SD49 Republicans dump Johnson on second ballot

Charley Shaw//February 15, 2010//

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Republicans in Senate District 49 on Saturday endorsed incumbent GOP Sen. Debbie Johnson’s intra-party challenger.

Michelle Benson of Ham Lake received the party’s endorsement.

Benson clinched the endorsement on the second ballot, according to a District 49 GOP official.

Benson has been active in GOP politics, including serving as campaign manager for Rep. Peggy Scott’s 2008 campaign, according to a report in ABC Newspapers.

Johnson, also from Ham Lake, was first elected to the Senate in 2000.

Update: Johnson told PIM it’s “too soon” for her to announce if she either plans to abide by the endorsement or run in the primary. A spokesman for the Minnesota Republican Party, however, said Johnson promised at the endorsing convention to abide by the party’s endorsement.