Rep. Rob Ecklund claimed a victory over challenger Thomas Manninen for the Minnesota House District 3A seat just before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
In a tight race throughout the night, Ecklund, of International Falls, received 12,540 votes or 52.41 percent. Manninen, of Littlefork, finished the race with 11,367 votes or 47.51 percent.
In another local race, incumbent Tom Bakk, DFL, defeated Republican challenger Christopher Hogan for the state senator District 3 seat.
Bakk clinched 26,641 votes or 55.23 percent, and Hogan received 21,532 votes or 44.64 percent.
Ecklund said it was a tough night, watching returns come in after midnight to find out if he would return to office.
While he said he was happy voters reelected him, he said he will work to figure out why so many local voters did not favor him against the challenger.
“When my colleagues have lost races before, it was maybe because the don’t look like their district anymore,” Ecklund said early Wednesday. “I need to find out why some people don’t feel like I look like my district anymore.
Ecklund said he feels the hate and division in the nation has bled into local and state politics.
“It will be all elected officials’ jobs to end the division for the betterment of the state and country,” he said.
His rule of thumb in votes is simple: District first, state second, caucus third, and party fourth, he said.
He said he’s been recognized by MinnPost news service as the fifth or sixth most conservative representative in the caucus. “And I think that is a good place for me to be at,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ecklund said he has clear goals for the state, noting he believes Manninen voiced no goals, but only make attacks
“Life goes on and like (Vice President Joe) Biden has said about voters, I will represent all of District 3, not just the people who voted for me. I need to figure out how to make things work for people, even the people who didn’t vote for me.”
8th District
Congressman Pete Stauber will serve another term representing Minnesota’s 8th District.
Shortly after the race was called by the AP News Service around 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, D-FL challenger Quinn Nystrom called Stauber, a Republican from Hermantown, to concede the race.
Stauber received 215,115 votes or 56.69 percent to Nystrom’s 142,708 votes or 37.61 percent.
Judith Schwartzbacker, Grassroots — Legalize Cannabis, received 21,434 votes or 5.65 percent.
