ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Duluth Democrats have nominated a local fire official as a write-in candidate for the seat of a lawmaker who dropped out after a rest-stop sex scandal.

Assistant city fire chief Erik Simonson received more votes than Julene Boe in the nominating convention Saturday. Boe is listed as the executive director of the St. Louis River Alliance on their website.

The party hopes to keep the seat now held by Rep. Kerry Gauthier, who had a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old boy in July.

Gauthier ended his re-election bid last month under pressure from Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party leaders.

Barring a successful legal challenge, Gauthier’s name will remain on the ballot, so the DFL’s new nominee will have to run a write-in campaign.

Republican Travis Silvers is also on the ballot.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)