In 2024, Minnesota Congressional District 8 saw 76,145 voters turn out for the August primary to cast ballots for a congressional representative: 40,802 Republican and 35,343 Democratic.
August 11, 2026 turnout in CD8 exploded to 137,630 voters in the 2026 primary: 67,187 Republican and 70,443 Democratic.
This marks an 81% increase in voter turnout, along with a massive 99% jump in DFL participation!
The upcoming election is going to be one of the most important of our lifetime. As we edge closer to losing our democracy, it’s essential that all of us get out and vote. And the best vote is one that involves some research.
For the last 50 years, various right wing organizations have schemed to take over all the layers of government; local, state and federal. As they have accomplished this they have systematically chipped away at many of the rights we have had.
Health care, woman’s right to choose, union rights, minority rights, gay and trans people’s rights have either been threatened or taken away in many states.
Now they are endangering our right to vote.
The current occupant of the White House and his sycophants in Congress and his cabinet have tried to push the SAVE Act, demanded voter rolls from the states, discouraged voting by mail and used other intimidation factors to make it difficult to cast your ballot.
What once was the party of Lincoln is now under the influence of MAGA. Any Republican in Congress that stood by their principles was either defeated in a primary election or left office at the end of their terms. There are good Republicans, but none of them are in Congress.
The same right wing factions have also corrupted the Supreme Court with a majority of right wing idealogues.
The balance is now six to three and the court has made many dubious rulings, starting with Citizens United, which open the floodgates for dark money to influence elections.
The bulwark against this slide into totalitarianism has been the District Court judges and various law groups that have challenged their moves and won.
The good news is that the tide is starting to shift against them. Various pro democracy groups nationwide are organizing on the grass roots level and educating our citizens on the power of their vote.
On the state level, the GOP is trying to distract you with accusations of Democats condoning fraud, which is false, conveniently ignoring the rampant corruption coming daily out of the White House led by someone who was convicted on 34 counts of fraud!
Fellow citizens, this election isn’t for right versus left, it’s all of us versus the Epstein class, the billionaires who are using their money to influence elections in their favor.
If you’re fed up with all the lies, corruption, out of control prices and endless wars, please take the time to look past all the sound bites and research what each candidate stands for. Don’t look at what they say, look at what they do!
Jerry Newton
Biwabik
