In a forum more noteworthy for its political gamesmanship than for its informative debate, the eight candidates vying to succeed retiring state Sen. Wes Skoglund gathered Wednesday at the Communications Workers of America union hall for the last debate before the April 1 district convention.

The candidates—Wally Storbakken, Patricia Torres Ray, Tom Westcott, Earl Netwal, Alex Eaton, Matt Gladue, Scott Benson, and Tina Sanz—fielded a narrow range of questions from the standing-room-only crowd, focusing largely on protecting social services, empowering women and minorities in government, and fighting the right-wing powers in the legislature.

As in the February forum that featured six of these candidates, there was little in the way of divergent opinions beyond their personal style and ability to articulate a vision. Storbakken, a self-employed consultant and a late entry into the race, cited a “passion that is uncommon among the two major political parties” and told the crowd that voters could “make history” by sending him, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, to the legislature. Westcott, a local Toyota employee and another late entry into the race, touted his support for arts education and universal health care and vowed that he “would never vote to close the Ford plant.”

The other six candidates essentially reprised their positions from the earlier forum, with Netwal staking out a position as a loyal DFL activist with strong outstate economic development credentials, Eaton describing himself as a “proactive DFLer” bringing “fundamental change” to the legislature, Gladue vowing to bring a more collaborative approach to governing, Benson stressing his experience on the City Council as a “proven and effective leader,” and Sanz focusing on her “behind-the-scenes” approach to labor and community activism.

But it was Ray who hauled out the big artillery, touting her immigrant roots and “unique” voice, and mobilizing scores of supporters who were not shy about lobbing softball questions toward the candidates designed to highlight the need for more diversity in the party and to play to Ray’s strengths in the area of child and family welfare (she’s a 16-year veteran of the state Department of Human Services).

Asked by a Ray supporter what they have done to “increase diversity” in Minnesota, the candidates had little to say beyond citing their organizational work (Gladue’s a member of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission, Storbakken led the DFL’s affirmative action effort) or personal trials (Benson talked about coming out as a young gay man), while Ray proudly declared, “I believe I have walked the walk on this issue.”

On the question of how to bring a “woman’s perspective” into the Senate, Netwal noted that he was a charter member of the DFL Feminist Caucus, Benson said he had helped elect several women candidates, but Ray was more blunt: “To get a woman to the Senate, you choose one,” she said, to the delight of her robust contingent.

A couple of non-Ray supporters were able to squeeze in questions on drug policy and gay marriage, which elicited mostly predictable responses—except from Westcott, an unpolished blue-collar character who proudly declared that he opposed legalizing medical marijuana, and from the ordinarily subdued Netwal, who stirred the crowd when he said, “On the gay marriage amendment, I’ll quote Nancy Reagan: ‘Just say no.’”

But this was a night for audacious political gamesmanship, a fact driven home by another Ray partisan who asked the assembled throng, “How many Latina women are in the state legislature?” Pausing for effect, she replied to her own rhetorical question. “Zero.”

She went on to ask the candidates what they would do to “help families and young kids,” a query that elicited various replies (increase early childhood education funding, promote affordable child care, create universal health insurance). Ray, for her part, chose to stress the misguided policies of the Pawlenty administration while referring to the gains the state had made during her tenure in the Department of Human Services. “Everything we’ve done in the past 25 years in child programs has been undone in the last administration,” she said.

But Storbakken, to his credit, refused to play it straight. “I don’t know if that question was designed for any candidate in particular,” he deadpanned. “But there are no Native Americans at the legislature, either.”

The crowd roared.

Ray’s supporters remained feisty to the end, even giving their candidate spirited applause when she, in what appeared to be a moment of confusion, stated she would oppose an increase in the gas tax (a position, by the way, she shared with Storbakken, who noted that low-income people are already hurt by high gasoline prices). Other candidates deftly conditioned their support for an increase on passage of a constitutional amendment that would dedicate the tax to road construction and mass transit.

Despite a few missteps, the evening appeared to be a virtuoso performance of hardball politics by the Ray campaign, a fact that did not go unnoticed by some veteran DFL insiders. One longtime local political operative asked a Ray supporter after the forum, “Is there room for us men in the party anymore?”

He was assured that there was—so long as they voted for the right woman.

The DFL District 62 convention will be held April 1 at Roosevelt High School, 4029 28th Ave. S., beginning at 9 a.m. For more information go to www.dfl.org.