Mike Hatch
Encyclopedia
Michael Allen Hatch is an American politician, and was Attorney General of Minnesota from 1999 to 2007. In 2006, he was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
nominee for governor of Minnesota
. He unsuccessfully challenged the re-election bid of Governor Tim Pawlenty
, a Republican
, in the general election.
, went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in political science (with honors) from the University of Minnesota Duluth
in 1970, and a Juris Doctor
degree from the University of Minnesota Law School
in 1973. Hatch was a lawyer in private practice and became the chairman of the State DFL Party in 1980, before Governor Rudy Perpich
appointed Hatch to his Cabinet as Commissioner of the state Department of Commerce, a position he served in from 1981-1989. In 1990 Hatch ran, and lost, in a primary against Perpich, and again in 1994, against John Marty
. In 1998 he was elected as State Attorney General, a position to which he was re-elected in 2002.
For a short time in 1966, Hatch served with the Merchant Marine, eventually returning to the University of Minnesota Duluth
to finish his degree.
In 2005, he helped negotiate discounted hospital fees for uninsured
patients in the state. As of June 2005, 58 out of 140 Minnesota hospitals (which take in about 75% of the patients in the state) have agreed to the plan. Uninsured families that earn less than US$125,000 per year will now pay reduced rates—in many cases the best rates available if they had been insured. Signatories so far include Fairview Health Services
and the Mayo Clinic
. Hennepin County Medical Center
and HealthPartners
are two of the largest hospital systems that have not yet agreed, but they are expected to do so in the near future.
Hatch and his wife Patti, an elementary school teacher, are the parents of three daughters.
(DFL), Hatch received the party endorsement in June, 2006 at the DFL state convention in Rochester, Minnesota
. The party's endorsement was not binding. In the battle for this endorsement, Hatch defeated state senators Steve Kelley and Becky Lourey
. Sen. Kelley conceded, but Sen. Becky Lourey indicated she would still run in the September primary. Hatch selected former state auditor Judi Dutcher (who had left the Republican party in 2000) as his lieutenant governor candidate, and went on to win the September primary.
On November 7, 2006, Hatch narrowly lost the general election, 47% to 46%, in a four-way race between himself, Pawlenty, the Independence Party candidate, Peter Hutchinson
and the Green Party candidate, Ken Pentel
.
Pawlenty made illegal immigration an issue, running ads accusing Hatch of trying to give college tuition to illegal immigrants. Hatch responded with an ad saying that illegal immigration laws had not been enforced under Pawlenty's tenure. Pawlenty has also ran ads accusing Hatch of being responsible for raising health care costs, a claim that Hatch refuted. Pawlenty campaigned on a record of leading the state through hard times, balancing record budget deficits without raising major state tax rates, and without diminishing the state's "nation-leading" status on most socio-economic indicators.
One of the biggest flaps in the campaign came when Hatch called a reporter a "Republican whore" for questioning him about his running mate, Judi Dutcher
's inability to identify E85
, which is an important component of Minnesota's economy.
Hatch ran ahead in Minneapolis, St. Paul
and their inner-ring suburbs. He had big margins in the DFL strongholds around Duluth
and the Iron Range
. Pawlenty won by piling up big margins in suburban counties as well as in central and southern Minnesota regions anchored by St. Cloud
and Rochester
.
Dan Hofrenning, a political scientist from St. Olaf College
in Northfield
, said it was noteworthy that Hatch turned in the best election performance by a DFL gubernatorial candidate in decades. According to Hofrenning, in the three previous gubernatorial elections, the DFL candidate never broke 40% in the polls.
In his concession speech, Hatch advocated that legislators get back to "sitting down and getting to know each other in private" in order to establish common ground for bipartisan legislation, and called for an end to partisan rancor. Had the Hatch/Dutcher ticket been successful, he stated that it would have been one of the first goals of his administration.
Hatch had announced plans to return to private law practice after his term ended in January 2007. He ruled out a future race for governor, yet kept open the possibility of public service in the future.
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
nominee for governor of Minnesota
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
. He unsuccessfully challenged the re-election bid of Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, in the general election.
Early life and career
Hatch, a 1966 graduate of East High School (Duluth, Minnesota)East High School (Duluth, Minnesota)
East High School is the largest of three public secondary schools in Duluth, Minnesota. It educates students in grades nine through twelve. It first opened its doors in 1927, as a junior high school...
, went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in political science (with honors) from the University of Minnesota Duluth
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
in 1970, and a Juris Doctor
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
degree from the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
in 1973. Hatch was a lawyer in private practice and became the chairman of the State DFL Party in 1980, before Governor Rudy Perpich
Rudy Perpich
Rudolph George "Rudy" Perpich, Sr. was an American politician and the longest-serving governor of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he served as the 34th and 36th Governor of Minnesota from December 29, 1976 to January 4, 1979, and from January 3, 1983, to January 7, 1991...
appointed Hatch to his Cabinet as Commissioner of the state Department of Commerce, a position he served in from 1981-1989. In 1990 Hatch ran, and lost, in a primary against Perpich, and again in 1994, against John Marty
John Marty
This is the article about the State Senator from Minnesota. For the singer known as John Marty, see Marty StuartJohn J. Marty is a member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 54, which includes portions of Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area. As a...
. In 1998 he was elected as State Attorney General, a position to which he was re-elected in 2002.
For a short time in 1966, Hatch served with the Merchant Marine, eventually returning to the University of Minnesota Duluth
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
to finish his degree.
