Minnesota state Senate candidate Russell Walker said Friday that he made a "conscious decision" to skip the Republican endorsement process and will instead seek the party nomination during the Aug. 10 primary.
A campaign statement said Walker and his supporters decided not to seek the GOP endorsement at an April convention. He's running to represent District 1 in northwestern Minnesota, which includes Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau counties.
Walker had two reasons for instead seeking the nomination during the primary, according to the statement: Forcing a primary leaves the party nomination up to more than 30,000 voters in the district "rather than allowing less than 100 individuals to make this important decision for them at an endorsement caucus."
Roger Schmitz, Newfolden, got the Republican endorsement in April to challenge incumbent district Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, DFL-Plummer, who has held the position since 1982. Walker will challenge Schmitz for the GOP endorsement in the Aug. 10 primary.
Running in the primary also will allow the winning candidate to see county voting trends and track where to focus their efforts before the November election, the statement said.
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Walker, who lives in Warroad, has served as a Roseau County Commissioner for 13 years.
Johnson reports on local politics. Reach him at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
