TakeAction Minnesota members recommended endorsing four state legislative candidates at its first screening of the electoral season last night. The three incumbents who garnered backing — Shelley Madore, David Bly, and Sandra Masin — are all freshmen legislators from swing districts who knocked off GOP incumbents in 2006. They each won their posts by fewer than 200 votes two years ago, part of the DFL electoral wave that saw the party pick up 19 House seats.

The lone challenger to receive the nonprofit group’s backing was Paul Rosenthal, who is looking to unseat two-term GOP incumbent Neil Peterson. The pair also squared off in 2006, with Rosenthal garnering 47 percent of the vote. Peterson is among the six GOP legislators who bucked their party to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of the transportation bill in February. The Republican party responded by endorsing Peterson’s GOP challenger, Jan Schneider. The GOP rivals will likely square off in a primary contest. 

All four candidates were backed by more than 85 percent of TakeAction’s members present at the screening. The only controversy stemmed from Rep. Madore’s support of an amendment requiring voters to show a valid state ID in order to vote. “I think that her vote in favor of a photo ID strikes at the heart of our democracy,” noted one member. The group’s board of directors is expected to sign off on the endorsement recommendations next week.

TakeAction Minnesota has become a significant political player in the last two state election cycles, helping DFLers take comfortable control of both legislative bodies. Democrats are within five votes of establishing a veto-proof majority in the House and hold a 44-23 advantage in the Senate.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison was also endorsed for re-election by a unanimous voice vote. TakeAction Minnesota will hold four more screenings over the next two months.