About three weeks ago, friends in Blue Earth County approached me about a potential DFL candidate to challenge Senator Julie Rosen in Senate District 23 who needed to know more about the process of running for office. It appeared from news reports and information online at the Campaign Finance Board that no one was stepping out to run against Rosen.
I learned from our phone conversation that Barb Lake of Mapleton is a reporter for the local paper whose background in education and strong working class/labor values are in line with the DFL. She's also well-educated, articulate, funny and tough, and after some discussion with her supporters and me, she agreed to run for office.
Only on the Friday that she filed at the Blue Earth County courthouse did she learn that there was another DFL candidate, when the county auditor mentioned that another person had filed. After some deliberation, Lake decided to remain in the race for the nomination in the August 9 primary--and hopefully the race against Rosen. After all, the governor challenged the endorsed DFL candidate in 2010, so a primary bid isn't taboo in progressive politics.
The other DFL candidate is John Lillis, who was endorsed by the DFL on May 9, but who had done little to make news known of his endorsement and his campaign prior to filing. This news item at KSUM/KFMC radio in Blue Earth was the only notice of the endorsement.
Lake began putting together a campaign committee, and for the moment, beginning Wednesday evening, I've agreed to be her committee chair. The hope is that I'll step out of the role as another supporter steps forward. This is an unpaid position.
To avoid conflicts of interest, I won't be writing about the race or Senator Rosen for the duration. As I have never asked for Minnesota House or Senate media credentials, the secretaries of the Senate and the House won't have to fret about a violation of their media credentialing policies. I won't be asking for media passes for Farmfest or other events as well, since I don't believe I qualify given this direct campaign involvement. (Involvement in a campaign isn't unprecedented in Minnesota's blogosphere, and the example for disclosure set by blogger Aaron Brown is a great model).
The Lake committee was registered with the board yesterday and is one of two committeesfor Senate District 23 as of early June 17, 2016, as the screengrab at the top of this post illustrates.
It's possible that the other DFL candidate's complete committee registration could appear today in that list. Lillis does have an incomplete registration with the Campaign Finance Board so it can be assumed he's working on the details, as he ought to have been since receiving the party's endorsement on May 9.
Update: The Lillis campaign completed its registration on June 17 (after this post was published on Friday morning) and is dated June 17. Lillis is his own chair (totally legal) and Nancy Etherington of Good Thunder is the treasurer. The campaign does not have a website. [end update]
As of now, At the time we posted this, the date of registration is was blank, there are no committee chair and treasurer, and no depository for checks:
Lake will be launching her campaign next week and I hope that Lillis does as well. It's important for the DFL voters to know about both candidates and where they stand on issues.
Photo: Screengrab of the candidates registered with the Campaign Finance Board as of 7:51 a.m. on Friday, June 17, 2016.
Bluestem Prairie is conducting its summer fundraising drive. If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen P.O. Box 108, Maynard MN 56260) or use the paypal button below:
Email subscribers can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen at gmail.com as recipient.
Comments