Minnesota county commission race decided after initially ending in a tie

TWO HARBORS, Minn. – The field is set for a special election for commissioner in northeast Minnesota’s Lake County after an extra vote found during a recount broke a tie between two candidates who took second place in the primary.

Joe Baltich joked that he wanted a cage match.

Now with 100 votes to challenger Colby Abazs 99, he advances to the special election against the front-runner in the primary. Abazs says he’s considering a write-in campaign.

The special election is to fill a vacancy on the county board after commissioner Pete Walsh died in January.