In a move that shocked local members of the DFL, Senate District 3 DFL Chair Paul Fish, who was charged with organizing the events surrounding the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the August 8 death of House District 3A Representative David Dill, cancelled the endorsing convention that had been scheduled by other party officials for September 19 in Ely.
Traditionally, an “Organizing Unit Convention” is held to endorse a candidate for the State Senate or House. In this fall’s special election, there were questions about when and where an endorsing convention should be held—and about who could participate. However, Cook County DFL Chair Anton Moody said he, along with his counterparts in Lake and St. Louis County, thought the details had been worked out.
Moody said there were many stops and starts in getting the convention scheduled at Vermilion Community College in Ely. He said first Senate District 3 Chair Fish asserted that Cook County delegates would not be eligible to take part in the endorsing convention because the Cook County group had not sent delegates to the last endorsing convention. Moody said Cook County delegates hadn’t felt the need to make the trip to International Falls in the winter for that convention to endorse the unchallenged candidate David Dill.
To clarify, Moody contacted the State DFL Rules Committee, which said it would be illegal to exclude Cook County from the current endorsing convention for that reason.
After finding that Cook County should be included, Moody was brought into the discussion with the DFL chairs from Lake, St. Louis and Koochiching counties who set the date, time, location and agenda for the endorsing convention. “The District Chair was to make the ‘call’ for the convention today,” said Moody to the Cook County News-Herald on September 8.
Instead, District Chair Fish issued this statement: “The residents of House District 3A lost a true champion with the passing of Rep. David Dill. The voters of 3A deserve the opportunity to select the DFL candidate who best represents their interests. Therefore, a DFL endorsing convention for the 3A seat will not be held. Participation in the September 29th primary is encouraged.”
Tofte’s Bill Hansen was the only candidate in the DFL primary who had publicly stated that he would abide by the endorsing convention decision. He issued a statement on September 8, expressing frustration at what he dubbed “a circumvention of the DFL party process.”
Hansen campaign spokesperson Nancy Powers said, “The endorsement process allows the DFL delegates in the District to choose the candidate who best represents the Party’s values. Bill Hansen received the DFL endorsement in both 2003 and 2004. In this strongly DFL district, the primary election often determines who wins the seat in the general election. The endorsing convention helps the electorate understand who, among the candidates running as Democrats in the primary, truly represents DFL priorities.”
Moody said he believes that cancelling the endorsing convention was a direct attempt to defeat Hansen. Moody said Hansen was the front runner for the endorsement and noted, “If you win the DFL endorsement you will win House 3A.
“If Cook County is taken out of the delegate count, his chances to gain the endorsement go down,” said Moody. “When the out right dismissal of our county seating delegates by the District Chair were challenged, the only option was to eliminate the chance for Bill’s success at the endorsing convention by shutting it down completely.”
Moody vowed to continue to support Hansen and encouraged other Cook County voters to do the same. “I believe that Bill Hansen is the best candidate for representing the people and land that make up Cook County… We will follow Paul Fish’s advice, we will vote for the candidate that best represents our interests. We will vote Bill Hansen, we will donate to his campaign, and we will do it all, the right way.”
Other candidates were not as troubled by the cancellation of the endorsing convention. Rob Ecklund of International Falls said, “I believe that to pull an endorsing convention together would have been a tough task. If the other candidates’ schedules are like mine is, something would have to give. I applaud the fact that many of the party activists wanted to hold a convention, and if it would have been a normal election cycle that would have been the proper thing to do.
“I think that we need to look at the makeup of the field also. I am not sure that all would have abided by an endorsement, or possibly even taken part,” said Ecklund.
Heidi Omerza of Ely also appeared to be unconcerned. She said, “With no endorsing convention it will give me more time to engage the people in the district of 3A who will be voting in the Primary.”
Eric Johnson of International Falls, who was on his way to Grand Marais to meet with voters, said, “It’s important that the voters decide who to support in the upcoming general election.”
The Cook County Chamber of Commerce is hosting an election forum with candidates in the contested DFL race at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts from 7 – 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16. Join host Jim Boyd, executive director of the Chamber, Jay Andersen of WTIP and News- Herald editor Rhonda Silence to hear directly from candidates.
Attend the forum or submit your questions to the candidates in advance to starnews@boreal.org.
After the primary, more information will be in the Cook County News-Herald for all three of the candidates who will be on the ballot for the December 8, 2015 election.
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