Stevenson wins party endorsement

By Joy Chen, The Dartmouth Staff

Published on Monday, March 8, 2010

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Tay Stevenson ’10, a College Democrat and former student body vice presidential candidate, was nominated by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to run for state Senate during the party’s endorsement convention on Saturday. Stevenson will run for the seat representing Minnesota’s 12th district in November.

Stevenson won 95 votes while his opponent, Terry Sluss, a former county commissioner, received 25, according to Brice Acree ’09, communications director for Stevenson’s campaign. Stevenson significantly exceeded the 60 percent of votes necessary to secure the endorsement, according to the Brainerd Dispatch.

“Technically, there could be a primary challenge, but we do not expect that to happen,” Acree said in an interview with The Dartmouth.

The two candidates seeking the DFL endorsement spoke at the convention and the delegates voted in a secret ballot. After the votes were counted, Sluss conceded and Stevenson accepted the endorsement. Sluss told the Dispatch that he had expected to have a better showing at the convention, but that he will now support Stevenson.

Stevenson said he was confident that he would receive the party endorsement when he walked into the convention on Saturday.

“We had done our homework,” he said. “[Acree and I] called personally to try to get our supporters to be [at the convention].”

Stevenson said that giving the speech to accept the endorsement was “humbling” and motivating for him.

“It was a feeling of accomplishment,” Acree said. “We are taking a nice breath, enjoying this, but this is only the beginning for us.”

Minnesota Republicans have not yet endorsed a candidate to run against Stevenson in the upcoming general election, Stevenson said. Former state Rep. Paul Gazelka, R-District 12A, is currently challenging two-term incumbent state Sen. Paul Koering, R-District 12, in the Republican endorsement conference.

Stevenson said he believes that Gazelka is more likely to win the endorsement. Sluss told the Brainerd Dispatch that Stevenson could find himself running against both Republicans, if Gazelka received the endorsement and Koering ran as an independent.

“So we are not going to know who we are going to be against until August 10,” Stevenson said. “But it’s okay that we don’t know who our opponent is going to be, because it’s not about our opponents.”

Stevenson said employment will be the primary issue in the race. Due to decreased income taxes, Minnesota is currently experiencing a budget deficit, Stevenson said.

Stevenson’s first priority will be to “get Minnesota back to work,” he said.

Issues of school disparities, health care and environmentalism will also be important to the race, Stevenson said.

Stevenson said he believes there is a large anti-incumbency mood in the area and that people are getting tired of votes along strict party lines. He added that although he is running as a Democrat, he is always looking for new ideas, and that if a good idea comes from the Republican side, he is “not going to push it away.”

“We are going to be the one who can reach to moderates,” Stevenson said. “This general election is going to be decided by the group of voters in the middle.”

Stevenson will return to Minnesota after he graduates in June, he said. His supporters will continue to campaign for him during the spring, according to the Dispatch.

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party represents the merger of the national Democratic Party and the Farmer-Labor Party, which occurred in 1944, according to the party’s web site.