Guffaws of laughter broke out as state Sen. Dean Johnson made a midmorning appearance at the Town Talk Cafe, slapping backs and trading insults with the regulars.

It was the kind of reception Johnson is used to getting around these parts, where the 59-year-old lawmaker is an institution known to most simply as "Dean."

But the old-buddy warmth evaporated quickly outside the Town Talk, evidence of the tough fight Johnson faces if he is to return as leader of the Senate's Democratic majority.

Many voters in this conservative-leaning district are irked by Johnson's positions on gay marriage and abortion. His opponent in Tuesday's primary, retired state trooper Michael Cruze, has made them central issues, and he's getting plenty of outside help from groups such as Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.

"Dean Johnson is going to find out that the majority of people in District 13 care about these traditional family values," said Jackie Cain, an anti-abortion activist who's helping Cruze. "I think it means more to us than having money in our pocket."

Johnson has blocked a statewide vote to ban same-sex unions. In the last session, he also stirred the opposition of abortion foes, who say he prevented a critical Senate vote on their top-priority bill to prohibit publicly funded abortions.

Voters in Johnson's turkey-farming district in west central Minnesota have been hearing radio ads tying him to the deaths of unborn babies. They're also hearing snippets of Johnson caught on tape telling a group of pastors that state Supreme Court justices told him they wouldn't overturn a state law defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

That surreptitious recording led to a hubbub at the Capitol earlier this year, including an ethics complaint against Johnson and an investigation of the state's highest court. Johnson - who said he was guilty of "sanding off the truth" - apologized publicly on the Senate floor. A state board found no evidence that the justices improperly discussed the law with him.

In some circles, the incident hardened opposition against Johnson, a former Republican who has represented the area in St. Paul for almost 28 years. If Johnson wins the primary, social conservatives say they will support his Republican opponent, Joe Gimse, in November.

"We've got two shots in every election and we wanted to make sure we take both of them," said Scott Fischbach, executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, which has run radio ads against Johnson on abortion.

Cruze said dissatisfaction over the marriage and abortion issues prompted him to run. Local Democrats have accused him of being a Republican in disguise - a charge he denies, although he had a Bush sign in his yard two years ago. He said he's a "very conservative" Democrat. Aside from social issues, he says he wants to help homeowners with property taxes and promote ethanol to reduce dependence on oil.

"I've got people greeting me in the store, saying you're going to win, thanks for running," Cruze said. "It's really kind of heartening to hear this because I'm going up against a giant of a politician."

He's a longtime pastor at Calvary Lutheran Church and a brigadier general and chaplain in the Army National Guard. At the grocery store, a pair of constituents he never met came up to say hello. Another woman told him if he really wanted to be helpful, he could bag her groceries.

Johnson has already been re-elected twice since he left the GOP in early 2000 over the party's focus on social issues. Democrats elevated him to be their leader in early 2004, despite his opposition to abortion rights, which puts him at odds with many caucus members.

Leading a caucus that includes liberal urban Democrats while also representing a socially conservative rural area is tricky - and it's turned Johnson into a target for Republicans, who passed out sandpaper after his mea culpa over the gay marriage flap.

Johnson described himself as "a pro-life conservative to moderate Democrat out here in a swing district." His plans last week included teaching a confirmation class of 10th graders about marriage and family.

He said the radio ads on abortion distort his record as an abortion opponent. He co-sponsored legislation to fund crisis pregnancy centers that discourage abortion and voted for a bill requiring women to get information and wait at least 24 hours before having an abortion.

"That would be disastrous for our community if he's not voted in," said Gary Means, who owns a tire shop in Willmar. "We'd be off the map again for about 10 years. He's done a lot for our community, businesses and everything else."

That get-things-done message is central to Johnson's campaign, which cites his work to get state money for such projects as a new Willmar municipal airport and a wider Highway 23.

"Maybe you don't like Dean Johnson, but he's getting some stuff done for you - for the economics and the well-being of west central Minnesota," Johnson said. "You've got the majority leader. Like him or not, he's going to work for you."

Johnson had more than 10 times as much money as Cruze when they reported their fundraising numbers in mid-August. Cruze said he couldn't even afford lawn signs, and he and his wife are running the campaign themselves. He's getting outside help from groups such as Truth Pac, an anti-Johnson effort started by MCCL lobbyist Laura Gese.

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