Three Minor Party Candidates in Pair of Minnesota Special Elections

A pair of special elections for Minnesota state senate seats will be held on Tuesday, October 18.   The district 46 race will  fill the vacancy caused by the passing of Senator Linda Scheid, while the election in district 61 was caused by the resignation of Senator Linda Berglin.  Both races include representatives from minor parties.

The district 46 race features Democrat (or DFLer if you want to be technical) Chris Eaton, who is a registered nurse and the husband of Brooklyn Center mayor Tim Wilson.  She will face Republican Cory Jensen and Independence Party candidate Tom Reynolds.   Reynolds is a former DFLer who switched to the Independence Party to run for the seat.  Eaton is the favorite, but Reynolds might make a nice showing.  He’s got a good record of public involvement and is the only alternative to the two-majors on the ballot.  Click here to see his campaign website.

The district 61 race is a bit more interesting.  Current state representative Jeff Hayden, a DFLer, is a lock to win the seat.  However he is facing nominees from the Republican, Independence and Green parties.  The Republican is Bruce Lundeen, who unsuccessfully sought a seat on the Minneapolis City Council in 2009.  Farheen Hakeem, a Green Party national co-chair and past candidate for numerous offices, is representing the Greens.     Matt Brillhart, a University of Minnesota student who works for Metro Transit, is representing the Independence Party.