Political Notebook

Garrison Keillor headlines fundraiser for local DFL candidates

A Prairie Home Companion Host Garrison Keillor will headline a fundraiser for DFL candidates in Lanesboro next month.

According to a press release from the Fillmore County DFL, the event will feature plenty of live music. Also sharing the stage with Keillor will be two local DFL candidates — former state Rep. Ken Tschumper of La Crescent and Jack Krage of Winona. Tschumper is challenging Republican Rep. Greg Davids of Preston. Krage is running against 1st-term GOP Sen. Jeremy Miller of Winona.

The event will be at the Lanesboro Community Center on Wednesday, Sept. 19. The doors will open at 6 p.m. and there will be pre-show entertainment provided by several groups including the Rutabaga Brothers and the Rhubarb Sisters. At 7:30 p.m., Keillor is expected to take the stage. The press release adds that "the evening will begin and end with spirited patriotic sing-alongs." Keillor has long been a supporter of the DFL and wrote the book "Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America."

A group opposed to the marriage amendment and another one opposed to the voter ID amendment will also be on hand to pass out information to voters.

The cost is $20 per person at the door — cash or check. There will be no advance ticket sales. All proceeds raised will support Democratic candidates in the 2012 election.

Winona Realtor to challenge Miller for Senate seat

A Winona real estate agent announced Wednesday that he will run for the Minnesota Senate seat held by freshman Republican Sen. Jeremy Miller.

Democrat Jack Krage said he is running because the Republican-led Senate has failed to do what is in the best interest of the state.

"In one short year in control of the House and Senate, they've forced a government shutdown, raised property taxes by nearly $1 billion, and there is now a good chance that the state is still in the red. Minnesota needs a change in leadership," he said in a statement.

Krage grew up on a dairy farm in Ridgeway and is a graduate of Winona State University. He has been a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Skeels/Moore and Associates for 27 years. He serves on the Lions Global Leadership Management Team. He has served two terms as president of the Southern Minnesota Association of Realtors.

Miller, a Winona businessman, narrowly defeated first-term DFL Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, 51 percent to 49 percent. He won in a year when Republicans regained control of the Minnesota Senate for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Senate District 31 stretches from Winona to La Crescent to Chatfield. But it is unclear what the final senate boundary lines will look like in 2012 due to the redistricting process. Every 10 years, the state is required to redraw all the political boundaries based on the latest census data.

"With the economy struggling, the middle class cannot afford to be pinched even tighter," Krage said in a statement. "I would like to be southeastern Minnesota's voice in the Senate and let the Legislature know that enough is enough."