House District 58B DFLers last week endorsed State Rep. Bobby Joe Champion as their candidate for re election to Minnesota House of Representatives. Champion is completing his first term serving North Minneapolis and parts of downtown. The convention also endorsed Joe Mullery for re-election to the seat he currently holds in the other half of North Minneapolis, House District 58A.Champion and Mullery breezed through the District 58 Convention at North High School, Saturday , Feb. 27, each nominated by unanimous voice vote of delegates because neither had an opponent in vying for the party’s nomination.
Both will run as the DFL candidates in the Fall primary and General Elections.
The two districts together comprise the Senate District 58, whose incumbent, State Senator Linda Higgins also won unanimous endorsement by the convention. Higgins however, was challenged by Northside architect and community activist, Raymond Dehn, who conceded the contest to Higgins after the first round of balloting resulted in nearly 70% of delegates voting for Higgins. Sixty percent of votes were required to secure the endorsement. Dehn conceded and moved unanimous endorsement for Higgins in a move to promote DFL Party unity in North Minneapolis.
Delegates applauded Dehn for his effort and for his cooperative and conciliatory spirit when he withdrew and offered the motion selecting Higgins.
In other convention business, the District elected Makeda Zulu Gillespie to succeed Natonia Johnson as District chair, and elected Shirlynn LaChapelle to District 58 Affirmative Action Officer. Jeff Strand, Associate Chair, Sandra Bates, Secretary, and Jim Moran, Treasurer were reelected to their existing officer posts.
The convention named Natonia Johnson, Brett Buckner, Kenya McKnight, Jerry Moore, Terra Cole, David Young, Marie Castle, Al McFarlane, Caroline Duffy, Linda Elston, and Brian Bushay as Directors for the Senate District 58 DFL Party, and named the Rev. Randolph Staten, Deven Nelson, Kevin Shannon, Nada Jones, and Sellano Simmons to the DFL State Central Committee, and named Michael Brown and Sylvester Seward as delegates to the Congressional District 5 Convention.
For further information DFL58.org.
