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dflprincess

(28,475 posts)
Tue Aug 2, 2016, 09:45 PM Aug 2016

Don't forget, we have a primary election on August 9

(or you can vote now as early voting is open).

I fear that many Minnesotans aren't even aware of it. There is one statewide race on the ballot, for one of the Supreme Court seats.
I strongly urge you to get out and vote for Natalie Hudson (who was appointed by Dayton).

My district does have a primary in the state house race and, as the Republicans don't I have a real concern that the "true believers" will cross over and vote for the weaker DFLer in that race. If you live in 50B, make sure you get out and vote for Andrew Carlson.

If you live in Bloomington, Richfield and some parts of Eden Prairie, the DFL endorsed candidate for the Hennepin County Commission District 5 seat is Debbie Goettel. This is technically a non-partisan race and there are 6 candidates running, top two will go to the general election in November. Debbie has been the mayor of Richfield for many years and is the only DFLer running.

https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2016/08/minnesota-supreme-court-primary-may-be-most-important-election-nobodys-heard
[div class = "excerpt"]
Historically speaking, Minnesota Supreme Court justices running for re-election don’t have a whole lot to worry about: An incumbent hasn’t lost a re-election bid since the 1940s.

But some supporters of incumbent Associate Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson worry that this year could be different.

On Aug. 9, Hudson faces two challengers in her bid to serve again on the state’s highest court: attorney Craig Foss, who says he’s running because he can’t find a job, and attorney Michelle MacDonald, who ran an unsuccessful bid for the state’s highest court in 2014 that MinnPost’s Doug Grow called “one of the most bizarre campaigns in state history.”

Of the three candidates running for the slot, Hudson is the only one with experience as an elected judge — and the only one actively fundraising for her campaign to retain her seat, according state campaign finance records.

But those efforts may not matter: In this primary, only the top two vote getters’ names will advance to the general ballot. With no other statewide primary on the ballot, voter turnout in general is expected to be low — and in judicial elections, the number of people voting always tends to be lower.

What this means for the Supreme Court race: The random choices of a very small number of voters — or a determined effort by a small group of activists — could have outsized influence on the result, and could even cut Hudson out of the general election.


More at the link.

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