TruthToTell, March 28: SENATE DISTRICT 66 PRIMARY: Who Should Replace Ellen Anderson?-AUDIO UP NOW

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Who should step into the very large shoes left by State Senator Ellen Anderson, who will step down to chair the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission? Anderson has served her district since 1993 and for most of that time was a member of and/or chaired the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee. An attorney and specialist in energy issues and utilities, Anderson will preside over the five-member body that sets rates and rate policy for the state’s monopoly utilities in gas, electric, telephone and other energy generation companies. Anderson leave a lengthy legacy of strong representation and expertise.

Senate District 66 covers the Northern swath of St. Paul and Falcon Heights from around Highway 280 east to Arcade Street and bordering on the North at Larpenteur Ave. It is almost surely going to be represented by a DFL senator. Who that should be will be determined this coming Tuesday, March 29. Polls will open at 7:00AM and close at 8:00PM. The General Election will be held April 12. Details from the Ramsey County Elections Bureau can be found HERE.

The DFL candidates who filed for the office and stuck with it are: Representative John Lesch, currently in the House from District 66A. His 66B counterpart, Alice Hausman, declined to run. That left the door open to former state Representative Mary Jo McGuire,who served for several terms until redistricting placed her in the same district with Hausman, so she deferred to Hausman. A third candidate, Steven Marchese, stayed in the race when several other filers dropped out. All three candidates are lawyers.

The Republicans endorsed perennial candidate Greg Copeland, who ran for this seat last year as well.

TTT’s ANDY DRISCOLL talks with the three DFL candidates, one of which is likely to be the next state senator from the very DFL (if often conservative) Senate District 66 in hopes that the discussion will  spur greater turnout for the primary election the next day.