Former state legislator Roger Reinert, a self-described “centrist” Democrat, easily earned more votes in Tuesday’s Duluth mayoral primary than two-term incumbent Emily Larson.
As the top two vote getters in Tuesday’s primary, both Reinert and Larson will advance to November’s general election, but Reinert’s strong performance could spell trouble for Larson as she seeks a third term.
Reinert captured 63% of the votes in the five-way “nonpartisan” race, followed by Larson at 35%. Reinert acknowledged that he’ll have to appeal to a larger pool of voters come November.
“Obviously, the primary is a smaller voter turnout, and we have a lot of work to do between now and November, but the same basic things — the five big issues we’ve talked about (and) the tangible, practical steps the mayor can take — that’s what folks can expect us to focus on over the next three months,” he told the Duluth News Tribune.
Reinert served as a Democrat in the Minnesota Legislature for several years but opted not to seek the DFL Party’s endorsement in the mayoral contest, the Tribune reported. Larson has the backing of both the DFL and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who touted her record of “standing up for progressive values” in an endorsement this week.
Reinert has positioned himself as “more of a centrist” who is campaigning on issues like fixing Duluth’s streets and lowering property taxes.
According to the Tribune, Larson has outraised Reinert at $53,576 to $47,164. Larson did not speak to supporters after the polls closed, MPR reported. The DFL held an election night party at Wild State Cider.
“Now that there are two candidates, Duluth has a clear choice between facing our challenges and progressing forward together, building on the work we’ve done to make Duluth a leader in the state, or going nowhere on critical issues like housing, childcare, climate change and jobs,” she said in a written statement.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
