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DFL endorses millennial veteran to challenge Emmer

St. Cloud Times - 4/22/2018

April 22--Local DFL delegates chose 27-year-old Ian Todd to take on U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer for the 6th Congressional District seat this fall.

Todd was endorsed by a unanimous vote at a DFL endorsing convention Saturday.

"This has been such a humbling experience and I'm ready to fight to turn (the 6th District) blue," he said in a news release.

Emmer has held the 6th District seat since 2015, when he replaced well-known Tea Party Republican Michele Bachmann. He was endorsed by 6th District Republicans last weekend for the 2018 election.

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin congratulated Todd the endorsement in a news release.

"Ian would bring a fresh voice to Washington. This is much-needed," Martin said. "It's time for change in the 6th."

Todd is a native of Arkansas and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He worked as a geospatial intelligence analyst for six years before moving to Minnesota.

His politics align more with a 2016 candidate for president, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. Todd supports a single-payer health care system, also known as Medicare for All.

RELATED: Progressive, millennial vet wants to rep St. Cloud in D.C.

Todd wants to address infrastructure and jobs through upgrades to the electrical grid and expansion of broadband. Environmental issues are also an important tenet of his campaign.

Todd was chosen over Richard Kelly, 51, a St. Cloud native who announced his bid for Congress in late March.

Kelly is an adult foster care provider, and last year he spent 72 hours in a psychiatric unit in St. Cloud where he was evaluated for a mental health commitment and then released. He felt wronged and shared his story with the St. Cloud Times.

RELATED: 72 hours in the psych unit and the aftermath

Kelly was arrested Friday morning by Stearns County court security, on suspicion of misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to Stearns County Jail records. No other details have been made available on the incident.

RELATED: DFL hopeful jailed on eve of endorsing convention

The general election will take place Nov. 6. The ballot will contain choices for two U.S. Senate seats, Minnesota governor, the state House, county positions and other offices.

For more about the candidates

Visit Ian Todd's website at iantoddforcongress.com.

Visit Tom Emmer's campaign site emmer.house.gov. For more about his work in the U.S. Congress, visit emmerforcongress.com.

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(c)2018 the St. Cloud Times (St. Cloud, Minn.)

Visit the St. Cloud Times (St. Cloud, Minn.) at www.sctimes.com

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