Primary election endorsements: Kurt Daudt and Rena Moran

The fractious nature of today's Republican Party is on display in the Twin Cities' northern exurbs, where both Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt and 10-term Rep. Tom Hackbarth face challengers tied to the Tea Party Alliance. Hackbarth, who lost party endorsement to East Bethel businessman Cal Bahr, declined the Star Tribune Editorial Board's invitation for an endorsement interview. Not so Daudt, who gets our nod in next Tuesday's GOP primary over self-employed businessman and former Isanti County Commissioner Alan Duff.

The Editorial Board disagrees with Daudt on a number of policy fronts, most recently with his opposition to a gas tax increase and more funding for public transit. But we appreciate Daudt's leadership style. He's open and accessible; he focuses on issues rather than personalities, and he projects the can-do optimism Minnesotans expect of elected officials. Now serving his third term, Daudt rose rapidly into leadership — a testament to his appeal to all factions of his GOP caucus.

Daudt, 42, a former auto dealership business manager, does not rank among the House's policy experts. But he is much more knowledgeable about issues confronting state government than is Duff, 53, who served a single term on both the Isanti City Council and the Isanti County Board and who spent 23 years in the U.S. Army Reserve. The author of a book that faults America's political class as self-serving, Duff blasts Daudt for signaling willingness to compromise on a license tab fee increase last session. That criticism fails to acknowledge that in Minnesota's usually divided government, leaders who fail to compromise fail in their duty to govern.

Duff makes one point that Daudt would do well to heed. Daudt was party to too much closed-door deal-making and on-deadline lawmaking at the close of the 2015 and 2016 sessions. Duff says more transparency in government is his top priority. Here's hoping his challenge pushes Daudt in that direction.

State Rep. Rena Moran, a child protection advocate and community activist, faced a steep learning curve when she arrived in the state House in 2011 to represent a district dominated by St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood. To her credit, she's been a diligent climber, recruiting crucial allies along the way. Narrowly and largely on the strength of that effort, she's our choice in Tuesday's District 65A DFL primary.

Our call is close because Moran's challenger, Rashad Turner, is an articulate newcomer whose leadership mettle has been on display this summer. Turner, 31, is the lead St. Paul organizer for Black Lives Matter. In that role, he has sought to balance effective advocacy with restraint for the sake of public safety. When events spun out of his organization's control, he worked with St. Paul police and elected officials to restore order. He deserves a share of credit for keeping protests at the governor's residence peaceful for the past five weeks.

Turner, who studied to become a police officer but opted for a career in education instead, holds a master's degree in educational leadership and worked for Century College and White Bear Lake schools before becoming a community activist. He believes that in the Legislature, he could do more than Moran to increase economic opportunity in their inner-city district.

But he cannot fault Moran for not trying. A former early-education teacher, Moran, 56, has sponsored more than 50 bills in the past two years that aim to bring state resources to bear on District 65A's needs. She has been a particular advocate for women and children. Her lawmaking credits include the 2014 Women's Economic Security Act's pay equity provisions and the 2016 Women of Color Opportunity Act, portions of which were included in this year's omnibus spending bill. We hope Turner's bent toward public service persists. But Moran has earned DFL voters' backing.