GROVE CITY — State Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, will seek re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives in the newly formed District 16A, he announced this week.
Urdahl is currently serving his 10th term as a state representative. District 18B currently includes Meeker County and an area from Eden Valley in the north to Hutchinson in the south and from Cosmos to Cokato, west to east.
The new District 16A encompasses the western half of Meeker County, the southeastern corner of Kandiyohi County and all of Renville and Chippewa counties.
Urdahl, 72, has served in the Legislature since his election in 2002 after three prior unsuccessful bids for office. He is a retired social studies instructor who taught in the New London-Spicer School District for 35 years, where he also coached for 27 years. He is also a published author, including novels based on the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862 and a non-fiction book on famous players with the Minnesota Twins.
Urdahl is not paired against an incumbent in the new District 16A. Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, currently represents the current District 17A, which includes a portion of Kandiyohi County and all of Renville and Chippewa counties as well as Swift County. He has previously announced he will not seek re-election.
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In announcing his bid for re-election, Urdahl stated: “We face a very important time in our state’s history. I want to continue to fight for issues that are important to the people of Minnesota. Public safety, rising inflation and knowing what our children are being taught in our public schools must be priorities.”
Urdahl is known for his work on behalf of education. According to the announcement, he is a past chair of the Capital Investment Committee and current Republican lead of the panel. Urdahl has led efforts to include funding for state infrastructure.
One of the projects financed by Urdahl’s capital investment bill was the new veterans home in Montevideo, the announcement said.
