Who is the real MN CD8?

Back on President's Day, we posted about what we thought we knew about the Democratic candidates for Congress in our Congressional District, MN CD8. We also promised to provide updates as we learned more. Here's our first update, courtesy of the professionals at MinnPost providing an article today on

Who’s running for Congress in Minnesota in 2020

For the nonce, our interests are more parochial, so we direct your attention to the section in the MinnPost article on Congressional District 8 wherein we learn that one of the candidates we had listed, Marjorie Holstrom-Sabo, has withdrawn. There's no mention in the MinnPost coverage of another candidate we found in the BallotPedia listing, Soren C Sorenson. We've queried MinnPost via email for an explanation and will share any response we get. [UPDATE: MinnPost, in response to our query, has added a summary for Sorenson. see below.]

will MN CD8's future be more of the same?

Photo by J. Harrington

On an even more local front, practically in our back yard, one of the candidates, Gaylene Sporlarich, will be doing a "meet and greet" this Saturday. From the announcement we received:

Also attached is the announcement for an opportunity to Meet Gaylene this Saturday, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Northwoods Roasterie in Lindstrom.  This is being sponsored by Women Thinking Out Loud.  PLEASE SHARE this Saturday event with those you know looking [for] a strong candidate and champion of the environment.  Hope to see you there.

Here are the summaries on Sporlarich and Quinn Nystrom as they appear in the MinnPost coverage (emphasis added):

Nystrom is an insulin affordability advocate running for the DFL-nomination in the Eighth District. Rick Nolan, the former DFL-congressman who represented the district, has endorsed Nystrom. Nystrom has made health care affordability the central tenet of her campaign.

Spolarich has worked for 25 years in local and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe tribal government. She's advocating for a bringing more economic opportunity to Northeastern Minnesota.

Sorensen is a candidate for the DFL nomination in the Eighth District. His platform emphasizes human rights and workers rights. Sorensen also sought the nomination in 2018 but was defeated in the primary.

It'll be interesting to see how all of this plays out locally. Will voters in MN CD8 begin to recognize the significance of the assessment recently provided by Aaron Brown, a native Iron Ranger, in the Minnesota Reformer:

No, we need not agree about mining policy or politics to make life here better, perhaps better than it’s ever been. But we must agree on reality. And the reality is we must diversify our economy and open the imaginary borders we draw between us and the rest of the world.

or will we come to be dominated by the kind of populations and politics portrayed in books such as What's the Matter with Kansas or Strangers in Their Own Land?  We each must decide whether we are motivated more by hope for or fear of our future.

For the Consideration of Poets

By Haki R. Madhubuti

where is the poetry of resistance,

                     the poetry of honorable defiance

unafraid of lies from career politicians and business men,

not respectful of journalist who write

official speak void of educated thought

without double search or sub surface questions

that war talk demands?

where is the poetry of doubt and suspicion

not in the service of the state, bishops and priests,

not in the service of beautiful people and late night promises,

not in the service of influence, incompetence and academic

         clown talk?

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