House District 09B
Candidates:
- Paul Marquart - DFL (Campaign Finance Bd.)
- Danya Olson - R
Primarily rural. This fertile Red River Valley district is dotted with small cities. The Red River Valley has experienced tough times because of major floods, bad weather and low commodity prices. Major crops are sugar beets, corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and potatoes. The district has a high percentage of residents over age 65. Detroit Lakes is a tourist destination in the winter and summer, hosting WE Fest, the largest outdoor country music festival in the Midwest, every August. Issues of concern in the district - besides border issues - include declining student enrollment, property taxes and the growing senior population. Politically, the district is nearly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
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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