REGIONAL—The continuing push for legalized marijuana in Minnesota may have played a role in a somewhat disappointing night for DFLers on Nov. 3, and state House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler believes that the party needs to address the issue now more than ever.
Two parties, Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis and Legal Marijuana Now (LMN) received surprisingly strong third-party support across the state. While the two parties weren’t on the ballot in the presidential race, candidates for the two parties drew nearly eight percent of the vote in the U.S. Senate race, including many votes here in the North Country. Nearly ten percent of voters in Tower, for example, backed one of the two pro-pot parties, while eight percent of voters in Ely did the same.
In fact, the Legal Marijuana Now Party has drawn enough support in recent years, including this year, to gain major party status in Minnesota, which makes it much easier for candidates to file for office under the banner— and some may be using the party’s status for nefarious ends.
News reports. from a variety of media ahead of the Nov. 3 election, cited evidence that at least one LMN candidate, Adam Weeks, told friends he’d been encouraged, and possibly funded, by Republican operatives as a means of siphoning off votes from Second District Congresswoman Angie Craig, a Democrat, who was locked in a hard-fought race with Republican challenger Tyler Kistner.
Weeks, who died ahead of the election, managed to draw nearly six percent of the vote in the Second District race. Craig managed to hang on but Weeks’s presence in the race almost certainly made it closer than it might otherwise have been.
The Star Tribune reported on Oct. 29, that the paper had received a recording of a voice mail message that Weeks had left for a friend, telling him of the GOP plot.
While Weeks ultimately didn’t make the difference, other pro-pot candidates may well have. In the First Congressional District, incumbent Republican Congressman Jim Hagedorn hung on by less than 12,000 votes against a strong challenge from Democrat Dan Feehan. In that contest, GLC candidate Bill Rood drew 21,435 votes, potentially making the difference in that tight contest.
It appears Democrats may have lost some state legislative races with a similar dynamic, including a pivotal Senate race, that likely prevented the DFL from regaining control of that body. In that race, in District 14, DFLer Aric Putnam lost to Republican Jerry Relph by 318 votes. LMN candidate Jaden Partlow received 3,127 votes in that contest, likely helping to flip the seat to the GOP. (Update: The posting of additional absentee ballot totals now give Putnam a 316-vote lead in this race).
Whether the pro-pot candidates are secretly backed and funded by Republicans or not, Winkler said their presence in the race is hurting the DFL’s chances in some critical races. “I don’t think Democrats did enough to embrace this issue and make it central to our candidacies,” said Winkler. The DFLer from Golden Valley said he’s seen this issue becoming a significant one for a few years and he has actively stumped around the state in the past year for marijuana legalization.
Polls show strong public support for legalization, support which cuts across party lines. A number of red states, including Montana and South Dakota, approved referenda on Nov. 3 that called for pot legalization.
“I think the DFL has no choice but to make it more central,” Winkler said.
While Winkler said he didn’t see evidence of widespread coordination between Republicans and pro-pot parties to undermine DFL candidates, he believes Republicans will field more candidates under those party labels in 2022. “Because of their major party status, it’s just $50 to get on the ballot,” he said.