Rice County has officially given notice of primaries and a special election that will take place on August 9th.
The special election is to fill Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District seat in the US House of Representatives that was made vacant when Congressman Jim Hagedorn passed away earlier this year. Candidates on the ballot will be Republican endorsed Brad Finstad, DFL endorsed Jeff Ettinger, Legal Marijuana Now candidate Richard B. Reisdorf, and Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party candidate Haroun McLellan. The person who wins the election will fill out the remainder of the term, which will expire on December 31st.
As Northfield is in the Second Congressional District, Northfielders will not be voting in the special election. However, there is a three-way race for the City Council At-Large seat being vacated by Clarice Grabau. Former City Councilor David DeLong, Davin Sokup, a legislative assistant in the Minnesota Senate, and Thelma A. Estrada are vying for the seat. As the city allows room for only two names on the ballot in November, the three must meet in a primary to eliminate one of the candidates.
The County Sheriff position will be on the primary ballot pitting incumbent Sheriff Jesse Thomas against challengers Richard Bailey and Ross Spicer. Another race of interest that will not engage Northfielders directly is the Third District on the Rice County Board of Commissioners. Incumbent David Miller is facing three challengers, Steven J. Hauer, Gerald G. Hoisington, and a name familiar to many Northfielders as the Station Director of Northfield Public Broadcasting, Sam Temple.
