Minnesota Election Season Officially Underway
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The 2018 election season officially gets underway Tuesday with the opening of the two-week filing period for candidates running for any of the long list of elected positions that will appear on the fall ballot.
There will be statewide races for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Al Franken and to choose a successor to Governor Mark Dayton. Elections are also being held this year for all of the other state constitutional offices and every seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The State Senate seats won’t be on the ballot until 2020.
Locally, voters will be electing a new Rochester Mayor and casting ballots for three positions on the City Council, where First Ward Councilmember Ed Hruska and Fifth Ward Councilmember Mark Hickey earlier indicated they would not be seeking re-election, while Third Ward Councilmember Nick Campion announced Monday he would be filing for another four-year term in office.
Three positions on the Olmsted County Board will be on the ballot this fall. Commissioners Ken Brown, Matt Flynn, and County Board Chair Sheila Kiscaden are all up for re-election, as is County Attorney Mark Ostrem. He has already picked up a challenge from a member of his own department. Longtime county prosecutor Geoff Hjerleid announced his candidacy on Monday.
Four of the seven seats on the Rochester School Board are up for election this year. Those positions are currently held by Board President Jean Marvin, Julie Workman, Anne Beckman and Gary Smith.
The filing period closes at 5 pm on June 5th. If more than two candidates file for any of the local positions or more than one candidate from the same party runs for the state positions, a primary will be held in August to narrow the field of candidates.
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