-
State GOP continues tone deaf blundering on Range district
The state GOP has again oddly and ham-handedly interjected itself into the House 5B special election on the Iron Range. On Thursday, Republican chair Tony Sutton asked Hibbing City Clerk Pat Garrity, who has endorsed DFLer Carly Melin, to recluse himself from his duties as chief election official in the district’s largest city. “Given Hibbing…
-
Packed hall, civil talk, a few sparks for 5B debate in Hibbing
Candidates for the House District 5B Special Election on Feb. 15 participated in a forum last night hosted by the Hibbing Community College Student Senate. More than 150 people showed up, including supporters of Republican Paul Jacobson, DFLer Carly Melin and IP candidate Cynthia Kafut Hagen. The Duluth News Tribune‘s John Myers wrote a good…
-
House 5B forum is today
REMINDER: Tonight’s House District 5B election forum sponsored by the Hibbing Community College Student Senate will begin at 6 p.m. in the L10 lecture hall at the college (Enter through the 25th Street side). The three candidates Paul Jacobson (Republican), Cynthia Kafut Hagen (Independence Party) and Carly Melin (Democratic Farmer Labor) have all confirmed their…
-
Check out the gun show in 5B
Looks like another day of the House 5B special election focused on attacks instead of issues. The state GOP sent out a nasty mailer attacking DFL nominee Carly Melin. The Duluth News Tribune reports that DFLers today compared it to the sorts of veiled references to violence seen prior to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle…
-
Range college students to host key 5B forum Wednesday evening
Press release: On Wednesday, February 9 at 6 p.m., the Hibbing Community College Student Senate will host a forum for the candidates running for February’s special election to fill the seat of former state Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm). The forum will feature DFL candidate Carly Melin, Republican candidate Paul Jacobson and Independence Party candidate Cynthia…
-
House 5B update: The wild unknowns of a Range special election
We now enter the eight day countdown to the Feb. 15 House 5B special election on the Iron Range to replace former Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) who resigned to become IRRRB commissioner. The election pits DFLer Carly Melin, an attorney, against Republican Paul Jacobson, a counselor at a juvenile detention center, and Independent Cynthia Kafut…
-
IRRRB is set; so is the drama
If you hadn’t heard, the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board is now set with appointments from Gov. Mark Dayton, House Speaker Kurt Zellers and the special Senate committee led by the majority with influence from Republican Majority leader Sen. Amy Koch. A variety of policies, rules and traditions influence the selection of these members,…
-
Map tells the tale in 5B primary results
Here’s a map that Chris Saunders made of the precinct results in last night’s House 5B DFL primary. That top left corner is Hibbing, where Shelley Robinson won her home precinct and kept it somewhat close in some of the other precincts. That lower left corner is Floodwood and surrounds, where Mayor Jeff Kletscher posted…
-
Hibbing native who lives in Cities accuses Hibbing native who lives in Hibbing of not living in Hibbing
No rest for the weary in House 5B. The Minnesota GOP today accused House 5B DFL nominee Carly Melin of residency violation, which is the same tack used against former Rep. and IRRRB commissioner Tony Sertich in 2000 when he first ran. Melin, who moved back to Hibbing last year to take a job with…
-
Melin wins House 5B DFL primary
Hibbing attorney Carly Melin won the House 5B Special Election DFL primary Tuesday. Late drama and a field of competent, strong candidates seemed to promise a long night and close vote. However, Melin won handily with a simple majority in a five-person race, validating her campaign strategy of direct mail and contact with likely voters.…
-
House 5B Primary Election Night Coverage: LIVE BLOG
As of this moment the voters in the House District 5B DFL primary have spoken, selecting one of five candidates for nomination in the special election to replace Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) on Feb. 15. We simply await their decision as results pour in from this large Iron Range district in northern Minnesota. I will…
-
MinnesotaBrown debuts on MPR’s Morning Edition
I made my first appearance on MPR’s Morning Edition with Cathy Wurzer this morning. The topic was Iron Range politics and today’s House 5B DFL primary. You can listen below. We talked trends and what to watch for as results come in tonight. If you live in 5B, remember you can vote until 8 p.m.…
-
Polls open in House 5B special DFL primary
Ballots are being cast now in the DFL primary for the House District 5B Special Election. The polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. If you live in 5B and want to vote in this primary you can find your polling place here and read a commentary written by each candidate…
-
Range DFL prepares for historic House 5B primary vote
I don’t have any predictions or endorsements to offer in the House 5B DFL primary. As a resident of 3A, just over the line, I can’t vote in this. But this race matters greatly to the whole Iron Range. So here’s the dynamic of the race as I see it. I’ll begin by saying that…
-
House 5B update: DFL primary eve promises Tuesday intrigue
Pictured at right is what a January special election primary looks like on the Iron Range. Signs for two of the DFL candidates for House 5B perch atop a huge snow bank, just as they do in most of the snow banks around Hibbing. Republican Paul Jacobson, who first ran just last November, also has…