In the hotly contested DFL primary in 59B, these are what appear to be the results of yesterday's vote:
RAYMOND DEHN 876 37.12%
IAN L ALEXANDER 627 26.57%
TERRA COLE 857 36.31%
But on the North Talk Facebook forum there is a livid discussion about dirty campaign tricks used by the Raymond Dehn camp, click here for documentation. Word is Terra Cole has not conceded, but this is not confirmed and could change by morning. Given the margin of victory, there is no automatic recount. Any recount would have to be paid for by a losing campaign and these things don't come cheaply.
Considering the dirty tricks that CAN be seen, this blogger wonders aloud about dirty tricks that CAN NOT be seen. Therefore...
...this blogger calls for a public examination of the voter rosters showing who voted and what address they list as their current home in 59B. If I can obtain these documents in PDF form I will publish them on this blog for public examination and commentary. Publication elsewhere such as the Star Tribune, the North by Northside blog or WHEREVER is just fine, too.
Frankly I don't care HOW the public examination takes place, but I certainly want it to happen.
I would have preferred to see Ian Alexander win. Between thug hugger Raymond Dehn and the not very experienced Terra Cole, I don't feel like I have any dog in this fight and I lose either way.
However, rumors have been relayed to me of individuals appearing at more than one polling place, specifically in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood. This could be innocent activity as voters are directed from one place to another in a legitimate way.
Or it might not be.
A public examination of the signed voter rosters will help to clear up whether this was a fair contest.
Let it happen.
Addendum by comment.
ReplyDeleteThree hours ago on her Facebook page, Terra Cole said as follows:
Let me be perfectly clear. I have not conceded.
First, voting rosters tell you who showed up. If some showed up as actual Republicans crossing over, how do you deal with that? All you have
ReplyDeleteelectionresults.sos.state.mn.us/ENR/Results/GetStateHouseResults/2?id=plegdistrictida&districtid=472
is 180 who showed up actually voted the GOP ballot column. Few.
What do you make of that?
How do you propose checking the voter registration log as any help in suggesting it would matter to a recount?
Ballots are anonymous for good reasons, and you bump into that. If voter Joe Dogg [now Joe Lion, going Rasta] actually lives in Faribault, how do you translate that into anything useful on the question of who goes on to the general election?
What you are saying does not hang together, or am I missing an unstated "therefore ..."?
Jill Clark is out of the judicial race, third where two go on.
ReplyDeleteJill Clark got fifty-nine thousand votes. Really.
Any thoughts about whether P.T. Barnum had a true insight about underestimating the American public?
What's with the Snop Dogg reference in the Anon comment Johnny? Did youmissed it?
ReplyDelete"Joe Dogg [now Joe Lion, going Rasta]"
I know you're pissed, but Ian never had a chance. Deal with it.
ReplyDeleteLORIE SKJERVEN GILDEA 143316 49.75%
ReplyDeleteJILL CLARK 60228 20.91%
DAN GRIFFITH 84553 29.35%
Actually 60,228 if you believe the numbers from the MN Lawyer Blog.
For the most part, this probably represents people who didn't know anything about the candidates and voted for a name that "sounded nice." And then you've got some genuine nut cases who voted for her on purpose, maybe that's about 5 percent of her vote total.
John,
ReplyDeleteWhile I think you'll probably go on doing what you want on your blog, I have to state one thing: the use of the term "thug-hugger" in description of Raymond Dehn is insulting and unnecessarily divisive. There has been plenty of nastiness and alleged rules violations in this campaign. Dehn may well lose after a recount. And we do need to strip the curtain away so that everyone can see what went on here.
But this kind of name-calling does nothing to further the dialogue and will make it harder for the community to come together when the dust settles, no matter who winds up as our rep in 59B.
How right you are that I will continue to do what I want on my blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZLVi4v7lSM
I don't find the label "unnecessarily divisive." I find it "necessarily descriptive" and convenient for its sonorous memorability.
Recently a friend of mine described Dehn as being like an "evil Simpsons character" even in his mannerisms. I can imagine him taking thugs to his very breast, into his own home, and being completely accepting of all they do. One day the thugs are sticking their pistols in their baggy pants, fixing to go sling dope on the corner.
"WAIT!!!" cries evil Simpsons character Raymond Dehn.
The thugs pause. They look up.
"Don't forget your cooooooookies!" he says, in a sing song voice.
Ooh!, do i sense philisophical differences between you two? Is there a feud in the making? Jeff actually has integrity so it will not even be a contest. What a looser.
ReplyDeleteIt's spelled "loser," you loser.
ReplyDelete