Dayton, who pledged to dedicate state surplus funds to higher education, trails in the latest polls, holding on to 3 percent of Democratic voters. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman leads with 48 percent, followed by Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III at 35 percent. Every time I turn around I'm being marked down again. The former state auditor said he is not contending for his party's endorsement at the Democratic State Convention in June. Instead, Dayton set his sights on the September primary.
Freeman is the only Democratic candidate that promised to respect the party's endorsement.
The rest plan on running in the primary regardless of the state convention's outcome.