A judge with the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings has scheduled a probable cause hearing to look into multiple alleged campaign law violations by Rep Ron Kresha (R-Little Falls). Jay Duggan, with Rocks and Cows Minnesota, submitted the formal complaint and a ruling came down yesterday that there was prima facie evidence of violations.
What’s interesting about this case is that Kresha just won the primary election by 35 votes in the safe Republican district of House District 10A. If 18 voters chose his opponent, Diane Webb-Skillings over him, she would’ve unseated the 12 year incumbent.
There were two complaints that the judge found credible. The first one involved a mailer and lit piece that Kresha created that stated he had the endorsement of the Republican Party of Minnesota. In May, he was not able to receive the votes necessary to be endorsed by the Republican Party and therefore is prohibited by law to claim he is “Republican endorsed.”
Under MN Statute 211B.02, a candidate cannot knowingly make a false statement of endorsement by a major political party.
Last month, the Office of Administrative Hearings dismissed a case on this same issue by Rep Kresha after he self reported the violation. His statement was that it was an unplanned error. However, the complaint by Duggan had evidence showing Kresha continued using the lit piece following the initial violation and alleged he “knowingly” violated the law.
The other violation is that Rep Kresha said that he was endorsed by CPAC on a social media post. CPAC stands for Conservative Political Action Conference, which is put on annually by the American Conservative Union. The complaint stated that Kresha was never given an endorsement by the organization.
What makes this case so interesting is that if Kresha is found guilty, there’s a provision in MN Statute 211B.17 that may remove a candidate from office.
The other issue in this primary race was the fact that the Republican Party of Minnesota (MNGOP) provided support to Kresha’s campaign in violation of the MNGOP’s own rules. Several mailers went out supporting Kresha and door knockers by a subunit of the MNGOP were used in the district to help Kresha win.
Should a candidate who cheats be removed from the ballot when he wins a close race? We discuss on the most recent episode of the Truth Hurts Show: