He has two promising challengers for the DFL run this cycle, Laurie Olmon, a city council member in Nowthen; and Perovich, with the headline indicating this post is primarily about Perovich.
CFB pages for the five candidates, first the three DFL candidates, in alphabetical order, then the two GOP, in alphabetical order [note that three, Olmon, Starr, and Jungbauer have website links listed with the CFB], click a candidate's name for the CFB page - it tells you how you can send cash -
Laurie Olmon,
Peter Perovich,
Mike Starr,
Mike Jungbauer,
Paul Motin.
I don't know how serious a challenger Motin is (against an incumbent in his party); but the DFL challenger selection appears fully in play, with Olmon and Perovich as new faces, each being personable and promising, while Starr is better known from past effort.
My hope would be the DFL prevails, and Mike Jungbauer can be retired fully to the private sector where he can set up a global warming skeptics think tank. Sort of what Slade Gorton did after losing his US senate seat in Washington and getting into Discovery Institute mischief.
Perovich in door-knocking visited the home and while others were out I had a chance to speak at length about issues and feelings, and he is a sound individual. Olmon had an open house last night at the Nowthen city hall, and that allowed me and my sister a long opportunity to chat. I have only met Starr briefly, at precinct caucus, and he was busy trying to give everyone fair and equal time so we did not talk much.
I have literature from Olmon's session, and will scan and post it. Perovich left a flyer nicely going on record on the issues in a bullet point manner. It was scanned and is posted below [as always click the thumbnail image to enlarge and read].
Union bug and all. He is being advised. With it printed he probably has an intent to reach many people, door knocking and probably with follow-up mailings.
The Olmon item appeared as if it was mastered by her or campaign people, and printed in limited numbers from a laserjet on an as needed basis, in trifold mailer form, but without any mailing service indicia where that, or a stamp would go.
Again, the seat's in play with sound DFL candidates awating the March 16, Senate District Convention. Jungbauer is a personable enough man when talking face-to-face, but his record and world view are so vastly different than mine that I favor a DFL victory, strongly. Both Olmon and Perovich were impressive to talk to, each appearing sincere, informed and ambitious in a good way, and as trustworthy as you'd like every candidate for office to be, every election.
Without any qualifications or qualms, I could support either of the three DFL hopefuls in the general election, depending on which ultimately is the candidate.
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Closing note, The Mike Starr website, here. The Laurie Olmon website, here.
Have a look. Be informed.
I have not asked any of the three about endorsements, I generally don't go by who says "Great person," and I might be prejudiced if a candidate mentions a name that rings my bell negatively. So in general I discount endorsements. Especially union endorsements, not because I have any anti-union animus, I do not and when I ran against Tom Gamec for mayor of Ramsey in 2004, I had union endorsement but did not make a big point of it. But union leadership often is within DFL insider boss structure, and can commit wrongly, or that's been my opinion is the past. Their decision making is political, in ways I am not privy to, so I leave that to people who view it as important. I realize that union-endorsed candidates up-ticket can have a distinct volunteer GOTV advantage, people willing to help, but others have phone bank voices and mailer-stuffers too.