Howe’s exit means no GOP primary for secretary of state
Former Republican state Sen. John Howe of Red Wing, who considered running for Minnesota Secretary of State in the Aug. 12 primary, has decided to keep his word and abide by the GOP endorsement.
Howe filed the form to withdraw as a candidate today, minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline. He lost the party endorsement last week to former state Rep. Dan Severson of Sauk Rapids. Severson ran for the same office in 2010, losing to DFL incumbent Mark Ritchie in the general election.
Howe held a brief news conference to announce his decision not to press on.
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"When you think you're the best candidate for a race, it is very difficult to withdraw," Howe said. "But in the end you have to honor your agreements."
Both Howe and Severson entered the race in March after Dennis Nguyen abruptly ended his campaign.
Howe was one of 24 candidates for public office to officially withdraw from their respective races.
Most of the withdrawals were for nonpartisan offices, such as county commissioner. State Senator Julianne Ortman withdrew as a U.S. Senate candidate after losing out on the Republican endorsement. William Brownwell dropped out as a candidate for Congress in the 5th District and Eric Meyer is no longer an Independence Party candidate for Congress in the 8th Dstrict.
In Minnesota House races, Republican candidates dropped out in House District 11A and 62A, DFL candidates did the same in District 20A, 34A and 40B, and an IP candidate withdrew in 13B.
The state does not refund the filing fee when a candidate withdraws.