DFL union leader Erik Simonson seemed to have all the right support lined up for his bid for the House District 7B seat early this week, but he might face competition for the DFL Party backing this weekend after his estranged daughter claimed he abandoned her in a Duluth News Tribune story.

DFLers plan to endorse a new candidate in Duluth’s House District 7B on Saturday in the wake of a sex scandal that led incumbent DFL Rep. Kerry Gauthier to suspend his bid for reelection.

It’s been a dizzying 10 days for Democrats in Minnesota. It was back on August 15 that news reports first indicated that first-term DFL Rep. Kerry Gauthier was investigated – but not charged – by police for having oral sex with a 17-year-old male at a public rest stop.

Embattled DFL Rep. Kerry Gauthier shocked nearly everyone in the Minnesota political firmament on Wednesday morning when he announced that he plans to seek reelection to his seat in the state House of Representatives. The announcement came one week after it was publicly reported that Gauthier had been investigated by Duluth police following an incident in which he used a Craigslist ad to meet and have oral sex with a 17-year-old male at an area rest stop.

Daniel Fanning has dropped his DFL bid to challenge U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District.

Former state Rep. Frank Moe has endorsed Daniel Fanning's DFL bid for Congress in the 8th Congressional District. Moe, who is now a dogsled guide near Grand Marais, is a noted conservationist.

The notion that Tarryl Clark is gunning for the DFL endorsement in her quest for Congress has all but been abandoned by party activists in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District.

In a campaign that has been defined by endorsements, Nolan announced Gauthier's support late last week. Gauthier, a social services worker and former Duluth City Councilor, is serving his first term in the Legislature.

Fanning, who officially announced he was running for the seat earlier this week, was endorsed Friday by Chisholm Mayor Michael Jugovich and Buhl Mayor Craig Pulford.

With the entry of Daniel Fanning into the 8th Congressional District race, the DFL field seeking to challenge U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack next year has grown more populous and more complex.