Hillsdale College alumnus Brandon Carmack ’10 launched his campaign to unseat 16-year incumbent Rep. Michael Paymar of the Minnesota Statehouse last February. On Nov. 6, Carmack lost, 72 percent for Paymar to 27 percent for Carmack.
The 45-point margin loss echoed what statistics projected would be an inevitable defeat for Carmack in a strong Democratic district. According to Carmack, the lack of party support and enthusiasm within the district, along with constituent opposition to the Minnesota Marriage Amendment and other policies provided challenges for his campaign — challenges which ultimately lost him the election.
District 64B represents western St. Paul where, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State election database, Democrat candidates have been elected by wide margins in the past four elections.
The strongly Democratic demographic of the region challenges the local Republican Basic Political Organizing Unit. BPOUs are local political party units – for both parties – determined by state senate districts. Each unit has a chair and a vice chair with the goal of raising money, recruiting volunteers and campaigning for their party’s candidate.
“No one at our local BPOU had ever run a campaign before,” Carmack said. “It was up to us to.”
Carmack recruited some close friends and started an effort to get out the conservative vote.
John Rouleau, who campaigned with Carmack, said that the campaign’s goal was to communicate Carmack’s platform with constituents by engaging with the community.
“In our district we had more success than any Republican has had in the past 10 years,” Carmack said. “We even had more votes than any Republican on our ballot, including Mitt Romney.”
In the past, Rouleau said, conservatives in the district never had a reason to vote.
“But Brandon was able overcome that by being a face that was present in the district, by getting out there and having conversations with people,” Rouleau said. “That is why you saw him getting more votes.”
Carmack said his dedication to his campaign can be credited to his time at Hillsdale, specifically his courses in Western and American Heritage.
“You graduate from Hillsdale with a sense of duty,” he said. “You see the real world, you understand what people are missing out on. They are missing out on some foundational principles.”
When reflecting on his Hillsdale education, Carmack remembered a conversation he had with President Larry Arnn during his sophomore year. He asked Arnn how one prepares to run for office. Arnn responded, “you need not think about being a politician but rather how to be a statesman.”
To Carmack, this campaign meant more than just a win but something more. His friend, Minnesota State Senator David Hann, encouraged Carmack to fight the tough battles.
“Sen. Hann told me that the best way to get involved is to put your name out there and stand up for what you believe in,” Carmack said. “And thats what I did, Every day of this campaign, I fought for truth.”
Despite the election results, Rouleau is certain that Carmack’s campaign will have a lasting impact on District 64B.
“We all knew what the district looked like,” Rouleau said. “Brandon knew he had a an uphill battle. He ran a hard campaign and put in place some infrastructure that will last beyond this cycle.”
Carmack is still uncertain when his next campaign will be, but knows for certain that he will continue to play an integral part in his local BPOU, which he hopes will energize conservatives in District 64B.
