The 2018 elections in Minnesota are going to be very interesting for Democrats in CD3. Probably the most important election is for governor. As more than one person has said, Minnesota is only one governor race away from becoming Wisconsin. Another priority is getting rid of the despicable Erik Paulsen and having a Democrat represent this district for the first time since 1961.

I’d like to suggest that equally important is electing more Democrats to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Right now, there are 77 Republicans and 57 Democrats in the House. The Republicans control the Senate by one vote 34-33. The senators do not run again until 2020, so unless one Republican decides he or she can no longer be a member of the Trump party, the GOP will control one branch of the government for three more years.

The DFL needs to pick up 11 house districts while losing none to take control of the Minnesota House. It is vitally important for the future of Minnesota for Democrats to control two branches of government after the 2018 elections. 

There are 17 House Districts in (or partially in) CD3, which covers the North, West, and South suburbs of Minneapolis. The suburbs of Minneapolis have the reputation for being Republican country, so I was surprised to learn that Democrats hold nine seats compared to eight for the Republicans in CD3. The chart below shows the status of each district.

Here is the Good News

So here is the good news. The Democrats have recruited highly qualified, highly experienced candidates to run against incumbents in five of the eight districts (one district has three  high-quality announced candidates) and rumor has it that two other districts have exceptional candidates waiting to announce their candidacy.

I absolutely believe that we can thank Donald Trump for the quality of candidates that the Democrats are recruiting all around Minnesota to run against Republicans, who are scared and hiding in the weeds.

The Challenge

Ask your neighbors and friends if they can name their representative in the Minnesota House. Most, if not 90%, cannot. When the 2018 election season arrives, there will be a lot of media coverage about the MN gubernatorial race and Amy Klobuchar’s race, but coverage of the house elections is difficult because there are 134 of them. Our challenge in CD3 is to energetically and financially support our own house candidate and, if possible, support the candidates challenging incumbents.

I’m very serious about this. Check out the websites for the seven announced candidates listed on the chart. These candidates are outstanding people who deserve our support. It’s not too early. The more we do now in the fall of 2017, the better we will be on November 6th, 2018! The more voters we get for the MN House candidates in CD3, the more voters we get to help win the Governor’s office and to replace Erik Paulsen! Please contact your local elected representative or your local candidate to see how you can help.   #DFLWin2018