NEW ULM - There is an old public relations maxim that "There is no such thing as bad publicity."
Rob Hahn, who is running in the Independence Party primary for governor, might dispute that. Hahn, who is challenging the IP's endorsed candidate Tom Horner for the nomination, has been dealing this week with the reports that his ex-wife has an order for protection against him, stemming from a March 2009 domestic abuse complaint. The Star Tribune reported on Thursday that Megan Elizabeth Hahn's order claims Hahn pushed her against a wall, screamed in her face, broke two phones to keep her from calling for help and yelled, as she ran from the house, "You're (expletive) lucky I didn't kill you."
Hahn addressed the issue in a news conference on Thursday, and repeated in an interview in New Ulm that "I was wrong. I made a mistake."
He has never disputed or challenged the order for protection, he said, and he spoke about the incident in a March 2010 rally on family law issues on the Capitol steps in St. Paul.
"To me, it's not just the mistake, it's what you do after the mistake," said Hahn.
"Within a day or so after this, I voluntarily enrolled in a program at the Domestic Abuse Project."
Hahn said the incident was a one-time event, that he and his wife had no history of abuse.
"We were going through a divorce, and the emotions got the worst of me so I voluntarily enrolled. I did not fight the order for protection," said Hahn. He points out that he voluntarily went to the police to pick up the copy of the order rather than waiting for it to be served.
Hahn said he does not have an anger problem, and that he is fit to run the state if elected.
Hahn has made the issue part of his campaign. His comments at the March family law rally where he speaks about the incident were videotaped and are available on his web site. He wishes the news media would have paid more attention then, "but I was an unknown candidate back then."
Hahn is working to make headway against Horner for the IP nod. Horner, a former Republican strategist, is pulling about 10 to 12 percent preference numbers against DFL and Republican hopefuls.
Hahn unveiled proposals this week to address the issue of a stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, a hot-button issue in any political year, but especially so in a year when the state is facing a $6 billion deficit in the upcoming biennium.
Hahn explores three options: building a new stadium in downtown Minneapolis on the site of the current Metrodome; expanding the University of Minnesota's TCF Stadium that opened last season, or building a multi-purpose facility for football, entertainment and retail.
Hahn would have the state spending $200 to $300 million in these scenarios. The money would come from an expansion of gambling, either by expanding gambling to include a Racino, riverboat gambling or E-Tabs (electronic pull tabs). Or, he would be willing to sit down with the tribal casino operators to redraw the state's gambling compact with them.
He admits that expanding gambling has been even less popular in the Legislature than stadium legislation, and that Indian communities have little incentive to redraw their agreement with the state to cut the state in on the revenues they now receive.
Hahn also said he has not spoken with the Vikings, the University of Minnesota or other possible stakeholders in his stadium plan, but he said it is an issue that needs to be addressed this year.
Horner apparently agrees. He also issued a statement of "leadership principles" for a new Viking stadium on Thursday, calling for a cooperative effort between the Vikings, the NFL, the business community and the public.
"The stadium decision needs to be made during the 2011 Legislative session," said Horner. "However, funding for the stadium will not come at the expense of funding core services, including economic development and job creation, education, health care, human services, infrastructure, and the environment."
Horner said revenue for the state's share of a new stadium would have to come from sources outside income, sales and property tax. Options could include a penny per drink liquor tax, a ticket tax on stadium events, revenues from Racino, and stadium revenues from non-Viking events.