If you have been following the special election for State Representative in Legislative District 5B, you have certainly heard all of the important issues. You have heard from the state Republican Party that DFL endorsed candidate Carly Melin may not meet the residency requirements to qualify as a candidate. This would be an important issue if it were true, but the state Republican Party has chosen to contest her residency in the media, instead of with the courts. You have heard the state Democratic Party attack a controversial piece of campaign literature distributed by the state Republican Party. Just as the Republicans showed complete disregard for their candidate by issuing the piece without their candidate’s knowledge or approval, the Democrats showed the same level of disregard by issuing the condemnation of the piece from the state party instead of through their candidate.
These are the issues that the state Republican and Democratic Parties have been pushing and publicizing. These are the issues that they want you to base your decision on.
I attended the debate on Wednesday night. What I saw was telling, and troubling. The good news is that I saw three candidates who each had the work experience and civic involvement needed to represent the citizens of the Iron Range effectively at the State Capitol. The bad news is that I saw two candidates who were visibly uncomfortable with the position their respective parties had put them in.
Paul Jacobson, the Republican, was in the most obvious distress over the actions of his party. The Republican Party created and distributed a controversial piece of campaign literature without his approval, or even his knowledge. When asked, by the Democratic candidate, to condemn the piece, Jacobson replied that “Miss Melin does not know what my discussions have been with the party since then.” Unfortunately, neither do the voters.
When the candidates were asked what they would like the campaign to be focused on, Carly Melin stated very pointedly, “the issues”. She lamented that other things had stolen the spotlight. Unfortunately for Melin, her state party’s response to the Republican attacks has also played a role in keeping the focus off of “the issues”. Melin never took the opportunity herself to criticize her own party’s actions in this regard.
This leaves us with Independence Party endorsed candidate, Cynthia Kafut Hagen. She stated very clearly that “the law should be changed so that nobody can put out information that the candidate doesn't want. If the Independence Party did that to me, I would not be happy or with them still." As the incoming state party Chair, I was proud of her willingness to make that stand in front of me and the voters. That is a brave stand that her opponents have both shied away from.
Earlier that day, I was asked what the word Independence stood for in our party’s name. We are not a loose knit group of independent voters. We are a political party. We have a platform of issues that we expect our candidates to support. We believe that the word Independence means that members and candidates can support that platform in a manner that suites them and their constituents best. It means Independence from state party manipulation as a candidate and as an elected official. For voters, it means that the only dependence an Independence Party candidate has is on your support and your vote.
Cynthia Kafut Hagen demonstrates Independence perfectly.
