I didn't write about the special election in SD35, mostly because I live behind the iron curtain in SD41 and I'm only aware of one SD35 voter who regularly reads this feature. That reader is our friend Brad Carlson, who shares the disappointing news:
Two months ago the Republican delegates in SD 35 (of which I am one) voted to endorse activist (and, for purposes of full disclosure, my friend) Andy Aplikowski. However, Andy would have to overcome a GOP primary challenge from Jim Abeler, who served 16 years in the MN House before opting to run for U.S. Senate in 2014 (he was soundly defeated in that race's Republican primary).The party endorsement is often useless in Minnesota, especially since we have an open primary and the other party can mess with the results. That is likely what happened in SD35. Andy is a friend of mine as well and he would have made a great senator. You'll find no one who is more principled and enthusiastic and he would have fought for the right things. Abeler is a time server, at best, and also someone who has voted with the DFL at key junctures. I'm sure that Andy will find other ways to serve, as he always has. I don't know what Abeler will do, but I suspect it will only be intermittently useful to causes we hold dear.
Over the past several weeks I was asked by a number of my local political friends how I felt the campaign was progressing and if I had any sense of who would prevail. I always uttered the obvious retort by saying "It depends on turnout." That and the fact Abeler never had to win votes in Andover, which is a much more conservative part of the Senate District. If we can turn out enough people there to effectively offset purplish Anoka (Abeler's hometown, where he consistently dominated by 3 to 1 margins in prior elections), Andy might have a chance.
In the end, turnout in SD 35 was a paltry 10% of registered voters and Andy won ruby red Andover by a mere 3%.
Ballgame.
For the record, Abeler moves on as the Republican candidate in the special election February 9 thanks to a 61% to 39% win in the GOP primary.
4 comments:
Gotta respectfully disagree with you here. AA was clearly the worst candidate in the election and would have been a lightning rod not only in the upcoming election but in November as well. The Dems would have a field day mining Residual Forces for quotes showing how he, and by extension all Republicans, are out in the ozones. Last night's result was a win for Abeler but a much bigger win for the Republican party.
I hope that Andy goes back to being a committed activist and keeps himself out of the local media.
I'm not sure how to respond to an anonymous commenter, but I would say this — SD35 is one of the reddest districts in the state, so I think either candidate would win easily.
Andy can be cantankerous, but that's a feature, not a bug. I don't know Abeler personally, but I know his record and moderate Republicans are a dime a dozen. We hardly need more people who are willing to go along to get along with the metrocrat DFL.
Let's be serious here; don't the Democrats do a ton of investigations and trumpet their spin on it from the rooftops no matter what? Now I don't have time to go through Residual Forces myself and see if there is something genuinely appalling about Andy's perspective, but my guess is that he's simply a genuine conservative that will have Democrats howling because he upsets their apple cart.
And that is a feature, not a bug.
Why do you allow anonymous comments, and then whine about them?
It makes no sense.
Anon
Post a Comment