Primary Elections are on Tuesday September 9th. Polls open at 7:00 Am and close at 8:00 PM.
Primary elections are unfortunately shunned by the majority of the electorate, with only about 25% of eligible voters getting out to vote. This year’s primary features some interesting races, though. Most notably are probably the couple primary battles that erupted in the aftermath of the so-called "override six." Six Republican legislators broke ranks and voted with House Democrats to override the governor’s veto of a massive $6.6 billion tax hike. Several lost their party’s endorsement.
In District 48B, Jim Abeler was not endorsed by his party. Neither was challenger Don Huizenga, with delegates unable to reach the 60% threshold one way or the other, they voted for no endorsement. This leaves Abeler to defend his override vote against Huizenga in the primary.
The Edina area produced two Republican lawmakers who sided with Democrats on the transportation bill veto override. Ron Erhardt of District 41A who was denied endorsement in favor of Keith Downey. Erhardt will run as an independent, dodging a primary challenge. Neil Peterson in 41B also lost his party’s endorsement over the override but is running in the primary against endorsed candidate Jan Schneider.
Eccentric ultra-liberal Phyllis Kahn, the frequent butt of talk radio jokes faces a primary challenge in 59B. The 18 term legislator, noted for seeking funds for street lighting that "preserves the natural night environment," pushing an astroturf study and perennially introduceing a bill to lower the voting age to 16 will face politically well-connected Joel Rainville.
First term liberal legislator Willie Dominguez faces a challenge from attorney Bobby Joe Champion in 58B.
Senator Norm Coleman and DFL endorsed Senate candidate Al Franken both have primaries to contend with, but Coleman’s lone primary opponent is fugitive dentist turned sex-criminal and accused arsonist Jack Shepard who now resides in Italy. Franken makes some in his party nervous and has five challengers for the DFL ballot slot. Priscilla Lord Faris began running a strong campaign, but seems to have dropped off.
Of course, other important primary contests are going to unfold all across the state. Even if the other races don’t have as much sizzle, they are still just as important. Make sure you make it to the polls and support the conservative candidates in your district’s primary. We can’t vote for the best candidates in November if they don’t make it onto the ballot on Tuesday.
Take Action: Check the Poll Finder to learn where you vote in your precinct and don’t forget to get out and cast your ballot.