Leah Phifer announced today she would not seek the DFL nomination for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. Phifer had lead all ten ballots at last Saturday’s MN-8 Convention in Duluth. “My goal, since first declaring my candidacy in October 2017, has always been to win the DFL endorsement, bring new voices to the table… Read More →
After 10 ballots, 8th District DFLers opt not to endorse
April 14, 2018 by 54 Comments
Forty-four years ago, DFL delegates in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District met in Grand Rapids for a convention that lasted 30 ballots. They endorsed Iron Range State Sen. Tony Perpich. Perpich would, however, lose the primary to the candidate he beat at that convention, Jim Oberstar. Oberstar would go on to serve 36 years in Congress,… Read More →
Watch MN-8 DFL Convention live
April 14, 2018 by 36 Comments
The Uptake is providing live coverage of the Eighth District Minnesota DFL Convention in Duluth today. You can watch all day (or all night, if it goes long) here at MinnesotaBrown.com thanks to the hard work and generous efforts of The Uptake. The convention will convene at 9 a.m. and will close after endorsing a… Read More →
Taut political drama on tap for Eighth District DFL
April 12, 2018 by 31 Comments
Starting at 9 a.m. this Saturday, April 14, delegates will gather for the Eighth Congressional District DFL convention in Duluth. Their task: endorsing a candidate for Congress to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan. The outcome is far from certain. Five candidates are running for this Northeastern Minnesota congressional seat. They include North Branch mayor… Read More →
8th District DFLers walk tightrope on mining as convention nears
April 5, 2018 by 71 Comments
The five Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidates for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District have just eight days until their April 14 endorsing convention. On April 4, the group participated in a DFL-sponsored forum at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet. The UpTake covered the event. We’ve already established that, barring something truly extraordinary… Read More →
Comparing MN-8 candidates in first public forum
March 27, 2018 by 2 Comments
On Sunday, the seven announced candidates for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District participated in their first major public forum. The event was sponsored by student groups from the College of St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Uptake was there to gather video. Five DFLers — including Kirsten Kennedy, Michelle Lee, Jason Metsa,… Read More →
Phifer, Radinovich hold best cards for DFL endorsement
March 25, 2018 by 17 Comments
This weekend Leah Phifer expanded her delegate lead for the DFL endorsement for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. Phifer, a former homeland security analyst from Isanti County, drew a large number of named and uncommitted delegates in Duluth while carrying Lake and Cook county conventions as well. Phifer’s chief rival for the endorsement, former… Read More →
Phifer scores early wins; DFL convention, primary loom
March 19, 2018 by 9 Comments
Local Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party delegates convened county conventions across Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District these past few weeks. Through hours of messy, complicated political wrangling, they elected delegates who will endorse one of five announced candidates at the April 14 DFL convention in Duluth. And Leah Phifer is winning. She hasn’t won. She doesn’t have the endorsement… Read More →
Endorsement politics in Minnesota’s Eighth District
March 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
On April 14, almost 200 Eighth District DFL delegates will meet in Duluth to endorse a successor to retiring U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan. Five candidates want the job. Five candidates will seek the endorsement. But considerable speculation remains over whether some of them press on to a Aug. 14 primary regardless of the convention outcome. Former FBI… Read More →
DFL lawmaker Jason Metsa enters Eighth District race
March 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Today, State Rep. Jason Metsa (DFL-Virginia) announced his bid for the DFL nomination for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth District. “I am running for Congress because I know that we only make progress for Northern Minnesota families when we have each others’ backs and stand up to fight for each other,” said Metsa in his announcement…. Read More →
