Loud wins DFL endorsement for House 2A seat

OGEMA-Jerry Loud of Puposky won the DFL endorsement for House District 2A on Saturday at the District 2 convention at the Ogema Community Center.

Loud was endorsed with 60 percent of the vote (54-35) on the first ballot over former House 2A representative Roger Erickson, a retired teacher from Baudette, said Ted Fiskevold, Senate District 2 DFL Chair.

Loud, a newcomer to state politics, is the executive director of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program for the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. A BSU graduate, he is a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Navy.

It is unclear who Loud will face in the Nov. 8 election. On Friday, District 2A Rep. Dave Hancock, R-Bemidji, announced he would not seek re-election this fall. In 2012, Erickson defeated Hancock and Hancock then won the seat back in 2014. District 2A represents Beltrami, Lake of the Woods, Clearwater and Hubbard counties.

The Senate District 2 GOP Endorsing Convention is set for 7 to 9 p.m. March 28 at the Clearwater County Courthouse in Bagley.

Also on Saturday, Bryan Klabunde, a farmer from Mahnomen, was unopposed for the DFL House 2B endorsement. He will face incumbent Rep. Steve Green, R-Fosston, in the November election. On the Senate side, incumbent Sen. Rod Skoe, DFL-Clearbrook, was unopposed for the endorsement. Paul Utke of Park Rapids is seeking the GOP Senate District 2 endorsement.

DFL District 2 also held local office elections Saturday. Fiskevold, of Detroit Lakes, was re-elected as chair, and Pam McCrory of Bemidji was elected vice chair. Becky Colebank of Clearbrook and Monaya Lund of Frazee were elected co-secretaries and Lon Engberg of Detroit Lakes was elected as treasurer. The district also elected an outreach officer, Samuel Strong of Red Lake.