ST. PAUL, Minn. – A number of recent political announcements have already started to shape the 2014 election. In the 6th Congressional District, Michele Bachmann announced that she will not be seeking re-election. She will finish her third term in Congress, but has not yet said what her plans are after that.
Shortly after Representative Bachmann’s announcement, her opponent from last year, business man Jim Graves, announced that he would not seek the DFL endorsement in that race either. He had previously announced his intentions to challenge Bachmann in a second race, but since then he has said that without Bachmann running, he saw no need to run against her. With no immediate idea of who would run for either of the party’s endorsements, a number of state and county politicians began looking into the option for running for Congress.
Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer announced his candidacy this week. Since losing his bid for the state’s highest office in 2010, Emmer has had a conservative radio talk show.
In a different race, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie has said that he will not run for re-election in 2014 as well. Former Anoka County Elections Supervisor Rachel Bohman said that she will seek that office, and has registered her campaign committee with the state.
This fall, both Circle Pines and Lino Lakes will be holding municipal elections. Each city will be electing a mayor and two city council members; filing for those offices begins at the end of July.
