I was working on a post about the DFL primary in Minnesota House District 26A, when a story about the Republican primary on the other half of the Senate district crossed my path.
Back in April, Bluestem posted Incumbent Davids loses MN House District 26B GOP endorsement to Fillmore County Chair. That county chair is Gary Steuart.
Not long after, the Post Bulletin's Matt Stolle filled in the details about the district's Republican endorsement as I noted in Update: Post Bulletin provides more details on Greg Davids losing Republican endorsement.
Now Stolle scrutinizes Steuart's past business dealings in Gary Steuart defeated Rep. Greg Davids for GOP endorsement; he also has a checkered financial history:
Over the decades, Steuart's lotion and cream business struggled with bankruptcies, unpaid debts. He says it was a learning process.
MABEL, Minn. — Gary Steuart, a state House candidate who shook up the local political scene by defeating longtime incumbent Rep. Greg Davids for the local GOP Party’s endorsement, has left a trail of bankruptcies, liens and lawsuits for unpaid debts over a three-decade business career, according to documents obtained by the Rochester Post Bulletin.
Steuart, a Mabel businessman, and Davids, a Preston business/farm owner, will face off in a primary on Aug. 13. The winner will face the winner of the DFL primary, between Eric Leitzen and Allie Wolf, in the November election.
In all, Steuart’s financial history has included two bankruptcies, two lawsuits for unpaid debts and four federal and state liens filed against him in Minnesota and California, related to a business venture called Steuart Labs, a maker and retail outlet for healing lotions and cream.
Steuart, 75, disputed the idea that his checkered financial history should be weighed against him by voters in deciding who to send to the Minnesota Legislature from his district. State legislators are primarily responsible for managing money to the tune of a $70 billion state budget. . . .
Read the rest at the Post Bulletin in the Subscribers Only article ( Bluestem recommends a subscription for anyone interested in rural Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota) politics, since a subscription to any Forum Communications paper gains the reader access to all venues in the company's news network).
Steuart advances the idea that having endured financial setbacks in tough times provides a good background for crafting legislative budgets. Stolle captures his opponent's perspective as well. While Davids would not cast judgement on that history, " 'I would not put him in charge of my finances,' Davids said."
The businessman came to Bluestem's attention several times in the past, given the late Jim Hagedorn's past political and business dealings with Steuart. In 2020, I posted In 2019 Small Business Week event, Hagedorn happy to learn about one in which he was once an minority owner.
The next year, Steuart broke with Hagedorn to support someone other than his wife Jennifer Carnahan's bid for reelection as Republican Party of Minnesota chair. Bluestem posted about the schism in Longtime Hagedorn business & political ally in Fillmore County endorses Koran for state chai.
Bluestem will look forward to learn what voters decide in August's primaries in both sides of Senate District 26.
Photo: Gary Steuart, via the Gary Steuart for Minnesota House 26B campaign website.
- Update: Post Bulletin provides more details on Greg Davids losing Republican endorsement
- Incumbent Davids loses MN House District 26B GOP endorsement to Fillmore County Chair.
- Greg Davids and ALEC: SE MN representative was Minnesota legislative state chair in 1992
- Guy who ruled Daudt's mute button was in order now opposes restrictions on who can talk
- In 2019 Small Business Week event, Hagedorn happy to learn about one in which he was once an minority owner
- Longtime Hagedorn business & political ally in Fillmore County endorses Koran for state chair
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