Dayton dismisses Parry remark on pills

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton is dismissing a GOP congressional candidate's portrayal of him as a pill popper as gutter politics.

Dayton struck back hard Tuesday at Mike Parry, a state senator locked in a tough primary to take on Rep. Tim Walz. On Monday, Parry described sitting across from Dayton at a meeting and watching him pop "15 to 16 pills." Parry called it "scary."

Dayton described Parry as "somebody who probably thinks he's losing an election in six days" who is trying to grab on to anything he can. The governor says Parry's remark "says a lot more about him than it does about me."

Dayton's spokesman Bob Hume says he doesn't know what Parry meant, but he says the governor sometimes takes antacids.

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