DFL field in MN CD1 is now at eight

Rochester lawyer Rich Wright is the latest entrant in an already crowded field of DFL candidates running for Congress in Minnesota’s First District.

There are now eight DFL candidates in the race.

In a news release Tuesday, Wright said residents of southern Minnesota are tired of “inaction and failed solutions” in Washington, DC.

“We need real progressive ideas to solve the complex problems we as a society face today,” Wright said. “The people of this district are yearning for a forward-thinking leader to represent them in Washington.”

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Wright served 10 years in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate General. He also worked as a city prosecutor. Wright previously ran for the Minnesota House in 2014 and the Minnesota Senate in 2016.

He plans an official campaign kickoff event Aug. 15 in Rochester.

The CD1 seat is being vacated by incumbent DFL Congressman Tim Walz, who is running for governor in 2018.

Jim Hagedorn, who lost to Walz in a close contest last year, remains the only announced Republican candidate in the race.