Four vie for IR 21B endorsement

By FRITZ BUSCH Journal Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD — Four candidates will vie for the District 21B Republican State Representative endorsement tonight at the Springfield Community Center.

The convention starts at 7 p.m. It is open to the public.

District 21B includes Brown, northern Watonwan plus eastern and southern Redwood County.

Each candidate and their supporters will be allowed to speak 12 minutes for each candidate.

The convention will be managed by Southwest Minnesota State University Political Science Professor David Sturrock.

“There’s lots of interest in politics this year, much more than in the past few years. There are well over 200 delegates and we’ve got four active candidates,” said Sturrock.

Brown County Republican Party Chairman Gerald Woodley said he expects a big turnout.

Brad Finstad, R-Comfrey, will not seek a fourth term.

The first candidate to be approved by 60 percent or more of the delegates or their alternates will be endorsed.

Dean Simonsen, Greg Bartz of Sleepy Eye and Paul Torkelson of St. James are Farm Bureau officers.

Torkelson is the Minnesota Farm Bureau vice president, Bartz is on the Farm Bureau state board and Simonsen is Brown County Farm Bureau president.

Two years ago, Ruthie Hendrycks of Hanska was a lieutenant governor candidate — on the ticket with gubernatorial candidate Sue Jeffers — in the state primary election.

Hendrycks opposes tax increases, supports “sensible immigration policy” and opposes illegal immigration, and favors preserving small family farms, according to her web site

None of the candidates said they would seek office if they are not endorsed.

Hendrycks added the caveat that “as long as the convention is fair, balanced and represents the will of the people of District 21B.”

Torkelson and Simonsen were both driving tractors in farm fields Wednesday when called by The Journal.

Torkelson is a Watonwan County corn, soybean and pork producer. His campaign planks include family values, government accountability and rural economic development.

He served on Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Clean Water Council and formerly chaired St. James Health Services.

A veterinary medicine doctor and owner of a farrow-to-finish hog and crop farm, Bartz was elected to the Brown County Historical Society Board and Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center (Farmamerica).

Last year, he received the Brown County Republican Party Distinguished Service Award after serving on the Resolutions and Rules Committees for many years.

His campaign planks are pro-life and pro-family values, limiting the growth of government spending and regulation, encouraging good-paying rural businesses and improving rural roads and bridges.

Simonsen’s planks include the right to bear arms, locating pollution point sources with thorough scientific research, pro-life, educating gifted and talented children with the same emphasis as is given to special education, using vouchers or tax credits for private education, allowing agriculture to flourish and be competitive with neighboring states plus encouraging nuclear energy production.

(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).