Harry Welty

Ballotpedia does not currently cover this office or maintain this page. Please contact us with any updates.

Harry Welty

Republican Party

Prior offices

Duluth Public Schools, At-large

---

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 13, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Mankato State College, 1973

Personal

Birthplace

Arkansas City, Kan.

Religion

Agnostic

Profession

Writer

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Harry Welty (Republican Party) was an at-large member of the Duluth School Board in Minnesota. He assumed office in 2013. He left office in 2017.

Welty (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Minnesota's 8th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on August 13, 2024.

Biography

Harry Welty was born in Arkansas City, Kansas and resides in Duluth, Minnesota. Welty earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Minnesota State University, Mankato 1973. He taught in the classroom before embarking on multiple political campaigns throughout his adulthood. From 1996 to 2004, he won office and served on the Duluth school board. During his time on the board, Welty brought national media attention to the district by inserting pins into a voodoo doll during a board meeting as a symbolic means of eliminating the disharmony amongst board members. His career experience includes working as a writer and teacher. Welty has been affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and Minnesota State School Board Association.

Elections

2024

See also: Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2024

Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 13 Republican primary)

Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 13 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Incumbent Pete Stauber defeated Jennifer Schultz in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Stauber (R)	58.0	244,498
		Jennifer Schultz (D)	41.9	176,724
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	384

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 421,606
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Jennifer Schultz defeated John Munter in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Schultz	91.0	32,149
		John Munter	9.0	3,194

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,343
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Incumbent Pete Stauber defeated Harry Welty in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Stauber	90.5	36,928
		Harry Welty	9.5	3,874

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 40,802
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Welty in this election.

2022

See also: Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Incumbent Pete Stauber defeated Jennifer Schultz in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Stauber (R)	57.2	188,755
		Jennifer Schultz (D)	42.7	141,009
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	316

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 330,080
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Jennifer Schultz defeated John Munter in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Schultz	86.1	38,545
		John Munter	13.9	6,199

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 44,744
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Theresa Lastovich (D)
• Ernest Oppegaard-Peltier (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Incumbent Pete Stauber defeated Harry Welty in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Stauber	91.0	51,410
		Harry Welty	9.0	5,075

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,485
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2020

Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary)

Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Incumbent Pete Stauber defeated Quinn Nystrom, Judith Schwartzbacker, John Evans, and David Pipho in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Stauber (R)	56.8	223,432
		Quinn Nystrom (D)	37.6	147,853
	Submit photo	Judith Schwartzbacker (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)	5.6	22,190
	Submit photo	John Evans (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Submit photo	David Pipho (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	236

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 393,711
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Quinn Nystrom advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Quinn Nystrom	100.0	46,050

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 46,050 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gaylene Spolarich (D)
• Marjorie Holmstrom-Sabo (D)
• Soren Christian Sorensen (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Incumbent Pete Stauber defeated Harry Welty in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Stauber	93.7	39,058
		Harry Welty	6.3	2,606

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,664 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Judith Schwartzbacker advanced from the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Judith Schwartzbacker	100.0	540

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 540 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Pete Stauber defeated Joe Radinovich and Ray Sandman in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Stauber (R)	50.7	159,364
		Joe Radinovich (D)	45.2	141,950
		Ray Sandman (Independence Party)	4.1	12,741
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	156

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 314,211 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Joe Radinovich defeated Michelle Lee, Jason Metsa, Kirsten Hagen Kennedy, and Soren Christian Sorensen in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Radinovich	44.1	30,732
		Michelle Lee	27.5	19,182
		Jason Metsa	13.2	9,229
		Kirsten Hagen Kennedy	11.7	8,133
		Soren Christian Sorensen	3.5	2,415

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,691
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Leah Phifer (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Pete Stauber defeated Harry Welty in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 8 on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Stauber	90.0	45,391
		Harry Welty	10.0	5,047

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 50,438
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2013

See also: Duluth Public Schools elections (2013)

Harry Welty and Annie Harala defeated Nancy Nilsen and Henry L. Banks to win two at-large seats in the general election on November 5, 2013. Welty and the other candidates also defeated Joshua Bixby and Loren Martell in the September 10 primary election.

Results

Duluth Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Annie Harala	36.1%	11,064
	Nonpartisan	Harry Welty	24.9%	7,648
	Nonpartisan	Nancy Nilsen	22.7%	6,966
	Nonpartisan	Henry L. Banks	15.5%	4,753
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.8%	241
Total Votes				30,672
Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 709 - Duluth," accessed December 18, 2013

Duluth Public Schools, At-large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Annie Harala	25.8%	3,028
	Nonpartisan	Harry Welty	19.1%	2,246
	Nonpartisan	Nancy Nilsen	17.6%	2,073
	Nonpartisan	Henry L. Banks	16.4%	1,926
	Nonpartisan	Loren Martell	10.9%	1,283
	Nonpartisan	Joshua Bixby	10.1%	1,190
Total Votes				11,746
Source: Duluth, Minnesota, "Summary Report," accessed October 24, 2013 (dead link)

Funding

Harry Welty reported $3,586.73 in contributions and $3,473.78 in expenditures to Duluth Public Schools, which left his campaign with $112.95 on hand.

