Early voting starts in crowded primary for open Minneapolis Senate seat
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Early voting starts Thursday in a snap special primary election to fill a vacant Senate seat in Northeast Minneapolis.
State of play: Eight Democrats are battling to succeed former Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, who died in December following close to two years of treatment for ovarian cancer.
- While two Republicans are also competing to be the party's nominee on the Jan. 28 ballot, the winner of the DFL primary is almost certain to win the seat given the political lean of the district.
The big picture: The Senate will be tied 33-33 until the seat is filled at the end of January.
Zoom in: The eight-way primary race has divided prominent Minneapolis and statewide Democrats. Candidates racking up key endorsements so far include:
- Doron Clark, a former Senate District 60 DFL chair whose backers include City Council President Elliott Payne and Council Members Emily Koski and Jason Chavez. He won the DFL endorsement Wednesday night.
- Monica Meyer, political director of the legal advocacy group Gender Justice, has the backing of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Mayor Jacob Frey, as well as state Rep. Sydney Jordan and Council Members Robin Wonsley and Jeremiah Ellison.
- Peter Wagenius, legislative and political director at the Minnesota chapter of the Sierra Club. Wagenius, the son of a former DFL state representative, counts Attorney General Keith Ellison and Council Member Katie Cashman among his backers.
The latest: Another candidate, community organizer Mohamed Jama, dropped out Wednesday following a legal challenge over his residency.
The bottom line: Election officials encourage voters to cast or drop their early ballot in person instead of by mail given the short runway before the Jan. 14 primary.
- Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services and the Hennepin County Government Center will offer in-person voting daily through Monday.