ST. CLOUD - Imagine a world without partisan politics at the state capitol, that's what a lawmaker from St. Cloud would like to see. Republican Representative Jim Knoblach says he'll introduce a bill this session that would allow state lawmakers to be elected without a political party designation.

I guess I feel things have gotten overly partisan down in St. Paul, and I feel this is something that would help with that.

He says it would decrease the power of special interests.

In my particular race in 2014, it turned out to be the most expensive campaign between my opponent and myself in Minnesota history for a state house seat. And that wasn't my opponent and I spending so much money, it was special interest groups coming in from the outside.

Knoblach says Nebraska is the only other state that has this no-party system. Knoblach says this wouldn't be new to Minnesota, from 1909 until the mid 1970s Minnesota legislators ran without being identified on the ballot with a political party.

Knoblach says he introduced the bill last year too, but he's hoping it will gain more traction this year. Knoblach says a DFL Senator from Duluth has agreed to sponsor the bill in the Senate.

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