After fainting before a statewide audience Monday and sharing a cancer diagnosis Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton received an outpouring of well-wishes from the powerful, his political opponents and the people of the state.
“The outpouring of support and concern has been extremely wonderful, very wonderful. A lot of just good Minnesotans have commented or Facebooked or emailed, and I thank everybody who has expressed their concern,” Dayton said Wednesday morning.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor governor said that former President Bill Clinton called him personally, as did staffers on behalf of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Michelle Obama. In phone calls or through intermediaries, he also heard from Vice President Mike Pence; Sens. Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar and Bob Graham; and Govs. Scott Walker, Terry Branstad, Terry McAuliffe and Doug Burgum.
Friends, legislators and family also have rallied around the governor.
“I got flowers from the Senate Republican Caucus — very nice — and I got flowers from Rep. Mary Franson — very, very nice,” Dayton said. Franson is a Republican from Alexandria.
Franson told the Pioneer Press: “We can disagree about policies, but that does not negate the fact that we are human beings.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, whom Dayton beat in the 2010 gubernatorial election, tweeted: “I know firsthand that he’s a fighter & will face this disease head on.”
Dayton, who will turn 70 on Thursday, collapsed Monday evening during his State of the State address, abruptly ending the statewide, televised address. The next day, he returned to the Capitol to present his $45.8 billion budget and revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer the week before.
Both he and the Mayo Clinic, where Dayton goes for medical care, said his Monday fainting spell was unrelated to the cancer. Dayton and his doctors will determine the course of treatment for the prostate cancer next week. He has repeatedly said in recent days that he plans to serve out the rest of his two-year term.
The governor was back to work Wednesday. He began his morning by addressing an educators conference on bullying, hinting that his administration might have more proposals to make schools safer.
With the media afterward, he remarked on his budget plans, the health insurance relief proposal making its way through the Legislature — he’ll sign it — and the protest-related measures lawmakers have proposed — he has some concerns.
The governor opened his remarks to the educators by joking about the media presence for his early-morning appearance.
“I’m told there are quite a number of the press here today. I was debating whether they’re here to hear my speech or to see whether I pass out,” Dayton said. “I sort of think maybe it’s the latter.”
After brief remarks to the teachers and other school staff, Dayton exited the conference room. The educators gave him a standing ovation.