Beltrami County DFL endorses three challengers in key local races

Emily Thabes is now running against incumbent Matt Bliss in House District 2B as the Beltrami County DFL backed challengers in three separate races, setting up contests that could affect taxes, library service and how much local clout Beltrami County carries into St. Paul.

The county party’s convention followed the Feb. 3 caucuses, when voters across Beltrami County heard from candidates, chose delegates, raised concerns, set party goals and weighed in on platforms. In March, the DFL had applications open for three separate elections with 15 positions available, a sign that local Democrats were trying to field a full slate in races that reach from Bemidji to Blackduck.

Republicans had already locked down their side. Beltrami County GOP delegates unanimously endorsed House District 2A Rep. Bidal Duran, House District 2B Rep. Matt Bliss and District 2 Sen. Steve Green, giving incumbents a united party backing as the campaign season takes shape.

Thabes, executive director of the Beltrami County Historical Society, announced March 13 that she would challenge Bliss. “This is about showing up, building trust and honoring the obligations that already exist,” she said. Her bid lands in a district where county voters have leaned Republican at the top of the ticket, but where local pressure points have been harder to ignore.

Unofficial county results from the 2024 presidential race showed 12,897 votes for Donald Trump and 11,493 for Kamala Harris. Trump also carried Beltrami County in 2016 and 2020, underscoring the uphill climb for Democrats even as they try to make local races about daily life rather than party label.

That daily life already includes a 9.63% property tax levy increase approved in the county’s 2026 budget, along with cuts to the Bemidji and Blackduck libraries. It also includes a major government change in Northern Township, which is set to become a city after the 2026 midterm and will swear in its first city council in January 2027, after the township board dissolves.

Against that backdrop, the DFL’s endorsement push is about more than party structure. The winners will help shape who speaks for Beltrami County on taxes, public safety, roads and county services at a moment when residents are already feeling the strain of higher levies and shifting local government.