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September 2026 Newsletter
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| Elections 2026 |
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The 2026 Minnesota General Election will be held November 3.
Early voting begins September 18. Polling places, deadlines, and how to register are kept up to date at vote.olmstedgop.org. Olmsted County's own elections and voting information is at olmstedcounty.gov.
The Minnesota Secretary of State's calendar of upcoming elections is at sos.mn.gov.
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WE NEED YOU!
Every Vote Counts!
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| GOP Endorsed Candidates for 2026 |
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| CD1 Picnic & Rally — Sunday, September 13 |
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Two stops, one afternoon. We walk the Marigold Days Parade in Mantorville, and then everyone heads to Owatonna for the CD1 Picnic & Rally — the bigger event, and the one to plan your day around. All Republican candidates have been invited.
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Stop 1 · The Parade
Mantorville
Meet 1:00 · steps off 1:30
Downtown & Riverside Park, MN 55955
Help Rep. Quam and Nels join the Dodge BPOU and turn out a big group.
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Stop 2 · The Picnic
Brown Park, Owatonna
4:00 p.m.
400 16th Street SW, MN 55060
Pulled pork & sloppy joes, potluck — bring a dish to pass and a lawn chair. MC: Mark York.
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Families first — kids are welcome at both, and there is some seating at the park.
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Sign Up for the Picnic
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Or RSVP with a headcount to Casey McGregor — 507-22-CASEY · [email protected]
Outdoor public event. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Prepared and paid for by Congressional District One.
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| Volunteer Action Team |
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The Volunteer Action Team matches volunteers with activities and time commitments that suit them. Have an hour? An evening? Maybe a week? Want to help a candidate? Door knocking? Phone bank? Parades? Get in contact with the Volunteer Action Team.
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Future VAT meetings: beginning Monday, September 14, VAT meetings are held at 6:30 PM every Monday at the new headquarters, until after the November 3 election.
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To find out how you can get involved, email [email protected].
For a log of past VAT activities: olmstedgop.org/vat
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Volunteer Action Team Sign-Up
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| An Evening with Ron Schutz and Nels Pierson |
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Two of the candidates named above are being hosted together at a reception here in Rochester. Ron Schutz is our nominee for Attorney General and Nels Pierson is our candidate in Senate District 24.
Tuesday, September 15 · 6:30 to 8:30 PM, with the program at 7:15 PM
Rochester Golf and Country Club, 3100 Country Club Road SW
Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.
RSVP by Friday, September 11 to [email protected].
Suggested contribution is $250 to Ron for A.G. and $250 to Nels for Senate. Please bring separate checks, one payable to Ron for MN Attorney General and one to Nels for Senate.
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See the Invitation
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| Our New Office |
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Our office is at 3518 55th St NW, Rochester, MN 55901 — near the Kwik Trip on 55th St NW, off Hwy 52 and West Circle Dr NW, next door to Coco Nails.
Stop in for yard signs, t-shirts and hoodies — and to talk.
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Get Directions to the Office
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| Candidate Forum Schedule |
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The League of Women Voters is hosting forums for nearly every race on your ballot. These are the League's events, not ours — and that is exactly why our candidates need friendly faces in the room. They have been badly outnumbered in the past.
All forums are at the Rochester Public Library (Downtown) unless noted, and every one takes audience questions submitted online beforehand. Submitting a fair question is the most useful thing you can do if you cannot attend in person.
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| Senate and Legislature |
Tue Sept 8
6:30 pm |
MN State Senate District 20
Steve Jacob |
Wed Sept 9
6:30 pm |
MN State Senate District 24
Nels Pierson |
Thu Sept 10
6:30 pm |
MN State Senate District 25
John Howie |
Mon Sept 14
6:30 pm |
MN State House District 20B
Sara Bertschinger |
Tue Sept 15
6:30 pm |
MN State House District 24A
Rep. Duane Quam |
Wed Sept 16
6:30 pm |
MN State House District 24B
John Ajouri III |
Thu Sept 17
6:30 pm |
MN State House District 25A
Brad Trahan |
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| Rochester School Board |
Thu Oct 1
6:30 pm |
Rochester (ISD 535) School Board
NOT THE LIBRARY — RCTC Heintz Center Commons
Enter via the doors on the OMC / west side - Door H15 or H16. |
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| Olmsted County Offices |
Wed Sept 23
6:30 pm |
Olmsted County Attorney |
Thu Sept 24
6:00 pm |
Olmsted Co Commissioner District 6 |
Mon Sept 28
6:00 pm |
Olmsted Co Soil & Water District 1 |
Mon Sept 28
7:00 pm |
Olmsted Co Commissioner District 2 |
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| Rochester City Offices |
Tue Sept 29
6:00 pm |
Rochester City Council Ward 5 |
Tue Sept 29
7:00 pm |
Rochester City Council Ward 3 |
Wed Sept 30
6:00 pm |
Rochester City Council Ward 1 |
Wed Sept 30
7:00 pm |
Rochester Mayor |
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Every forum is livestreamed on the Rochester Public Library's YouTube channel, so you can watch from home — and recordings of the primary-season forums are posted on our schedule page.
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Full Schedule & Question Forms
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LWV Livestream Link
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Also on the calendar
Tue Oct 13, 6:00 pm — KAAL debate: Brad Finstad vs Jake Johnson
TBD. Televised debate for the First Congressional District seat, not an LWV forum.
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| Minnesota Election Law |
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Minnesota election law allows “vouching” on Election Day. A voter registered in a precinct may vouch for another person as known to them and a legal resident — up to eight others, who may then vote that day.
Votes cast this way are totaled in with all other votes. If a voter is later found to have been ineligible, there is no way to identify those votes. This law needs to be changed.
Alpha News on vouching in the 2024 election: nearly 19,000 people used vouching to register on Election Day 2024.
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| Fraud, Fraud & More Fraud |
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On August 27, Alpha News reported another Minnesota fraud case — this one for $38 million: Medicaid fraud probe.
Alpha News also reported that a Minnesota State University diversity official was convicted in a $1 million tax fraud scheme. The scope of the fraud reaches beyond state government.
It can be depressing, but here is a running list: Minnesota fraud coverage at FOX 9. We think there is more.
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| Quotation |
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The most effective way to destroy a people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.
— Abraham Lincoln
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Lincoln believed internal divisions and misunderstandings can be as dangerous as external threats.
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| How to Track MN Legislature Activity |
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Tired of sitting on the sidelines? Want to know what is happening? Is it time to get involved? Find out how to follow the 2026 Legislature.
Read the Constitution of the State of Minnesota.
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| Great Information Sources |
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Alpha News · American Experiment · The Epoch Times
Get involved in the local Republican Party:
• Visit a Central Committee meeting
• Become a Chair or a Vice-Chair of your precinct, and/or a Delegate
• Call your legislators and set up a meeting to express your concern
• Donate to win
• Become an election judge
• Work or attend caucuses and the convention
• Vote in November 2026
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| Donate to Win |
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Please donate to the Republicans of Olmsted County. Use Minnesota's Political Contribution Refund Program by making your check payable to Olmsted County GOP — $75.00 (single) or $150.00 (married couple). Send your check to:
Olmsted County GOP
PO Box 6201
Rochester, MN 55903-6201
We will send you a receipt and a claim form to get that money returned to you from the state. The process usually takes less than a month.
Thank you for your kindness. Together we stand.
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Newsletter Editor,
Larry Mattson
write to: [email protected]
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