Being a former intern of the Minnesota Senate and House throughout the âÄô07 and âÄô08 sessions, I share Ole HovdeâÄôs passion for state government. I admire the tenacity of his campaign and respect his ability to create name recognition for himself against Phyllis Kahn, an opponent who often goes uncontested in district 59B. However, the University community must remember that Hovde is a self-proclaimed âÄúBush conservativeâÄù (see the Feb. 5 edition of The Minnesota Daily), a man who does not share common views with the majority of University students, most of whom would be his constituents if he were elected. Hovde promises improvements to the University like more bike lanes, more cops on patrol and more LGA (local government aid) for Minneapolis. My question is, Hovde, as a Republican, how can you accomplish these things while voting with the ultra-conservative minority leader of the house, Marty Seifert? We have seen what happens when GOP Representatives vote against Seifert, when last year Seifert stripped all eight state representatives of their leadership positions because of their votes to override Gov. Tim PawlentyâÄôs transportation bill veto. HovdeâÄôs idealism would be trumped by a dictatorial House GOP leadership. If weâÄôre looking for change in District 59B, we need a more moderate candidate to challenge Phyllis Kahn for the DFL endorsement, not a âÄúBush conservativeâÄù who will be forced to vote with the GOP. Nathaniel J. Hoffmann University Student