NOTE: I will keep the mistake I made below to show I can be sloppy. 4th District Rep Jill Lofald is running unopposed. It is the 1st District’s Rosie Loeffler Kemp who faces the candidate who does not want to share her address with the public.
A friend sent me the news that Loren Martel filed after I did on today’s last day of filing. Like me he’s running at large. Because there will be two at-large positions to elect four candidates would not require a primary. Loren makes it five candidates so all five of us will be on an august primary ballot. One will drop off taking us back to four for the general election in November.
Loren like me has become a perennial candidate. This may be his sixth run. I you check his name in my blog you will see many mentions of him between 2009 and 2021. I endorsed him that last election. Now because there are two at large seats we are nominally each other’s competitors. In 2010 I wrote a post saying he had taken over from me as the “Cassandra” of the Red Plan. My most sympathetic piece was Loren’s Heartbreak concerning what he gave up to spend time with the Let Duluth Vote group back when we first made each other’s acquaintance.
I have more complicated feelings now. I am sympathetic to Democrats. My Congressional Campaign card said “I like Democrats.” Loren? Not so much. I saw Loren at recent Republican conventions where he smiled knowingly at me because to his eyes I was so out of place in a location with people enraptured about Donald Trump. But, like me with my unwillingness to let Stauber off the hook for his spineless treason Loren can’t forgive the Democrats for not opposing the Red Plan.
Its not that simple. I don’t forget but grudges are not my style and besides my happiest election was Obama to the presidency and there is a tie to the Red Plan in 2008. That year I went to the Democratic precinct caucuses to support Barack Obama. I was thrilled to discover that many of the caucuses voted for resolutions calling for a vote on the Red Plan. The same things was happening in the Republican caucuses I skipped that year.
There is Trumpy, public school panicked candidate who filed against Jane Lofald in the far west district Art Johnston once owned. She refused to let anyone see her address for fear of harassment. I know because I was asked if I wanted to withhold mine today. It was hard not to laugh at that. She has been supported by this group. I think one of their top priorities is fighting trans kids.
I certainly support this candidate’s incumbent opponent Jill Lofald. Beloved is not too delicate a word for how many people regard her.
As for the rest……I’m on my own. I have nothing against any of the incumbents. I’m a candidate because I think this District could use my deep knowledge and I think voters know that despite my perceived unorthodoxy I’m as honest as they come.
Ah. Here’s the District’s list of candidates with the semi-anonymous housing of a 1st District candidate.
Cut off on the far right are the District offices the candidates filed for. Five of us are at-large necessitating the August primary to reduce us to a manageable 4 for the November ballot.