REGIONAL—In the wake of a hotly-contested DFL primary, Koochiching County Commissioner Rob Ecklund, of International Falls, cruised to a lopsided District 3A special election victory on Tuesday.

Ecklund garnered 4,591 votes, or just under 64 percent of the vote in a three-way race, easily outdistancing Republican challenger Roger Skraba, of Ely, and Independent Kelsey Johnson, of Gnesen, who largely split the remaining vote.

Ecklund found support across the region, winning all but three of the 83 precincts in the sprawling district. As in the Sept. 29 primary, Ecklund found his strongest base of support in Koochiching County, where he picked up 1,743 votes, or nearly 40 percent of his total. The 2011 addition of Koochiching County to the formerly Arrowhead-dominated legislative district clearly shifted the base of power to International Falls—now the largest city in the district— and Koochiching County.

That helped Ecklund get past a strong primary challenge from Tofte businessman Bill Hansen, whose big margins in Lake and Cook counties couldn’t overcome Ecklund’s strength in the western end of the district.

Ecklund said residents of International Falls were eager to have a local representative back in the Legislature and the turnout and vote totals in the border city on Tuesday reflected that desire.

Turnout was relatively light in most other places for the Dec. 8 special election, held to replace the late Rep. David Dill, who passed away in August following a short battle with cancer. Just 29 percent of registered voters turned out on Tuesday, which was actually lower than the 31 percent who turned out in the September primary. Turnout dropped most sharply along the North Shore, where voter turnout topped 45 percent in the primary. Voter turnout also fell significantly in the Ely area. A total of 1,442 voters marked a ballot in September in Morse and Fall Lake Townships, along with the city of Ely, but only 1,064 voted in those same precincts in Tuesday’s contest.

Meanwhile, turnout was up in Koochiching County, where 2,297 voters cast ballots in the special election this week, compared to 1,960 in the September primary.

Skraba, the former mayor of Ely, proved the top vote-getter in two small unorganized townships, but fell well short of Ecklund’s totals in Ely. Johnson, a registered lobbyist, won in her home township of Gnesen, but trailed widely elsewhere.

Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, who had endorsed Ecklund, said he was pleased and somewhat surprised at the wide margin of victory. He said he had texted House Speaker Kurt Daudt Wednesday morning to kid him about the poor showing on the Republican side.

Bakk said he’s had the opportunity to work with Ecklund on a number of occasions when Ecklund served on the Wood Fiber Council and as a member of the Koochiching County Board. “I’ve known Rob for quite a long time,” said Bakk. “I think he’ll do a good job. His views reflect the district very well.”

Ecklund said he was humbled by the strong showing of support from voters and appreciative of all the help he’d received from organized labor, from Sen. Bakk, and from Rep. Dill’s wife Tucky and son Drake, who had strongly endorsed his candidacy.

“It’s been a tremendous experience, and I’ve made a lot of good friends along the way,” said Ecklund, who celebrated his big win with a trip to the dentist on Wednesday morning.

Ecklund said he’s still waiting to find out for certain when he’ll be able to take the oath of office, but expected it would probably be sometime next week. He said he expects the election results to become official as early as Monday, Dec. 14, and that would presumably allow him to take the oath as soon as he could travel to St. Paul. He said he’s still waiting to hear from House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, who heads the DFL caucus in the Minnesota House, to get exact timing for the oath-taking.

Despite his lopsided victory in the DFL-dominated district, Ecklund said he was nervous to the end and was busy making get-out-the-vote calls until Tuesday afternoon. He said he recalled the sage advice of longtime state Sen. Doug Johnson, who had urged Ecklund to always campaign like he’s one vote behind. “I guess I just never do things half way when it comes to public service,” Ecklund said. “Folks can count on me to work hard every day.”