Where are the gubernatorial candidates from Greater Minnesota?

Let’s review the people with candidacies for governor of Minnesota.

The Democrats are:

• Mark Dayton, incumbent from Minneapolis.

The Republicans are:

• Kurt Zellers, representative from Maple Grove and former House speaker.

• Rob Farnsworth, a teacher from Hibbing.

• Scott Honour, a businessman from Orono.

• Dave Thompson, a state senator from Lakeville.

• Jeff Johnson, a Hennepin County commissioner from Plymouth.

All but one are from the Twin Cities area.

Sure, Farnsworth is from Hibbing on the Iron Range, but he never has held elective office, not even school board or city council. He can’t be considered viable.

Greater Minnesota needs and deserves a voice or two in the statewide race. History shows that often the best governors for finding compromise came from Greater Minnesota. They aren’t as intransigent as the metro-based red and blue politicians, where divides can be sharp and grudges can last. Greater Minnesotans, in general, are accustomed to collaboration for the sake of community building. They find the middle ground. And they tend to think of the state as a whole, not merely the populous metropolitan areas.

Two Republican candidates we would like to see jump in the race are state Sen. Julie Rosen of Fairmont and former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert of Marshall.

Both have proven to be moderate Republicans capable of bipartisan leadership. Both have shown less of the divisiveness that metro politicians wear like a badge of honor.

We urge Rosen and Seifert to toss their hats in the ring for the sake of the entire state, for the metro area could use fair-minded, pragmatic, two-sided leadership just the same as the rest of Minnesota does.