WASHINGTON — Just three weeks after announcing she would challenge 2nd District Republican Rep. John Kline in 2014, DFLer Sona Mehring said Wednesday that she is dropping out of the race.
Mehring, a political novice whose candidacy was heralded by national Democrats, said in a statement that she plans to return to her job with the CaringBridge website instead.
That leaves Mike Obermueller, a former state lawmaker and Kline's 2012 opponent, as the only Democrat in the race for now.
Here's Mehring's statement:
As I set out on my campaign for Congress, there was a yearning to serve my country and the people in my community in a new way. This meant stepping away from CaringBridge.
My campaign received tremendous support and words of encouragement. The level of enthusiasm and people’s confidence in me was humbling. However, I realize my true passion still was with CaringBridge. That passion was fueled by the many people I met that told me about the impact of CaringBridge in their lives.
I came to the tough conclusion that my work with CaringBridge was not done and I needed to end my candidacy for Congress.
The culture in Washington still is something that needs to be changed. I will continue to find ways to work towards a better, more productive, more representative Congress. I hope to stay connected to the many new friends I’ve met.
Thank you for the support you showed me as I struck out on this quest – it filled my heart.
If you have contributed to me monetarily, I am returning your contribution. If you contributed your time and sweat, please know that I will be forever grateful.
Kline announced last week that he will seek re-election to his House seat, rather than challenge Sen. Al Franken or Gov. Mark Dayton. Kline defeated Obermueller by more than 8 points in 2012, but Democrats have looked to make the 2nd District competitive next year.
Devin Henry can be reached by dhenry@minnpost.com