Politics & Government

Scofield Will Endorse Champagne in Senate District 46 Race

The Republican candidate announced his intentions at a Tuesday night forum.

The Republican primary battle in Senate District 46 doesn't figure to be much of a battle at all.

Candidate Paul Scofield announced on Tuesday that he will be endorsing his primary opponent, Roger Champagne. However, because Scofield missed the deadline to withdraw his candidacy, his name will remain on the primary ballot.

The announcement came during Scofield's opening statement at a League of Women Voters candidate forum in St. Louis Park, and set the stage for quite the amicable debate. On a number of occasions, Scofield answered questions by saying he supported Champagne's stance.

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"I think Roger Champagne is a good candidate," Scofield said after the forum.

Scofield said he ultimately decided that Champagne—who is retiring from the Minneapolis Fire Department later this year—would have more time for the job. Scofield also said he wanted to unify Republicans in the district as they try to unseat two-term incumbent Sen. Ron Latz.

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(You can see more from Scofield in the video that accompanies this article)

Champagne took full advantage of the open forum, using the time to freely express his views.

Among other things, he said he'd support reasonable tort reform, and said he'd be open to nearly any cost saving measure for the state's budget.

"Everything is on the table," he said. "I support opening the books on everything."

Champagne also took a shot at "Obamacare," saying he would urge the state to wait to implement portions of the Affordable Care Act until after the election—noting that Republican victories could change things.

"There are a lot of questions," the candidate said. "I say we don't implement it until we have to."

You can read more about Champagne in this . The primary election is Aug. 14, while the general election is Nov. 6.


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