Photo: mikeparry.com

Mike Parry kept Minnesota’s Senate District 26 in the Republican column Tuesday, winning a plurality of the vote in a special election that pitted him against DFLer Jason Engbrecht and Roy Srp of the Independence Party.

Parry won with 43.0% of the vote to Engbrecht’s 36.5% and Srp’s 20.3%. Nearly 11,500 ballots were cast.

Revelations of Twitter messages on Parry’s account that called President Obama a “Power Hungry Arrogant Black Man” and linked Democrats to pedophiles didn’t dissuade a plurality of voters who braved the cold Tuesday to back the Republican.

Because the special election was to fill a vacancy left by Republican Dick Day, who retired to lobby for Racino Now, Parry will have to savor his victory in a hurry. He must run again next November to retain the seat — and then again in 2012 due to redistricting.

Parry, Engbrecht and Srp each gained the most votes in one of the three counties, parts of which make up the district. Engbrecht took his home county, vote-rich Rice, but only barely: 1,772 votes to 1,726 for Parry and 263 for Srp.

Srp won in Waseca county, home to the city he’s mayor of (also Waseca), with 1,055 votes, for 46%. Parry was second there with 715 (31%). Engbrecht had 514 (22%).

Where Parry cleaned up was Steele County, where he gained 2,502 votes, or 46%. Engbrecht had 1,907 (35%), Srp 1,016 (19%).

The results signaled that “2010 will be a great year for Minnesota Republicans” to state GOP Chair Tony Sutton, who added, “I look forward to electing more like minded fiscal conservatives in November.”

As voters were still at the polls, a Governing magazine blog called the contest “a not uninteresting state Senate special election” — interesting in that, had Parry won, it’d go down as possibly the first election in the country “where a Twittergaffe actually cost someone an election.” Continued blogger Josh Goodman:

The biggest reason I’ll be watching this race, though, is that I’m curious in the political environment coming after the Massachusetts special election. Are Democrats doubly despondent or was Scott Brown’s victory a wake-up call for them?

There was not much doubt about the national implications of the Southern Minnesota triumph from Sutton, who tweeted “1st Scott Brown, now Parry, next up Victory in Nov!”

Parry himself stayed silent on Twitter, as he had for five days leading up to the election.

Ihrke said by lunchtime some precincts had seen as many as 10 percent of registered voters at the polls.

For Ihrke, 26 is the number of the day, Jan. 26. Steele County, with more than half the land area of Senate District 26, has 26 precincts, including 10 in its biggest city, Owatonna; one each in the cities of Medford, Ellendale and Blooming Prairie; and the remainder in rural townships.

“Things are going fine,” she said, although “cold weather may be a deterrent.” Still, she expects citizens have been made aware of the election through advertisements in local newspapers and mailings.

Polls close at 8 p.m., with the first results expected by about 8:30 p.m., according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office, which will post returns on its website.

The Senate District 26 special election pits DFLer Jason Engbrecht against Republican Mike Parry and Roy Srp of the Independence Party in a contest to replace retiring Republican Dick Day.

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.

Photo: mikeparry.com

Mike Parry, the Republican candidate running to fill the seat of Sen. Dick Day in the District 26 special election, denied he erased any updates on his Twitter account and defended a tweet in which he called President Barack Obama a “Power Hungry Arrogant Black Man.” To that description, he added “angry,” as well.

“I know specifically about what you’re talking about — the tweet that I had sent using my opinion and fact,” Parry told the Waseca County News on Tuesday. “My opinion is that our president is arrogant and angry. The fact is that he is a black man. Now if the Democratic Party and the liberals want to take my opinion and the fact and mix it together and use it to bring a bad light about me and keep them away from discussing the real issues they can do that all they want. They’re grasping for straws.”

Another tweet that raised some questions was one on May 6 which asked, “what’s with Dems and Pedophiles?” That tweet appears to coincide with the passing of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, which the religious right often referred to as the “Pedophile Protection Act.”

Parry denied that he wrote the tweet, according to the Waseca County News.

“I would think that’s wrong. If it’s on my account I wouldn’t know how that one got on there,” he said. He also said he did not erase any tweets.

Sen. Dick Day, who retired from his seat to become a lobbyist for state-sponsored gambling interests, endorsed Parry on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

ST. PAUL: Legislators leery about Hmong repatriations. State Sen. Mee Moua and state Rep. Cy Thao say moving refugees from Thailand to Laos spells danger. [St. Paul Pioneer Press]

ST. CLOUD: Army reservists headed for Southwest Asia. That’s code for the Middle East. [St. Cloud Times]

AUSTIN: Security ramped up. Not on airplanes — at the library, where a 19th-century map was stolen and vulgar words scratched into staffers’ cars. [Austin Post-Bulletin; News Cut]

ALBERT LEA: Budget leaves city $7,000 short for cop’s pay. But council finds $17,750 for search firm to find someone willing to work as city manager. [Albert Lea Tribune]

STATEWIDE: “Eat wheat!” Farmers will vote on doubling their checkoff rate to fund research and promotion, after 30 years at 1 cent per bushel.

