Minnesota Lawyer
Ron Erhardt
Former state Rep. Ron Erhardt is considering a couple possible paths for his political future.
I reached Erhardt by phone yesterday at his Edina home. The former Republican representative lost his bid earlier this month for the DFL endorsement in District 41A to Kevin Staunton.
What’s next?
“Do you have a coin?” the ever wry Erhardt replied.
Needless to say, we didn’t settle his plans over a coin toss during our conversation. But Erhardt said he’s considering three options: He might run in the DFL primary against Staunton, run as an independent or not run at all.
Erhardt, who served nine terms in the House, was one of six Republicans who angered the party in 2008 when they voted with House DFLers to override GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of a transportation funding bill. Some local party officials, moreover, say that they opposed him before the transportation vote and note that the current incumbent Keith Downey, R-Edina, opened a campaign committee before the override attempt.
Erhardt lost the GOP endorsement in 2008 to Downey and ran as an independent in a three-way race with DFLer Staunton.
On March 6, Staunton garnered 81 percent of the vote at the DFL endorsing convention, according to Staunton’s campaign website.
