Election: Judicial candidates were generally well-behaved 

Posted: 1:00 am Mon, November 10, 2008
By Dan Heilman

One new aspect to the state’s judicial races was the institution by the Minnesota State Bar Association of a Judicial Campaign Conduct Committee, formed to monitor and comment on judicial candidates’ behavior during judicial campaigns.

Detroit Lakes attorney David Stowman, who chaired the nascent committee, said he was “generally pleased” with how judicial candidates conducted themselves during the campaign. In a small handful of cases, candidates were asked by the committee to modify campaign materials to conform to its standards, and that willingly complied.

“The candidates were receptive,” Stowman said. “They wanted to run a decent campaign.”

He said the goal in the next judicial campaign is to have candidates agree to be available for face-to-face meetings with their opponents to hash out any disputes before they disrupt the campaign.

“The candidates have shown that they can talk like adults, like professionals,” he said. “Our goal is to have every campaign conducted with the dignity of the office they’re seeking.”