2 Dems hoping to oust Congressman Tom Emmer will face off in a District 6 DFL debate

SCTimes

MONTICELLO — Candidates hoping to take on Republican Congressman Tom Emmer in November will face off Wednesday at the 6th Congressional District DFL debate in Monticello.

It's the first time the district party has held a debate like this, said Wayne Grimmer, chairman of the Minnesota Sixth Congressional District DFL.

"It was the idea to do something different and generate some interest," Grimmer said Thursday. Party delegates will endorse a DFL candidate for the seat in May.

The debate will feature candidates Tawnja Zahradka, a former Mrs. Minnesota America and television personality; and Ian Todd, a U.S. Air Force veteran who challenged Emmer in 2018.

Ian Todd and Tawnja Zahradka are running for the DFL endorsement in Minnesota's Congressional District 6 in 2020.

Emmer is serving his third term in Congress after winning 61% of the vote in 2018.

The district is listed as "solid Republican" by The Cook Political Report.

District 6 curves around the north and west edges of the Twin Cities metro and extends northwest into parts of Stearns and Benton counties.

Emmer faced Republican challenges in 2018, but so far none have come forward.

In addition to Zahradka and Todd, Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey is listed as a DFL candidate by the Federal Election Commission. Bey ran as a Republican in the 2018 special U.S. Senate race.

Becker resident Curtis Hed launched a DFL bid in late January, according to his Facebook page and an introductory podcast. He's been a magician for 40-plus years and uses magic in educational presentations to promote reading and the value of kindness.

St. Cloud State University graduate Randall May is also running for the seat, according to May emails fto the St. Cloud Times. He has worked as a train conductor for Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific and as a ramp agent and baggage handler for various airlines.

Todd and Zahradka are the only candidates at the debate, because they launched their campaigns in earnest last year and were involved in the planning process, Grimmer said.

Todd lives in Sauk Rapids and is working toward a bachelor's degree at St. Cloud State. His top three issues are climate change, getting money out of politics and Medicare for all, he told the St. Cloud Times last fall.

Zahradka lives in Forest Lake. She created the television show "The Minnesota Experience" and owned a production company. She experienced harassment at work and is running for office to end it, according to her campaign website. Other key issues include environmental protection, civil rights and education.

Wednesday's debate will include questions about the environment and immigration, among other topics, as well as some quick-round questions, Grimmer said. The candidates will give opening and closing remarks.

It is put on by the Minnesota 6th Congressional District DFL and Wright County Indivisible, whose members will be moderators.

There will be a second debate with DFL candidates in the congressional district.

In the meantime, members are working to establish clear criteria for the inclusion of additional candidates, Grimmer said. Some potential candidates expressed and withdrew their interest already.

"We need to make sure the process is open and fair to all individuals who want to run and potentially run for the endorsement," Grimmer said.

The endorsing convention for the district is May 9.

If more than one Democrat continues to run after the convention, the race will be part of the Aug.11 primary election.

The general election is Nov. 3.

Debate details

What: DFL debate for Minnesota Congressional District 6

Who: Candidates Ian Todd and Tawnja Zahradka

When: Wednesday, doors open at 6 p.m. and debate starts at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Monticello Community Center, 505 Walnut St. in Monticello.

RSVP online: dfl.org/event/cd6-candidate-debate. It's free and open to all members of the public.

Nora Hertel is the government watchdog reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-255-8746 or nhertel@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @nghertel.

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