LAKE COUNTY: Jailbirds’ two squares jump in price. A nursing home will charge 60 percent more to fix meals for prisoners. [Lake County News Chronicle]

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

STATEWIDE: Marty Seifert picks on Rybak, Kelliher, Dayton. A fundraising plea for the Republican state rep’s 2010 guv campaign relies on supporters despising three DFL rivals. [Polinaut]

MINNEAPOLIS: R.T. Rybak talks liberally. The mayor takes aim at Gov. Pawlenty’s hunting escapade in a new video from a Dec. 3 event; another version had him dissing Norm Coleman, too. [Hot Dish Politics; The Cucking Stool; Minnesota Democrats Exposed]

FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Another Republican will wade into race to challenge Tim Walz. Or so they’re saying about Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce President John Wade. [Rochester Post-Bulletin]

OWATONNA: Dems will meet Dec. 28 to make pick for special election. St. Olaf College prof Jason Engbrecht announced in Faribault last night that he’ll be running to succeed retiring Republican state Sen. Dick Day. [Bluestem Prairie]

MINNEAPOLIS: “It kind of made my Finnish blood boil.” Warren Kaari filed a campaign-finance complaint over Council President Barb Johnson writing off hair care and other personal expenses; a hearing is set for Jan. 26. [Star Tribune]

STATEWIDE: Snow over Christmas. Maybe 20 inches of it in the Twin Cities. [Updraft]

Photo: David J. Oakes, Session e-Briefly

Handicapping is underway in the race to replace Republican state Sen. Dick Day, who is quitting to lobby for casino gambling at horse tracks.

The Owatonna People’s Press is betting on Waseca Mayor Roy Srp — a one-time DFLer who’s now a member of the Independence Party — unless a leader emerges from a crowd of Republicans. If necessary, a primary election will take place Jan. 12.

So far the identity of any DFL candidates in the Jan. 26 special election is a mystery. Filing for the office opens Wednesday and runs through Dec. 29 — “when most of us have our thoughts focused on anything but politics,” the People’s Press points out.

Blogger Dusty Trice put out a call for names of DFLers poised to run, but he “never heard anything,” he tells the Minnesota Independent by email. “They have to be looking for someone by now.”

Day’s resignation takes effect Jan. 8.

[Via Sally Jo Sorensen]

MN Publius’ Zach Stephenson asks whether the video is evidence that Day is already acting as a lobbyist.

Not until he earns $3,000 for his lobbying services, says Gary Goldsmith, executive director at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Goldsmith tells the Minnesota Independent that’s the threshold to meet the definition of a lobbyist under state law.

That definition specifically says that the term “‘lobbyist’ does not include a public official,” but Goldsmith tells MnIndy the law doesn’t actually prohibit a legislator from also lobbying.

But there’s a lot of overlap between activities included in the two job descriptions — persuading elected officials, for one. And in Day’s case, with the Legislature out of session, it’s an especially foggy area. Legislators are allowed to engage in outside employment, hobbies and advocacy.

Here is the video in question:

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning  …

STATEWIDE: Income-tax reciprocity is dead. But new governors in Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2011 could revive it. [Winona Daily News; The Forum]

ONAMIA: Native son to face trial in Iran. Shane Bauer and two fellow hikers could get death sentences for crossing the border from Iraq. [Pioneer Press]

ST. PAUL: Entenza gets Stonewall DFL nod. Former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza continued an unbroken string of endorsements from the party’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender caucus. [Polinaut]

MANTORVILLE: Tea Partier set to seek 29A House seat. Chuck Bradford will try to replace fellow GOPer Randy Demmer, who is running for Congress instead. [Bluestem Prairie]

MEDFORD: A new Day? Former mayor Dan Kaiser switches horse races: instead of the 26B House seat, he’ll now run for the Republican endorsement to replace aspiring lobbyist and state Sen. Dick Day [Waseca County News]

AUSTIN: “Mammoth donkeys” are just that. Believe the roadside “For Sale” sign: they’re 56 inches mammoth. [Rochester Post-Bulletin]

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

MINNEAPOLIS: No snow day for education reporters. Read news of struggling public schools or a feature and column about successful private schools. [Star Tribune]

ST. JOSEPH: “Petters Auditorium” … not. The pyramid-schemer’s family name will no longer bedeck the hall at the College of St. Benedict. [St. Cloud Times]

ST. LOUIS COUNTY: Schools referendum passes, barely. Voters decided to close four of the seven schools where they cast ballots Tuesday. [WDIO Eyewitness News]

SAVAGE: Blecchh! The city shut off the flow of musty-smelling and -tasting water from a new plant in Burnsville. [St. Paul Pioneer Press]

MINNEAPOLIS: U Otter Stop fighting. A brawl outside a saloon left a female University of Minnesota art history research assistant with a broken leg — a possible hate crime. [Minnesota Daily; Minneapolis Issues List]

MINNEAPOLIS: Who you gonna call? Witnesesses didn’t call police about that fight, but if they do next time, they’ll reach a force with 25 fewer officers. [Minnesota Daily]