DULUTH – The surprise announcement that Judge Dale Harris is retiring at the end of his term has paved the way for an unusually competitive primary with five men vying for the longtime northern Minnesota judge’s seat.
The long list of candidates on the back of the ballot includes Gunnar B. Johnson, Peter Raukar, Shawn Reed, John B. Schulte and Gerald K. Wallace — attorneys who are all familiar with each other’s work. All said they believed the other four candidates were qualified for the job.
Two of them will move on from Tuesday’s primary to the general election for the sixth district, which includes St. Louis, Carlton, Cook and Lake counties.
Typically, judges retire during their term and the governor appoints a lawyer from his district to fill the vacancy. Harris, 57, has decided to step down when his term expires in early January 2025. The move is not politically motivated but timely: He said he does not feel comfortable being on the ballot with the possibility of another six-year term.
“Everyone makes that decision when the time is right and they are able to do it,” Harris said. “It seemed like a good time. It’s a tough job and it takes a lot of energy. I think every lawyer has stood before a judge who has stayed in office too long, and I don’t want to be that one.”
Harris was appointed by then-Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2010 and was re-elected to the office twice.
“The news that he is not running for re-election has caused shock in the legal community,” says Schulte, who is currently running for the post.
