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It is with dismay that we are writing in response to your May 27 article by Post-Bulletin reporter Matt Stolle, claiming that the GOP is poised to win the Congressional seat in the 1st District special election. His report draws invalid conclusions about the expected outcome of the Aug. 9 special election, basing these conclusions on voter turnout in the May 24 primary, which amounted to only 13% of CD1 registered voters.
Stolle’s article suggests that the 2-to-1 Republican-to-Democrat primary turnout indicates Republicans are more fired up than Democrats about the race for this Congressional seat. This correlation cannot be logically drawn, making Stolle’s article and its prediction about the upcoming election very misleading.
Of course the Democratic primary had low voter turnout: the Democrats had a clear front-runner, endorsed by the party, who was expected to (and did) win easily.
Of course the Republican primary had a higher voter turnout: There was no candidate endorsed by the party, and several candidates were in intense competition to win the primary.
It is highly premature to speculate about the results of the special election, which will be decided by Southern MN voters on Aug. 9. The Democratic candidate is a moderate who will appeal to Minnesotans across the district worried about returning to the Republican agenda of 2016-2020.
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Janet and Tom Munger, Rochester
