Minnesota Lawyer
There will be no DFL endorsement prior to the primary contest to take over state Sen. Mee Moua‘s seat. The decision to not hold an endorsing convention was reached at a gathering of Senate District 67 Democrats last night. That means it will likely be a wide-open primary in the East Side St. Paul district. The area is heavily Democratic: Moua was elected to a second term in 2006 with 69 percent of the vote.
There are already two announced challengers: Jim McGowan, director of the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project, and Avi Viswanathan, an outreach coordinator for U.S. Sen. Al Franken.
The Pioneer Press suggests several other possible DFL candidates. Chris Crutchfield, who works for the Ramsey County Corrections department, is considering the contest. (He’s well known at the Capitol from his years working for former state Rep. Andy Dawkins). Mara Humphrey, who serves as a Ramsey County Conservation District Supervisor, is another name in the mix. And Ryan Kelly, son of former St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, is reportedly eyeing the contest.
**UPDATE**
The Pioneer Press is also reporting that retiring St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington is “considering” a run.
The Republicans have already settled on a candidate: Krysia Weidell. She works as an administrator at Pace Analytical Services and was endorsed by the GOP last week.
