Governor Dayton Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM) - Governor Mark Dayton says he has appointments next week at the Mayo Clinic to discuss his treatment options for prostate cancer.

After he unveiled his nearly $46 billion budget proposal for the 2017 Minnesota Legislature, the governor revealed that a recent biopsy shows he has prostate cancer. Dayton told reporters he received the diagnosis last week and has plans to return to the Mayo Clinic for further consultations about his condition. The governor also made it clear he intends to complete his current term in office, which runs through next year.

When asked if he is still able to handle the responsibilities of the states top elected office, Dayton said, “I think I am. And if I don’t, I won’t continue, but I believe I am.” He also provoked laughter and applause from the audience when he joked, “when I had my hip surgery, there’s no brain cells in my hip, and there are probably no brain cells in my prostate either.,”

His announcement came a day after Governor Dayton collapsed while delivering his seventh State of the State address to a joint meeting of the Minnesota House and Senate Monday night. When asked if his cancer diagnosis could be connected to his fainting episode, Dayton says he believes they are “two separate issues.”

He says he was not experiencing any difficulties during his speech until a minute or so before his head drooped and struck the podium. The governor indicated he would be visiting the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday for tests to see if the cause for his fainting can be identified. Dayton is also joked that he had learned the lesson that his “speech was too long.”