Urdahl elected to fifth term in District 18B

GROVE CITY -- Voters in District 18B have re-elected Dean Urdahl to a fifth term in the House of Representatives.

Unofficial final results showed Urdahl with 9,615 votes, 63 percent of those cast, and DFL challenger Darrin Anderson with 5,417, 36 percent of the ballots cast.

Anderson, a teacher from Litchfield and a newcomer to politics, campaigned hard on a platform that emphasized education. Urdahl's track record as a four-term representative proved hard to beat, however. Urdahl, a Republican from Grove City, took a strong lead as the returns came in Tuesday evening and remained ahead by a significant margin.

District 18B covers most of Meeker County and western portions of Wright County.

Urdahl said he sought another term because he sees work to be done in the Legislature. "I have ideas that I intend to bring forward," he said in an interview.

He is the lead Republican on the House Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Division Committee. He also co-chairs a bipartisan legislative caucus on the redesign of state government.