|
Marty Seifert Lays Out The Case For West Central Minnesota Republicans
Mike LeMieur (R-Little Falls), David Kircher (R-Long Prairie), and up in Wadena: Mark Murdock (R-10B)
Minnesota voters will have a choice for the House of Representatives in every single seat for the first time in history this year. Both parties were able to recruit a candidate in all 134 House districts. In western Minnesota, the GOP has high quality candidates that show contrast from the incumbents.
"We really want independent-minded public servants that respect the taxpayer, want to grow our economy, create jobs, treat our school kids fairly and reform health care," said House Minority Leader Marty Seifert. "All of our candidates reflect those values."
In District 11B, (all of Todd and part of Douglas Counties), former Todd County Sheriff and current Todd County Commissioner Dave Kircher will face off against Rep. MaryEllen Otremba (DFL-Long Prairie). Otremba is best known for voting to increase gas taxes by 42%, increasing license tab fees/registration taxes after first voting against them. Otremba was the key vote to over-ride the veto of Tim Pawlenty and enact one of the largest tax increases in years. Otremba has a rural district with low to middle income families, thus the large tax increase on working families will sting hard on the pocket-book. Most capitol observers feel Otremba just voted "party-line" in supporting the large tax increases, rather than sticking with her district as her first votes reflected. Kircher has been a frugal county board member and was a popular Sheriff. His expertise in law enforcement, local government, taxation policies and connections to the community puts him toward the top of the list on districts likely to switch this year.
In District 10B, including all of Wadena, a small portion of Becker and large piece Otter Tail Counties, an open seat was created by the retirement of Rep. Dean Simpson (R-New York Mills). Hardware store owner Mark Murdock will face off against one of three DFL candidates running in a primary that will be decided on September 9th. Murdock promises to bring the same business sense that Simpson brought to the House of Representatives. His top priorities include growing more jobs in his district, more equitable funding for schools and reform of health insurance. Since Murdock has employees on main street, he knows the expense and struggles that small businesses face in creating jobs and dealing with skyrocketing health insurance premiums. He has run an aggressive campaign, getting to parades, going door to door and raising funds. The divided DFL party has struggled in this are before and Republicans expect the mainstream Murdock to dominate in the fall election.
Probably the greatest opportunity for Republicans to gain a seat in the region lies in District 12B, which includes most of Morrison and the southern part of Crow Wing Counties. Freshman Al Doty (DFL-Royalton) will square off against Little Falls City Council President Mike LeMieur (R-Little Falls). Doty barely won the seat two years ago and has a voting record that is much more liberal than the area. Like all other DFLers, Doty voted to significantly increase taxes on working families. Virtually every tax increase that came to the legislature met approval from Doty. LeMieur, in contrast, has been a very frugal member of the Little Falls City Council. He has been a family-based, small business owner with his brothers, working on plumbing/heating/cooling for many years. LeMieur is strongly pro-life, which is a huge asset in this district. While LeMieur started later than most candidates, his work ethic is very strong, working full time and then campaigning at events and door to door aggressively. GOP leaders feel this district is one most likely to switch in the election, given Doty's strong allegiance to vote party over his district.
|
