Al Doty grew up on a Minnesota farm, moved to 12B 38 years ago and been involved in bettering the community ever since.  Whether working in at Pierz high school for over 30 years, coaching wrestling, serving as a board member on Horizon Health, helping to found Faith Community Church, or being a founding member of Pierz Fish Lake Property Owners Association, Al Doty has devoted himself to serving his community.  It is this wealth of experience and a solid foundation of thorough education that makes Al Doty such a potent candidate for the district.

But, don’t take our word for it, just read his answers in our interview after the fold.MN Publius:  You ran in 2004 as an Independence Party candidate for this same Congressional seat.  What has fueled your decision to run again?
Al Doty: This isn’t an easy answer; there are so many factors that entered into it, but they all have to do with the erosion of the middle class.  America was strong with a solid future as long as the middle class was strong, but it’s being weakened rapidly by the direction national and state leadership has taken us, especially during the past 4 years. I share most values with the people of the district I’m running to represent, and my training and experience have given me a great deal of insight about what people really need and how to get that done.

MP: As a follow-up, why did you run as an IP candidate in 2004 but a DFL candidate this year?
AD: This one’s easier.  After being quite active in the DFL, I dropped out of politics for many years because I felt both parties had moved too far from the center. Two years ago I felt I had some good solutions for the problems of this district, and I ran from the center (the IP) to try to address those problems. I did very well for a “third party