In 2005, he helped negotiate discounted hospital fees for uninsured
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
patients in the state. As of June 2005, 58 out of 140 Minnesota hospitals (which take in about 75% of the patients in the state) have agreed to the plan. Uninsured families that earn less than US$125,000 per year will now pay reduced rates—in many cases the best rates available if they had been insured. Signatories so far include Fairview Health Services
Fairview Health Services
Fairview Health Services is a network hospitals and clinics throughout the state of Minnesota. Fairview currently operates ten hospitals, forty eight primary care clinics and numerous specialty clinics in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area and greater Minnesota...
and the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
. Hennepin County Medical Center
Hennepin County Medical Center
Hennepin County Medical Center is a Level I trauma center based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the county seat of Hennepin County. The primary 422-bed facility is located on five city blocks across the street from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, with satellite clinics in Minneapolis, Brooklyn...
and HealthPartners
HealthPartners
HealthPartners is an integrated, nonprofit heath care provider located in Bloomington, Minnesota, offering a number of different heath care plans. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the United States. - History :...
are two of the largest hospital systems that have not yet agreed, but they are expected to do so in the near future.
Hatch and his wife Patti, an elementary school teacher, are the parents of three daughters.
2006 gubernatorial campaign
A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor PartyMinnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
(DFL), Hatch received the party endorsement in June, 2006 at the DFL state convention in Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
. The party's endorsement was not binding. In the battle for this endorsement, Hatch defeated state senators Steve Kelley and Becky Lourey
Becky Lourey
Becky Lourey is an American politician, a former Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party state senator and state representative, and a former Minnesota gubernatorial candidate. Her son, Matt, served in the U.S...
. Sen. Kelley conceded, but Sen. Becky Lourey indicated she would still run in the September primary. Hatch selected former state auditor Judi Dutcher (who had left the Republican party in 2000) as his lieutenant governor candidate, and went on to win the September primary.
On November 7, 2006, Hatch narrowly lost the general election, 47% to 46%, in a four-way race between himself, Pawlenty, the Independence Party candidate, Peter Hutchinson
Peter Hutchinson
Peter Hutchinson is an American politician, businessman and philanthropy executive from the U.S. state of Minnesota. He ran as the Independence Party of Minnesota candidate for Governor of Minnesota in 2006....
and the Green Party candidate, Ken Pentel
Ken Pentel
Ken Pentel is an American politician, and a candidate for Governor of Minnesota for the Ecology Democracy Party. Pentel was the gubernatorial candidate for the Green party three previous times, in 1998, 2002, and 2006.-Biography:...
.
Pawlenty made illegal immigration an issue, running ads accusing Hatch of trying to give college tuition to illegal immigrants. Hatch responded with an ad saying that illegal immigration laws had not been enforced under Pawlenty's tenure. Pawlenty has also ran ads accusing Hatch of being responsible for raising health care costs, a claim that Hatch refuted. Pawlenty campaigned on a record of leading the state through hard times, balancing record budget deficits without raising major state tax rates, and without diminishing the state's "nation-leading" status on most socio-economic indicators.
One of the biggest flaps in the campaign came when Hatch called a reporter a "Republican whore" for questioning him about his running mate, Judi Dutcher
Judi Dutcher
Judith H. Dutcher is an attorney and former politician who served as the Minnesota State Auditor from 1995 – 2003 as both a Republican and Democrat . She was the first woman to serve as Minnesota State Auditor....
's inability to identify E85
E85
E85 is an abbreviation for an ethanol fuel blend of up to 85% denatured ethanol fuel and gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume. E85 is commonly used by flex-fuel vehicles in the US, Canada, and Europe. Some of the benefits of E85 over conventional gasoline powered vehicles include the potential...
, which is an important component of Minnesota's economy.
Hatch ran ahead in Minneapolis, St. Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
and their inner-ring suburbs. He had big margins in the DFL strongholds around Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
and the Iron Range
Iron Range
The Iron Range is a region that makes up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...
. Pawlenty won by piling up big margins in suburban counties as well as in central and southern Minnesota regions anchored by St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
and Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
.
Dan Hofrenning, a political scientist from St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
in Northfield
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
, said it was noteworthy that Hatch turned in the best election performance by a DFL gubernatorial candidate in decades. According to Hofrenning, in the three previous gubernatorial elections, the DFL candidate never broke 40% in the polls.
In his concession speech, Hatch advocated that legislators get back to "sitting down and getting to know each other in private" in order to establish common ground for bipartisan legislation, and called for an end to partisan rancor. Had the Hatch/Dutcher ticket been successful, he stated that it would have been one of the first goals of his administration.
Hatch had announced plans to return to private law practice after his term ended in January 2007. He ruled out a future race for governor, yet kept open the possibility of public service in the future.
Electoral history
- 2006 Race for Governor - General Election
- Tim Pawlenty (R) 46.7%
- Mike Hatch (DFL), 45.7%
- 2006 Race for Governor - Democratic Primary
- Mike Hatch (DFL), 73%
- Becky LoureyBecky LoureyBecky Lourey is an American politician, a former Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party state senator and state representative, and a former Minnesota gubernatorial candidate. Her son, Matt, served in the U.S...
(DFL), 24%
- 2002 Race for state Attorney General
- Mike Hatch (DFL) (inc.), 55%
- Tom Kelly (R), 41%
- 1998 Race for state Attorney General
- Mike Hatch (DFL), 48%
- Charlie Weaver (R), 44%
- Jim Mangan (Reform), 6%