Quist, Demmer court the Tea Party vote in Mankato

Allen Quist (Photo from EdWatch)

At a candidate meet-and-greet Thursday night in Mankato, Republican candidates vying to run against Rep. Tim Walz openly courted the Tea Party vote and distanced themselves from “typical” Republicans. Allen Quist and Randy Demmer attended an event at the WOW! Zone Family Entertainment Center.

“I’m not a typical Republican,” Allen Quist told KEYC. “I’m very independent, I’m very grass roots. I’m real citizen-oriented. I don’t know where the leadership is with regard to Tea Party folks, I just know they’re my friends, they’re my neighbors. I have the utmost respect for the Tea Party Patriots.”

Randy Demmer said, “What’s really exciting about the Tea Party movement is its not driven by any political doctrine. It’s driven by grassroots people saying — wait a second — where are we going?”