House District 11B
- Mary Ellen Otremba - DFL (Campaign Finance Bd.)
- David Kircher - R (Campaign Finance Bd.)
100% rural. This agricultural district is dotted with small towns. Dairy is the mainstay of most farms, although the number of farms is decreasing. Other farms have crops and beef cattle. Maintaining good schools and the quality of rural life in this agricultural district are important, as is economic development. A concentration of manufacturing businesses exists in Long Prairie and Staples, a result of the successful high-quality curriculum at Staples-Brainerd Technical College. Long Prairie and Staples have a long-standing, good-natured rivalry. Economic development is occurring and new businesses are coming into northern Douglas County. Staples was the hometown of novelist Jon Hassler and also home to the state's only golf course (Double Eagle) that can be played both ways. Politically, the district has shown streaks of both independence and conservatism.
To get a much better picture of each candidate's prospects, your best bet is to order the 2007-2008 Politics in Minnesota Directory, which includes election histories for each incumbent, the vote percentages for major candidates in each district and much more in addition to the maps and district descriptions below. Buy the Directory here. Please note that the district maps and written descriptions are copyrighted. We encourage you to link to the pages, but printing them for dissemination requires the permission of the publisher. To get permission, write to staff@politicsinminnesota.com.
Also, please note that some incumbents do not yet have opponents. Candidate filings close July 15, 2008.
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