Minnesota Lawyer
Dick Day
Republicans and DFLers in Minnesota Senate District 26 endorsed candidates last night to run for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Dick Day, a six-term Republican from Owatonna.
The GOP endorsed Waseca businessman Michael Parry, a former member of the Waseca City Council, and the DFL candidate will be Jason Engbrecht of Faribault, a physics professor at St. Olaf College in Northfield.
Day announced early this month that he would resign his Senate seat to head the nonprofit Racino Now, which will lobby for slot machines at Minnesota’s two horse-racing tracks. Gov. Tim Pawlenty set a special election to fill Day’s seat for Jan. 26.
The race will be at least a three-way one: Waseca Mayor Roy Srp filed papers earlier this month to run for the seat as a member of the Independence Party.
As of Monday, Engbrecht had not yet registered with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board to run; he has until the close of business today to file the necessary paperwork.
Another Republican candidate, Faribault City Councilman Steve Underdahl, filed with the board last week to run for the District 26 seat; he said today that his campaign committee will be dissolved.
