Green Party challenger could cause Nolan headaches
With Democrats in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District divided over mining, a little-known Green Party candidate has the potential to draw votes away from DFL Congressman Rick Nolan and help swing the race to Republican Stewart Mills.
No one expects Green Party candidate Ray “Skip” Sandman to win the election.
But Sandman, who grew up on the Fond du Lac Reservation and most recently ran unsuccessfully for the Duluth City Council, strongly opposes copper-nickel mining in northern Minnesota.
He’s positioned himself as an alternative for disaffected Democrats who are disappointed that Nolan supports what’s known as sulfide mining, which some fear could pollute the region’s pristine water resources.
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Republicans hope Sandman does well enough to give Mills an edge.
Sandman, who didn't return calls, has said that opposition to mining is at the heart of his campaign.
“I’m not willing to gamble with the future generation’s life and drinking water for a few hundred jobs,” Sandman said in an interview with a Duluth TV station.
Iron Range blogger and Democrat Aaron Brown said the issue has put Nolan, who believes mining can be done without hurting the environment, in a politically difficult position. On one hand, he has to appease constituents who believe mining will create jobs. On the other, he has to reflect constituent concerns that mining is too environmentally risky.
Brown said Sandman’s view appeals to progressives, particularly in Duluth and parts of the district that rely on outdoor tourism.
“[Sandman] is a very pure representation of that left flank,” Brown said. “There is genuine frustration – you could even call it anger or outrage – by environmentalists with Rick Nolan over the issue of mining.”
Duluth resident John Doberstein is among Democrats who voted for Nolan in 2012 because he appeared to be neutral on mining. But Doberstein lost faith in Nolan when he voted for a bill that would streamline the mining permitting process.
Now, Doberstein is considering voting for Sandman -- or sitting this election out.
“I don’t want [Mills] to be my congressman,” Doberstein said. “But I’m that passionate about [mining] and I’m willing to not place a vote and potentially hurt Rick Nolan’s chance of being reelected and losing to a Tea Party candidate.”
Sandman is running a bare bones campaign and hasn't filed fundraising information with the Federal Election Commission.
But he nevertheless has the attention of DFL Party Chair Ken Martin.
“Having a green party candidate in the race suggests that that person is probably going to take more out of our hide than out of the Republican’s hide,” Martin said. “It’s not necessarily a good thing to have a Green Party candidate on the ballot.”
So far, Nolan campaign spokesman Kendall Killian says there’s no evidence that Sandman is a significant threat to Nolan’s campaign. And he said progressive voters are attracted to other aspects of Nolan’s record, including his opposition to wars abroad and on other environmental issues.
Republicans see opportunity in this political divide. For months, GOP candidates up and down the general election ticket, including Mills, have been making the case to Iron Range voters that copper nickel mining will revitalize the area’s economy.
Every vote Sandman takes from Nolan is a boost for Mills, said Minnesota’s Republican National Committeeman Chris Tiedeman.
“Rick Nolan has tried to have it both ways,” he said. “Neither side can have any confidence on where Rick Nolan will be if he’s re-elected.”