September 9, 58B: Champion (DFL endorsed) v. Dominguez (incumbent)

Bobby Joe Champion won endorsement at the SD 58 convention on March 15 over incumbent State Rep. Augustine Dominguez. Senate District 58 is north Minneapolis, and the foreclosure crisis and the backwards distribution of the state and local tax burden are hurting district residents badly. The other incumbent State Rep. lost his DFL endorsement at the same convention. But there’s more to it than that.

Both challengers were also uncommonly strong candidates.

Bobby Joe is a lawyer and a choir director. His law experience includes a stint under Keith Ellison at the Legal Rights Center and he served as an Assistant Attorney General under both Skip Humphrey and Mike Hatch. He co-founded and directs Excelsior, a Grammy nominated and Stellar Award winning choir, has worked for “Jimmy Jam” Harris. He currently practices entertainment law.

In addition to his law practice, he serves as Program Director of Social Spaces with Stairstep Initiative. But wait, there’s more. He’s the Executive Director of the National Association of Minority Contractors, Midwest chapter, which promotes the inclusion of people of color and women in the construction industry. He played a key role in Keith Ellison’s campaigns for State Rep. & US Congress.
Representative Dominguez reportedly said that he would abide by the endorsement at the convention, but is apparently is now backing out of that pledge.

Dominguez doesn’t mention the September primary on his website, but that is because the lower turnout is, the better off he might end up. It is very important that voters vote in these September 9 contests where they exist. Frequently, such elections are the only real opportunity voters have to hold incumbents accountable for poor performance by government.

Stay tuned for more information about this and other contested primaries.