Quist files; will face Parry in primary

Published 7:48 am Thursday, May 31, 2012

Former state Rep. Allen Quist filed to run for U.S. Congress Wednesday.

Quist will oppose Sen. Mike Parry of Waseca in the Aug. 14 GOP primary. The primary comes after Parry and Quist battled to a draw in an endorsing convention in April and neither succeeded in gaining the required 60 percent of delegates after 14 hours and 23 rounds of balloting. The winner of the primary will run against Tim Walz in the general election Nov. 6.

According to a news release, Quist will set his sights if elected on balancing the budget without raising taxes. In five years, he said, the U.S. could reach the level of debt that Greece faces.

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Earlier this month, Quist called for an immediate, third-party audit of Minnesota’s handling of the Medicaid program. The release said Quist estimates the government is overcharging every taxpayer approximately $500 a year to pay for inflated Medicaid expenses.

The filing period, which began May 22 at the Secretary of State’s office, ends June 5.

—The Associated Press contributed to this report.