The continued technical difficulties come at a critical point for the exchange.

Kelly Fenton brought two distinct abilities to the table in Ted Lillie’s 2010 successful state senate campaign against incumbent DFLer Kathy Saltzman — a connection to the Woodbury community and the ability to craft a winning message, he said.

The sex offender task force's final recommendations emphasized the importance of separating the civil commitment process from the risk of political interference.

Fenton, of Woodbury, said Monday that her last day as deputy chair will be Jan. 1. She is running for the House District 53B seat next fall after incumbent GOP Rep. Andrea Kieffer announced she would not seek re-election. Fenton initially said she would continue as deputy chairwoman during her run for the House.

It’s not too early to start campaigning for the Minnesota House. Case in point: One suburban seat already has three candidates jostling to go to the Legislature after next fall’s election. House District 53B covers part of the city of Woodbury in the southeastern suburbs, and its current representative, Republican Andrea Kieffer, recently decided she would not seek re-election next year.

The teachers union counts 70,000 educators among its members.

Fenton announced Friday morning that she had registered to run for the House District 53B seat with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. That seat is currently held by GOP Rep. Andrea Kieffer, who recently announced she would not seek re-election in 2014.

The first Republican to launch a campaign for Minnesota governor in 2014 immediately changed the dynamics for all other candidates who would follow him. In April, Orono businessman Scott Honour became the first candidate openly seeking the office, promising to bring an outsider’s perspective to the job.

Former state Rep. Keith Downey easily won a four-way contest for Republican Party chair on Saturday. Downey took 228 votes on the first ballot -- or two thirds of the total cast.

It’s not hard to see why campaign operatives from both political parties have had Minnesota’s newly drawn Senate District 53 on their radar since day one.