WINONA, Minn. – A candidate for the state Senate two years ago, Sarah Kruger, didn’t make it, but she still has her eyes on St. Paul. Kruger announced her candidacy for House Seat 26-A from Winona. This sets up a Democratic primary run-off with County Commissioner Dwayne Voegeli in August. There will also be a Republican primary – City Council member Aaron Repinki and 2022 House 26-A candidate Stephen Doerr. The seat is being vacated by veteran Gene Pelwoski, a Democrat, who is retiring after almost four decades in office. There could be additional candidates. The deadline to file candidacy documents with the county is in June.
Candidate’s electoral history
The four announced candidates are no strangers to Winona voters:
> Doerr: A Republican. Lost the state House District 26-A race 55% to 44% to incumbent Gene Pelowski of Winona in 2022.
> Kruger: A Democrat. Lost the state Senate District 26 seat 57% to 42% to incumbent Jeremy Miller of Winona in 2020.
> Repinski: A Republican. Won the City Council at-large seat 56% to 44z% in 2022 over incumbent Paul Schoelmeier.
> Voegeli: A Democrat. Won a Winona County Board seat 62% to 38% in 2022 over Jerry Obiegl.
Krueger platform
In announcing, Kruger said: “I am running to represent our district at the Capitol with a measured and persistent voice.” Her priorities, she said, are meeting economic, educational and health care needs. Krueger has notyet posted a campaign website. If elected, Kruger would be the first woman to represent Winona in the House in almost 60 years.
Kruger. Grew up in Winona. Ran 2022 campaign of Republican Jeff Effinger to represent southern Minnesota in Congress. More reently a lobbyst for reform to streamline elections. Age: 37.
Kruger profile
Kruger is chief of staff for FairVote Minnesota, a St. Paul-based nonpartisan organization that advocates for ranked choice voting. She previously was campaign manager for Democratic congressional candidate Jeff Ettinger, who lost to Republican Brad Finstad in 2022. She is a Cotter Schools graduate. At Smith College in Massachusetts she double-majored in Spanish and government and graduated summa cum laude. She also has an advanced degree in political science from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain. She taught at the Barcelona Institute of International Studies. Later in the Dominican Republic, she started a marketing and public relations business. In a 2020 interview she said: “Living and traveling in foreign countries has opened my eyes to other points of view. I have experienced first-hand various systems of health care and education. I have worked in vastly different economic environments. I have lived under various systems of government, both right- and left-wing, and I understand the direct effects that these differences have on people’s lives.”
Back to Winona
About returning to Winona, Kruger said: “Growing up in Winona instilled in me the values that have shaped who I am and that guide me wherever I go. These principles are a deep respect for the community and all its members, a passion for learning, and a curiosity about the world around us and the central role family has in our lives.” There also were also family reasons for coming home: “I wanted to be closer to family, especially to help care for my uncle Bill, who is intellectually disabled. It is important to our family to have Bill live at home so that we can spend as much time with him as possible.’ She Lives wIth her parents –Howard Kruger, an attorney, nd Tess Arrick-Kruger, a former Winona State. University vice president and currently the personnel director for Houston County. In her work with FairVote Minnesota, Kruger said she has been fortunate to work remotely from home in Winona.
House District 26-A: In white. Winona-centric. Also includes Goodview, Lewiston, Minnesota City, Rollingstone, Stocktonn and much of southern and central Winona County.
Earlier: Voegeli opens campaign for Minnesota House
Ranked-choice voting
Kruger is politically involved as an advocate of ranked-choice voting to streamline elections. The system gives voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third and so forth. Ballots that do not help voters’ top choices are sifted out. Political theorists have toyed with the concept since the1790s. The concept has picked up momentum in recent years. Several nations have adopted ranked-choice voting with success. So too have Alaska and Mane and several U.S. municipalities.