Andover State Rep. Chris DeLaForest, one of the more conservative members of the Minnesota House, has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2008. DeLaForest, who is in his third term, apparently was in a terrible car accident during the interim.
“That severe car accident that I had back in July, that tended to help me refocus my priorities — as it would with anyone,” DeLaForest said. DeLaForest was extracted from the wreck with the jaws-of-life. The car accident happened on Andover Boulevard about three blocks from his house.
“I got hit head-on at about 50 miles per hour,” said DeLaForest. “They rushed me in an ambulance to Mercy Hospital (Coon Rapids),” he said. “It was that bad,” said DeLaForest.
We wish DeLaForest a complete recovery and all the best in his life outside of politics.
His district, 49A, includes the fast growing suburbs of Andover and Ham Lake and is extremely likely to remain in Republican hands. Tim Pawlenty carried this district with 60% of the vote in 2006 (in a three way race) and Mary Kiffmeyer, Pat Anderson and Jeff Johnson all won it by comfortable margins. Even Mark Kennedy carried 49A, albeit only by 3%.
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It will be more interesting to see what happens with 49A - Kathy Tingelstad’s seat. She may well get a challenge for the endorsement.
Ted Butler is running for the 49A seat. He had been out-fundraising Delaforest and seems to be running a great campaign as far as I can tell. I interviewed Ted:
Ted Butler is challenging three-term Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-49A) in the 2008 election. 49A encompasses Andover and Ham Lake. Ted works at the University of Minnesota managing their health plans. He has a degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in Accounting and German, a Masters from the U of M in Human Resources and Industrial Relations and a Certificate in Policy Issues on Work and Pay through programs housed in the Carlson School of Management and Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He lives in Andover with his wife Andrea and their 2 year old son Kellen.
He’s running because Andover and Ham Lake need a Representative to represent their needs. They need better schools with a stable funding source. They need someone who will do something about the gridlock on the highways. They need affordable healthcare. They need a strong economy. mnblue
Thanks for publishing the Andover/Ham Lake update, guys.
Eva - just a tiny correction… Kathy Tinglestad is the GOP state rep. in 49B - the other half of the Senate district. I’m not certain, but Jeanine Allen may be her DFL opponent again this year - I’ll be hearing much more, I’m sure at the March 15 SD 49 DFL convention. It looks like you’re anticipating an internal Republican opponent.
Understandable, as Tinglestad and Abeler have been much more open than most House Republicans to crossing lines - such as on the Transportation bill. They’re certainly quite a contrast to hard-line GOPers like DeLaForest and Jungbauer from this part of Anoka County. Too bad too, because they’re throwbacks to Weaver-style (Charles, John and Charlie) representation out of the Anoka/Coon Rapids part of the area.
Ted Butler looks like a very solid DFL candidate for this heavily-Republican area. Still, we did have over 2000 DFL caucus-goers in SD 49 this year - up from about 260 just two years ago; the Republicans had nowhere near that amount at caucuses - though their turnover was somewhat higher than two years ago also. There is a DFL presence in the area - the non-partisan Mayors of Coon Rapids and Andover are DFL activists, as are Council members in both cities. But Jerry Newton - a great candidate in 2006 - couldn’t topple DeLaForest, so unless the Andover area GOP nominate a total chump (and after all, they have put one of the state’s dumbest legislators, Debbie Johnson, into the Senate twice now), Butler has a real uphill battle. Still it is an open seat in a year that Obama might move the DFL turnout to new heights, even in this uptight, evangelical Republican ‘burb, so maybe there’s a slim shot at pulling off the veto-proof margin out of the 49A seat. Hoping, hoping, hoping….
I had trouble getting the last one to edit, so here goes with a corrected entry:
Thanks for publishing the Andover/Ham Lake update, guys.
Eva - just a tiny correction… Kathy Tinglestad is the GOP state rep. in 49B - the other half of the Senate district. I’m not certain, but Jeanine Allen may be her DFL opponent again this year - I’ll be hearing much more, I’m sure at the March 15 SD 49 DFL convention. It looks like you’re anticipating an internal Republican opponent.
Understandable, as Tinglestad and Abeler have been much more open than most House Republicans to crossing lines - such as on the Transportation bill. They’re certainly quite a contrast to hard-line GOPers like DeLaForest and Jungbauer from this part of Anoka County. Too bad too, because they’re throwbacks to Weaver-style (Charles, John and Charlie) representation out of the Anoka/Coon Rapids part of the area.
Ted Butler looks like a very solid DFL candidate for this heavily-Republican area. Still, we did have over 2000 DFL caucus-goers in SD 49 this year - up from about 260 just two years ago; the Republicans had nowhere near that amount at caucuses - though their turnover was somewhat higher than two years ago also. There is a DFL presence in the area - the non-partisan Mayors of Coon Rapids and Andover are DFL activists, as are Council members in both cities. But Jerry Newton - a great candidate in 2006 - couldn’t topple DeLaForest, so unless the Andover area GOP nominate a total chump (and after all, they have put one of the state’s dumbest legislators, Debbie Johnson, into the Senate twice now), Butler has a real uphill battle. Still it is an open seat in a year that Obama might move the DFL turnout to new heights, even in this uptight, evangelical Republican ‘burb, so maybe there’s a slim shot at pulling off the veto-proof margin out of the 49A seat. Hoping, hoping, hoping….
This seat will stay in the GOP column. I expect if one switches to the DFL it will be Ozment’s. Look at the margins folks, especially the US Senate margins, Kennedy beat Klobuchar easily. Just as some districts in Minneapolis will always be DFL, some districts will stay GOP for a long time….
That’s why so many of us get such poor representation in Minneapolis - because our legislators don’t face serious challenges - and don’t have to work for our votes.