Hyperlocal media and online fame have made an otherwise overlooked primary race for a safe Democratic seat in the legislature almost inevitable in some corners of Twin Cities social media.
But the three Democrats running to replace retiring Minneapolis DFL Rep. Frank Hornstein insist that the real campaign will take place where it always has: on voters’ doorsteps.
“The majority of this race is on the field,” said candidate Katie Jones, who works for the Center for Energy and Environment. “I think in local races, that’s generally where people get involved.”
District 61A, which includes neighborhoods in Uptown and Downtown Minneapolis, is very politically and news-oriented, noted candidate Will Stancil, and has many opinions on neighborhood issues – such as construction on Hennepin Avenue and the hiring of police officers.
And the region is well supplied with hyperlocal news and social media power users who help shape the conversation about issues and candidates.
“Local elections need to be covered,” said candidate Isabel Rolfes, who works for House Majority Leader Jamie Long. But she worries that a campaign that gets a lot of attention online, especially outside the district, could distort the debate, making the campaign more about perceptions of the candidates’ personalities than substantive issues.
And there are other disadvantages.
Stancil has a large following on X (formerly Twitter) with tens of thousands of followers – and a handful of people who seem to hate him.
