Three campaigns battle four winds in SD26 special election

Clockwise from upper left: Dick Day, Roy Srp, Mike Parry, Jason Engbrecht

A classic Minnesota three-way election is underway today in Senate District 26, with DFLer Jason Engbrecht, Republican Mike Parry and Independence Party candidate Roy Srp vying to replace Dick Day. And classic Minnesota January weather returned just in time for the vote.

Day, a Republican in his sixth state Senate term, condemned his constituents to a cold day at the polls when he resigned effective Jan. 8 to work as a lobbyist for so-called “racino” legislation allowing casino gambling at racetracks.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty ordered a special election for Jan. 26. On Jan. 25, Pawlenty ordered the National Guard to help with a blizzard that swept across southern Minnesota.

Senate District 26, which includes Faribault, Owatonna and Waseca (map pdf), escaped the very worst to the west, but state Hwy. 13 through Waseca was closed overnight. Road and weather conditions had improved by morning Tuesday.

Still, campaign volunteers faced a task that might be better described as thaw-out-the-vote.

Turning blue?

District 26 voters have historically favored Republicans, according to Smart Politics, and that’s true as well of special-election voters statewide over the last few decades.

But the district has been trending Democratic, with two DFL representatives making Day the district’s only Republican at the legislature at the time he resigned.

On a hurry-up timetable to fill the empty seat, DFLers endorsed Engbrecht, a St. Olaf College physics professor and Faribault school board member, while Republicans chose Parry, a former member of the Waseca City Council. Srp, Waseca’s mayor, gained the Independence Party nod.

Engbrecht and Parry raised more campaign funds, but given his job, Srp started with a higher public profile. Parry was forced to apologize for messages posted at his Twitter account, including one in which he termed President Obama a “Power Hungry Arrogant Black Man” and another linking Democrats and pedophiles.

Each has earned the backing of leaders and notables in their respective parties — U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for Parry, former U.S. Rep. Tim Penny for Srp, and U.S. Sen. Al Franken for Engbrecht.