Senator Dick Day admits many of his beliefs line up with those of the Republican Party, and of the ones of his opponent, but Day is visiting cities around the district, trying to get a sense of what people in small and large towns alike hold as important to them. And he’s trying to do it all before the primary election September 9, when he’ll face off against Republican-Party endorsed Brian Davis for the United States House of Representatives seat out of Minnesota. The winner will be placed on the ballot opposite DFL Congressman Tim Walz in the general election.

“(Starting out) I spent two days going to coffee shops and talking to people…and they wanted to talk about illegal immigration and the war,” Day said. “It totally switched. Now, they’re talking about energy and the economy.”

Day (R-Rochester) stopped by the Houston County News office last week to share his views on the top issues, and on the election itself. Concerning the war in Iraq, Day doesn’t believe a timetable is necessary, but will be upset if U.S. troops are still in the country a year from now. He thinks the war is coming to an end, but doesn’t think a specific day needs to be in place for withdrawal.

As far as energy, Day has said another nuclear power plant should be built in Minnesota. He’s also in favor of drilling for oil in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, but also believes in tapping into renewable energy sources, especially solar in the south, and wind energy, which is prevalent in southern Minnesota’s wind farms.

“I’m kind of like, let’s do it all,” Day said. “I have no problem with off-shore drilling. I love Florida. I go there every winter, but I don’t have a problem if somebody was to have an oil derek out a ways…I think we need to do all of them.”

Day’s other beliefs are in line with those of his Republican Party, and as a senator for 17 years, he’s voted on several of the hot-button issues. He’s pro-life and has voted accordingly, and his thoughts on stem cell research and traditional marriage mirror the party’s. But where Day doesn’t have the party’s support, is with its endorsement, which he doesn’t necessarily see as an issue.

“I don’t like endorsements,” he said. “There are 400,000 voters in the First District, and this is like 160 party insiders get together on a Saturday morning and say, ‘You’re it.’”

Day beat a 20-year incumbent in the Senate without going to the endorsement, and won in the primary without the endorsement. He’s never bought into the idea of this group of people ‘anointing’ who they best feel can represent the Republican Party, he said.

“If a person goes in and sees the ballot, he’ll see two names…and if he feels the party is more important than the individual, that’s it,” Day said. “I don’t, and I never have. I’m very comfortable in the decision I made by not going to the endorsing convention…I announced over two months ago that I wasn’t going to be there and I didn’t want it.”

Day has served on the Owatonna City Council, the Steele County Board of Commissioners, and eventually the Minnesota Senate, where he served for 10 years as Minority Leader. He’s is a retired salesman from IBM in Rochester, and has a wife Janet, and four children.