most of their current budget deficits, according to the online non-profit newspaper MinnPost.
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