politics

A First District judge who had been reprimanded for using his position for personal financial benefit will be on the ballot for reelection in November.

Incumbent Timothy Blakely, who got 40 percent of the vote Tuesday, will face prosecutor Lawrence (Larry) Clark, who won the second spot on the ballot with 31 percent of the vote. Family lawyer Stephen Baker finished just out of the running with 29 percent of the vote.

Clark said he was surprised by how many votes Blakely attracted.

"At the primary election I thought there would be a larger number of voters who would be informed about the ethical sanctions imposed against him," Clark said.

Blakely could not be reached for comment.

Blakely, whose second term on the bench expires in January, has chambers in Red Wing but hears cases in Dakota, Scott, Carver and Goodhue counties. The First District also serves three other counties.

In 2009, the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards recommended that he be fired for steering people in his courtroom to his own divorce attorney while getting $64,000 taken off his personal bill.

The state Supreme Court reduced that to a six-month unpaid suspension, and he has since returned to the bench.

But that ethical lapse triggered an unusual contested judicial election, complete with parade appearances and a forest of campaign signs across the district.

Three attorneys jumped into the race to unseat Blakely, but family lawyer Shelly Rohr withdrew after filing.

Both the Baker and Clark campaigns called out Blakely's misconduct.

Baker, 53, served 15 years as a prosecutor and now specializes in family law. He put his practice on hold to campaign for the judicial seat.

Clark, 58, is a senior attorney in the Dakota County attorney's office, where he has prosecuted many serious cases, including murders, in the past 21 years.

Katie Humphrey • 952-882-9056