Republican 7th District Convention Details

GOP endorses Menze for 7th District seat
J. Shane Mercer, The Forum
Published Monday, April 21, 2008

The Republican Party has endorsed Glen Menze of Starbuck, Minn., to go up against Democrat incumbent Collin Peterson in November’s race for the 7th Congressional District House seat.

GOP delegates made the move at Saturday’s district convention in Moorhead.

“Anytime that you’re chosen by either of the major parties as a candidate for U.S. Congress, it’s an honor,” said Menze. “And for me it’s an honor to represent the Republican Party and our conservative philosophy.”

Menze, an accountant and former farmer from Starbuck, has criticized Peterson, saying that the incumbent has sold himself as a fiscal conservative to constituents in western Minnesota but that his voting record says otherwise.

This is Menze’s second run for Congress, having lost to Peterson in 2000.

Delegates to the Republican National Convention in September were also selected at Saturday’s convention. They are Erik Haapala of Dassel, Nancy Haapoja of Redwood Falls and Gus Booth of Warroad. The alternate delegates are Michael Barrett of Browerville, Arles Cumpula of New York Mills and Brent Frazier of Pelican Rapids. This year’s national GOP convention will be held in St. Paul.

“I thought we had an excellent convention,” said Haapala, Republican chairman of the 7th Congressional District. “We had probably one of the highest turnouts I’ve seen at a district convention.”

Readers can reach Forum reporter Shane Mercer at (701) 451-5734