Minnesota Lawyer
Mike Parry
State Sen. Mike Parry has entered the race to challenge U.S. Rep. Tim Walz in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District.
The Rochester Post-Bulletin is reporting that Parry filed his paperwork today with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Republican in next year’s election. Parry won a special election to the Senate in 2010. He is chairman of the Senate State Government Innovation and Veterans Committee.
Walz, a Democrat, has served three terms representing the southern Minnesota district. Although the district has pockets of strong Republican support, Walz has managed to fend off challengers. Nonetheless, the seat is being targeted by Republicans. The National Republican Congressional Committee has done robo-calls in the district and has sent a steady stream of anti-Walz press releases.
Parry is the first Republican to launch a bid against Walz. State Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, is also mulling a run. Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, had been mentioned as a candidate, but is supporting Parry. For coverage of the race, please see Monday’s edition of Capitol Report, which will be available online this afternoon.
