UPDATE 4/18: As noted at the end of this post, I'd be updating this post as more news came in.Early yesterday evening, the West Central Tribune's Tom Cherveny reported in Dean Urdahl will not seek re-election in District 16A:
State Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, will retire from the Minnesota House of Representatives when his 11th term expires in January, he announced on Saturday.
With the decision, west central Minnesota will be losing one of its most senior representatives in the legislature. Urdahl is currently serving as the minority chair for the House's capital investment committee.
“I have served my area for 22 years in the Minnesota House, longer than anyone else in history,” Urdahl said in the news release announcing his decision. “It is time to retire. I would like to spend more time with my wife and family and pursue other interests.” . ...
“I have been struggling with this decision about whether to retire for some time but, at one point, decided to run again this November,” Urdahl said. “I have since reconsidered and, frankly, have grown tired of the politics and obstacles to doing what is right. My decision has absolutely nothing to do with being opposed within the Republican Party; that didn’t concern me. What does bother me is that I will no longer be able to fight for the needs of my district and Greater Minnesota. I managed to do a lot, but more is needed. My term is not up until January and I will continue to represent the people and needs of District 16 A to the best of my ability.” . . .
Read the entire article at the West Central Tribune. It's for subscribers only, but a subscription to the West Central Tribune gains the reader access to all Forum News venues across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, Heckova deal [end update].
UPDATE #2: From the Litchfield independent Review article, Rep. Dean Urdahl will not seek reelection after all:
. . .In fact, challenges from within his own party were somewhat common during Urdahl’s two decades plus in office, especially over the past 10 years or so. The more conservative wing of the local Republican Party frequently put up challengers, sometimes on the day of the county convention. . . . [end Update #2]
Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, appears to have announced his retirement from his seat in District 16A of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
I haven't seen any news reports or press releases, but Willmar school teacher and Litchfield Republican activist Darrin Anderson published the embedded Facebook post below on Saturday, and Urdahl's wife Karen has replied with her thanks. The post was also shared on Dean Urdahl's personal Facebook page. It's not on his official legislative Facebook page
Back in late January, the West Central Tribune reported that Rep. Dean Urdahl announced re-election bid for Minnesota House,
Since then, two Republicans also announced that they were seeking the seat in west central Minnesota (Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Meeker, and Renville County). On February 6, the West Central Tribune reported Schmitt challenges for Republican endorsement in Minnesota House 16A. Schmitt is a Meeker County commissioner who serves as the Public Safety Policy Chair for the Association of Minnesota Counties.
On February 26, the Tribune reported Montevideo business owner Van Binsbergen challenges for Minn. House 16A seat. Scott Van Binsbergen Van Binsbergen has in the past graced Bluestem's pages in posts like 2014's Two-time loser may challenge Collin Peterson (he'd lost bids for the Minnesota House against Doug Peterson in 1994 and Lyle Koenen in 2006) and 2019's Guy who thought about running against Collin Peterson in 2014 and 2018 writing passive-aggressive stuff about him in Alpha News.
Both Republican candidates are registered at the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board. It's a solidly red seat and should remain in Republican hands in the November elections.
A comment of Anderson's post from Urdahl's wife Karen provides some suggestions about why the veteran lawmaker is retiring:
Thank you, Darrin! You’re a true & honest friend; you and Kaytlin Nichole are our very best all-time loyal volunteers! We’ve been thinking of retirement for months but let phone calls, emails, etc., temporarily persuade us not to. Dean’s car accident prompted serious inward reflection & prayer. We are both very comfortable with our decision. We wish you success in whatever endeavors you choose to pursue.
Bluestem will have more on this developing story. See the update at the top of this post.
Photo: Dean Urdahl, from official Facebook page.
Related post
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.
I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6
Comments