Rep. Lyle Koenen, DFL-Clara City, held off a tough challenge by Scott Van Binsbergen, R- Montevideo, to return to the state House of Representatives for District 20B, according to unofficial results available as this edition went to press.
Koenen held a 7,832 to 6,033 vote advantage over Van Binsbergen with 97 percent of precincts reporting, according to unofficial numbers from the Minnesota Secretary of State's office as of about 12:30 a.m.
Koenen described the election as his "toughest ever,'' and pointed to an aggressive campaign by his opponent. He noted that Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and former U.S. Sen. Rudy Boschwitz were among those who made appearances in the district on behalf of his opponent. "You just never know how it is all going to play out,'' said Koenen. The Clara City Democrat said he did his best to counter the campaign with lots of door knocking and hard work.
Koenen said he worked to promote "just the basics,'' citing the issues of education, health care, transportation, jobs, renewable energy and property taxes as most important to constituents.
Koenen, 49, will return for his third term to represent the district.
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A dairy farmer and trucker, Koenen also campaigned on a demand for "fairness'' for rural areas.
The district includes all of Chippewa and Renville counties, the eastern third of Yellow Medicine and western edge of McLeod counties.
Van Binsbergen marked his 37th birthday on Election Day while waiting for the election results.
Van Binsbergen said he couldn't help but feel disappointed by the loss, noting that he had worked hard and had found lots of support from people.
He said he probably suffered from a voter trend against many Republican candidates. "It obviously was not a good year for Republicans,'' Van Binsbergen said.
Van Binsbergen is in a business partnership with his father, Gene, and oversees companies with 140 employees in the Montevideo area. He ran an aggressive campaign based on the need for jobs and economic development in the district.
He touted his ability as a leader, and said the district needed a stronger voice in St. Paul. He told voters that he could put party differences aside and forge the relationships with suburban lawmakers to get things done.
Koenen said he is looking forward to the upcoming legislative session. He said gains made by the DFL in the House will allow him to pursue a variety of efforts. He'd like to see a shift toward greater state support for rural education needs and property tax relief in rural areas.
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Koenen said he also wants to push toward making health care more affordable and accessible to people in the district. He said it will take time to achieve the changes but feels that progress can be made.
Koenen has been part of the minority party in the House during his first two terms and said it has been largely a matter of playing "defensive.'' Now, Koenen said, he looks forward to a more proactive role.
