It may be some time before St. Cloud’s Minnesota House of Representatives District 14B race is set in stone.
State Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, is currently expected to return to St. Paul. He won the Minnesota House of Representatives District 14B race against Republican challenger Sue Ek by 28 votes, according to preliminary results.
When the results first showed 100% on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website, it had Ek defeating Wolgamott by four votes. Within the hour the results were updated to show Wolgamott taking the lead.
Ek told the St. Cloud Times in a text that the votes still need to be canvassed and there’s the possibility of a recount.
The Minnesota House of Representatives currently looks at a 67-67 tie between the two major political parties, threatening the DFL’s trifecta. If the potential recount goes in Ek’s favor, it could put the house in Republican control.
Wolgamott has held the post since 2019 and is currently speaker pro-tempore. He ran his campaign on bipartisan efforts, which is shown in a recent Majority in the Middle report, which states he is among the top legislators for across-the-aisle collaboration, with 43% of his bills including members of other parties.
Wolgamott said he knocked on more than 10,000 doors this election cycle. He told the St. Cloud Times this campaigning approach helped him build relationships with constituents, which gives him a better understanding of local issues.
“I first started running in 2014, and so I’ve been having conversations with folks for 10 years,” Wolgamott said. “It’s really neat that you get to know people, and you build relationships. You get to see how they live their life.”
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After these conversations, Wolgamott is making downtown St. Cloud revitalization a top priority. The legislator is looking forward to collaborating with the St. Cloud City Council and the new mayor to decide how the city would like to move forward with the neighborhood.
“I think that area is a real catalyst. It has a real ripple effect on the rest of our community,” he said. “Downtown St. Cloud revitalization has been one of my top priorities and will continue to be.”
Wolgamott, who coaches football at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, also said addressing law enforcement staffing challenges is another priority. He hopes to do that through a pension-related policy.
The District 14B race garnered attention this election cycle as the Republican party looked to take control of the house and foil the DFL trifecta. Ek, who previously ran for the legislature in 2005, tried to take down Wolgamott, who came under fire this past year for a DWI that he pleaded guilty to.
After reports about Ek’s 2005 campaign’s opposition to same-sex marriage, contraceptives and abortion surfaced, the Republican came under fire.
In an interview with the St. Cloud Times earlier in her campaign, Ek said she remains pro-life and believes marriage should be between a man and woman. Despite her views opposing same-sex marriage, Ek said LGBTQ+ individuals deserve to be treated with respect.
She ran her campaign on helping the economy, something she’s been hearing is a struggle when visiting with central Minnesotans. Ek also wanted to bring enhanced parental involvement to education.
Despite criticism from the left, Ek received a number of endorsements, including Minnesotans for Affordable Health Insurance.
“We are supporting Sue Ek due to her support of public policy that will make healthcare more affordable for Minnesota consumers and increase consumer choice and competition among insurance carriers,” the group said in a release.
Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Minnesota House Representatives 14B seat to Wolgamott, recount ahead
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