County DFL chair seeking withdrawal by Cruze from his primary challenge

WILLMAR -- The Kandiyohi County DFL chairman has called on Michael Cruze of Willmar to withdraw from his primary challenge to Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson.

"I think Democrats and Republicans need to know this is a campaign that compromises, if not totally subverts, the political process," Sam Nelson of Spicer said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon.

"He can't withdraw in legal terms, but he can shut down his campaign," Nelson said.

Nelson distributed a news release on Tuesday asking Cruze to apologize to voters in the area and to withdraw from his primary challenge to Johnson, DFL-Willmar.

"As a local party chair, I have a responsibility to fight for a fair and honest campaign. Mr. Cruze's candidacy is neither," Nelson said in the release.

"All the evidence supports the fact that he is a certified Republican."

Cruze did not respond to re-quests to speak with a Tribune reporter on Tuesday.

He did send an e-mail response to Nelson's news release.

In the e-mail, Cruze defended his Democratic credentials and wrote, "Let the people of this district decide for themselves who will best represent them. ... I am not withdrawing, and I am in the race to win."

Cruze filed for office as a DFL candidate, and he has said that he has always been a Democrat. However, his name appears in local Republican Party records, and his conservative views and past support for Republican candidates have raised questions about his party affiliation.

Nelson said that he believes Cruze's reported Republican ties mean he doesn't belong in the DFL primary.

"I think Mr. Cruze needs to be held accountable for who he really is instead of claiming to be a Democrat," he said. "We have a process by which candidates can seek endorsement; he chose not to do that."

Nelson said he did not consult with DFL Party officials on the state level but did speak to some others in the county party.

"I'm definitely acting on behalf of the Kandiyohi County DFL," he said.

"This campaign doesn't respect the process; it doesn't respect the voters; and it compromises the integrity of our whole political system," Nelson said.