Former St. Cloud State Senator Tarryl Clark announced Wednesday that she has received the endorsement of United Steelworkers District 11 in the race to challenge 8th district Tea Party incumbent Rep Chip Cravaack (R-MN/NH). This endorsement comes as no surprise since Clark has strong ties to the USW through her employer, the Blue-Green Alliance, which is comprised of unions and environmental groups such as the USW and the Sierra Club. In fact, BGA executive director Dave Foster is the former president of District 11 and current President Bob Bratulich was vice-president under Foster.
We recently called attention to some troubling inconsistencies in Clark's record, including her residency in the district and her failure to state support for the Employee Free Choice Act, and called on Clark to either correct the record or explain her actions. Clark's silence thus far has been deafening. Perhaps the USW can get answers to some important questions and share them with the voters of northeastern Minnesota:
What is your permanent legal address as reflected on your driver's license and W2 forms? Do you in fact own a residence in Duluth? If so, why is there no record of ownership in St Louis County?If you are a Duluth resident, why aren't you registered to vote in Duluth and why didn't you vote in the September primary?
The Blue Green Alliance website lists only a Minneapolis office and your 612 number. Do you have an office in Duluth and a local number? How many days per week do you physically work in Duluth?
When you announced your campaign against Michele Bachmann you stated you would abide by the DFL endorsement because "the future of those in the 6th District is too important to let party politics get in the way." Why won't you abide by the endorsement in the 8th District?
You described yourself as having been an "Eisenhower Republican" who voted for Ronald Reagan twice. If you support trade unions, why did you vote for Reagan in 1984 after watching him break PATCO in 1981?
Do you support and will you fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act?
Do you believe non-ferrous mining can be done in an environmentally responsible manner and do you support the projects proposed by PolyMet and Twin Metals in northeastern Minnesota?