Republicans Will Wait to Endorse District 57 Legislative Candidates, DFL Makes Selections

While local Democrats and Republicans met Saturday to endorse candidates to run for the Minnesota Legislature in the fall, recent announcements from Republican politicians were likely why Republicans serving Apple Valley and Rosemount voted to wait to make some of their endorsements.

Delegates at the District 57 Republican convention did endorse current Rep. Tara Mack for re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 57A, which after redistricting.

Mack is in her second term in the Minnesota House.

And District 57 DFL did make endorsements on Saturday. According to a Rosemount TownPages article, they endorsed District 196 administrative employee Greg Clausen for Senate, and , which covers Rosemount and the north half of Apple Valley.

District 57 DFL Chairperson Marcee Kain wrote in an email that Apple Valley resident Roberta Gibbons received the Democrats' endorsement for House District 57A. Read more about Gibbons in this article from Thisweeklive.com.

But for District 57 state Senate seat and House District 57B seat, Republican delegates elected to postpone their endorsement by a maximum of 45 days, largely to get to know the recently declared candidates better, according to an email from district secretary Kevin Ecker.

In the Senate race, current Sen. Chris Gerlach (R-Apple Valley) . In House District 57B, current freshman Rep. Kurt Bills about a week and a half ago. They likely would have been considered candidates to run for re-election to their seats otherwise.

According to Ecker's email, Pat Hall and Judy Lindsay both have expressed interest in the Republican endorsement for Senate in District 57.

"I've spoken with several others who have also privately expressed interest as well," Ecker said in the email.

In House District 57B for the Republicans, Apple Valley resident Anna Wills so far is the only person to declare her candidacy (), but Ecker wrote that others have privately expressed interest in that seat, as well.