State Rep. Frank Moe (DFL-Bemidji) surprised the political establishment of SD 4 and northern Minnesota by announcing he won’t seek re-election during what was expected to be his nominating speech for the 4A DFL endorsement Saturday. (The Bemidji Pioneer has a good story on this).
Moe is finishing his second term in the House and is regarded as a rising star in the DFL. He said he isn’t ruling out a political career in the future, but that he needs to spend time with his wife, sled dogs and family business.
There are a two angles on this.
First, the person angle. It’s remarkable that anyone in the legislature can stay married or loved by their children. It’s not necessarily a difficult job but the time commitment is vast and you’re never off the clock. There are tremendous advantages for any legislator who is either single or whose family has grown and left the house. Anyone with a busy family life or another career faces difficult decisions about time every day. Living outside the metro area only compounds this problem (For my metro friends; Picture the busiest time of your life and add a four hour drive to a home you see once a week). In this regard Moe’s decision is quite easy to understand.
Second, politically, this is a concern for the DFL as they try to find a candidate, but here’s my initial take. Moe was very popular in what had been a Republican district before he was elected in 2004. He was expected to win easily this year. The Republicans had recruited a political newcomer, Tony Williams, to run against him. I don’t know much about Mr. Williams but no one seemed worried about him when Moe was running. If the DFL can recruit a strong candidate I still see this one as “Leans DFL.” A lousy candidate makes this a toss-up.
There are some candidate names floating around. A survey cited in the Bemidji Pioneer lists them as “John Persell, a Beltrami Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor, and Irene Folstrom, a Leech Lake enrollee who is an attorney in the Red Lake Tribal Courts system.” I saw Folstrom speak when she was seeking the State Senate endorsement at the 2006 Itasca DFL convention, an endorsement she lost narrowly to Mary Olson who went on to win the seat. Folstrom was a little nervous as a speaker but her personal story is compelling and she seems smart. As a college speech instructor I know that you can fix public speaking problems, but you can’t manufacture intelligence or sincerity. So right now I like the sound of “Rep. Irene Folstrom” in 4B. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
I had Frank Moe as a Congressional contender in 2012 after the redistricting and potential retirements of Congressmen Peterson and Oberstar (all theoretical). Now that seems unlikely. Nevertheless, Rep. Moe deserves special recognition for turning on his district to the DFL message and for four good years of work in the legislature. Fact is, we in northern Minnesota need a dozen bright, energetic leaders in each of our communities for every one we send to St. Paul. I’m sure Frank will find something to keep him busy up north.
MEANTIME: Meg Bye was DFL endorsed for House 4B and now faces an uphill fight against Rep. Larry Howes (R-Walker). Meg’s a good candidate and would be a good legislator but that district runs a little redder than 4A. If the DFL has a good year she could sneak in with the wave, however. (A prospect that would be helped if we had some closure in Pennsylvania on Tuesday).
UPDATE: As you see in the comments, Irene Folstrom lives in 4A and seems to be thinking about a run for this office. I’ll post back when I know more.
Am somewhat confused that with Frank Moe’s retirement from 4-A, why Irene Folstrom would be considered a strong replacement cnadidate in 4-B. Is she moving; and going to run against the endorsed candidate in 4-B (Meg Bye)?
Thanks for the question. That’s what I don’t know. The Bemidji Pioneer reporter her as one of two candidates named as possibilities by DFL insiders. But I must admit I don’t know what side of the line she’s on. I don’t believe anyone is challenging the endorsed Meg Bye in 4B. We are talking specifically about 4A. Does anyone know what side of the line Irene lives on? I need to do some checking.
AB
Hi there! I live in Bemidji, in 4A.
Irene Folstrom
Well, there you have it.
And if Irene is responding on blogs like this she must be thinking about seeking the endorsement. Since the local races on the Iron Range are all snooze fests this year, I’m going to make a point of following this one. Any candidate interested in 4A let me know, and I’ll post your announcement here at MinnesotaBrown.com.
AB
Hi! My name is Tony Williams. I made my official announcement at the Beltrami County GOP convention. I am ready willing and able to serve the community of Northern Minnesota and the people of my district with great enthusiasm.
I welcome any challengers, however know that in order to win this election you will have to work at least twice as hard as I intend to work.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have at my campaign e-mail: electtonywilliams@gmail.com