Endorsements

Harry Welty received an endorsement for his campaign from the Duluth News Tribune.

2010

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2010

Welty was defeated in the August 10 primary for District 7 of the Minnesota State Senate by incumbent Roger Reinert.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Harry Welty did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Harry Welty completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Welty's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Today's Republican RINO hunters have tried to purge old fashioned Lincoln Republicans like me for the last thirty years since they burned down Ronald Reagan's "big tent." I am stubborn and not all that different from the largely Republican Supreme Court that handed down Roe. vs. Wade. Since then I've made a point of explaining my centrist politics which have grown so unpopular in Republican Party circles that overthrowing 2020's honest election was deemed preferable to any compromise. In other words I am a Republican who takes a dim view of treason which I believe my incumbent opponent took part in along with a great many of his Congressional colleagues..

Much can be discovered about me by googling my name "Harry Welty". Unable to win endorsements for partisan offices I served 12 years on the Duluth, MN School Board where I helped bring one of the nation's first charter schools into being. I am a history teacher by training and temperament. Republicans too often find it objectionable these days some even call for overturning Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education. My parents moved next to a school district in Topeka immediately after the decision where I would be in one of the newly integrated public schools.

I also follow science and realize we are aborting our children's Earth by ignoring human contamination and global warming. If I'm a RINO more people should be like me.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I believe in compromise and generosity.
• I oppose the dismantling of our Democracy and detest treason
• Earth's future is in the balance

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Environment, Education, Accurate reporting of the news, putting a stop to the growing immoral divide between America's rich and poor fueled by the obscene contributions of those who can lobby for more tax breaks to pay for keeping their protectors in Congress.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Abraham Lincoln

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Profiles in Courage. I read in in Junior high school in about 1964

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, Courage, Generosity, Pragmatism

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Curiosity to find out how to address public problems; the courage to do the right thing and the honesty not to mislead voters about my plans.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To honor the commitments made to constituents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The resumption of cordial rivalry in our nation's policy.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I argued with my neighbor in second grade over who should be elected President in 1960. I was in second grade and I was for Richard Nixon. My second grade neighbor was for John Kennedy.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I shoveled snow for people in Kansas where the snow melted a couple days after falling. I was a kid. Winter was very short in Kansas. Then I moved to Minnesota where I discovered what real snow shoveling was.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The one I'm reading

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Editorial comment: I wish you could have heard me sigh when I read this. Honestly these questions are of dubious value.

Answer: Harry Potter. Avada Kedavra !!!!!!!

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

There are several every day. I used to sing to my Mother in her memory care unit. The last I recall is the Beach Boys "Wouldn't it be nice."

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Being a Republican in an age where the party resembles the movie: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It is representative of the nation.......sadly that's not very comforting at this moment.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

yes

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Recommitting to Democracy

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Ways and Means comes to mind.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

yes and it beats having a constitutional convention to change it.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I'm generally opposed to them although I might make an exception for the US. Supreme Court.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Thaddeus Stevens, Henry Clay, Thomas Reed, Sam Rayburn

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Many Here's one I wrote some time ago The aborted girl find it at: https://www.snowbizz.com/Diogenes/NotEudora06/abortedgirl.htm

Tell us your favorite joke.

From the Magnificent Seven.....a cowpoke visits Kansas City and wants to get a good look at one of them new fangled skyscrapers. He climbs up on top of the seventh floor and looks over the edge. He falls off. At every window he passes people hear him say "so far so good," "so far so good".....

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes, Yes, Yes, Civil War is a lousy alternative.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Enough for me to have told Ballotopedia that I'd like to be on the Ways and Means Committee.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Harry Welty did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2013

During an August discussion with the Duluth News Tribune editorial board, Welty stated that the primary focus of his campaign was to reduce class sizes. He added that the school board needed more members who understand finances and that he was a strong supporter of both educational funding referendums.

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Harry Welty campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Minnesota District 8	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2022	U.S. House Minnesota District 8	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2020	U.S. House Minnesota District 8	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2018	U.S. House Minnesota District 8	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. House Minnesota District 8

Facebook

Personal

Website

Facebook

Footnotes

[show]

Minnesota's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Amy Klobuchar (D)

Tina Smith (D)

Representatives

District 1

Brad Finstad (R)

District 2

Angie Craig (D)

District 3

Kelly Morrison (D)

District 4

Betty McCollum (D)

District 5

Ilhan Omar (D)

District 6

Tom Emmer (R)

District 7

Michelle Fischbach (R)

District 8

Pete Stauber (R)

Democratic Party (6)

Republican Party (4)