Candidate filing opens: Peppin was first, opponent second, Justices were together

The voters of House district 32A will have early risers representing them no matter who they pick.

Rep. Joyce Peppin, R-Rogers, continued her tradition of being the very first to file for office by camping outside the Minnesota Secretary of State office over night Tuesday, the first day of filing. An office staffer said her camp chair was set up by Monday night. She was in it starting the wee hours.

Her name was the very first on the office's filing log.

But a DFL Peppin opponent soon followed -- David B. Hoden was the second name on the log. A staffer said Hoden and Peppin were in the office at the same time.

Also filing before noon: U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum and U.S. Rep. John Kline, although they did not file at the same time.

Minnesota's three state Supreme Court justices up for re-election -- Alan Page, Chris Dietzen and Helen Meyer -- all filed together.

"Even when we disagree, we do it together," said Page.

Sens. Tom Saxhaug, Gary Kubly and Tom Bakk, all DFLers from greater Minnesota, plunked down filing fee and re-upped for another run.

"I have to make a decision which office I file for," joked Bakk, who ran for governor this year but dropped out. "It costs $300 to run for governor. I didn't have $300."

He did have a crisp $100 bill to pay for Senate fee and filed, as planned for re-election.

You can track who has filed and who has not here.

The Associated Press calculated that there are "217 state and federal offices on the fall ballot."