Brief: Northfield's Ganey to Run for 2nd U.S. Congressional District

Patrick Ganey, a second-year Northfield city councilor who this week of the Minnesta Senate District 20B , has declared his intent to seek the DFL's endorsement for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District.

After redistricting, Mendota Heights, Mendota and Lilydale now falls in the district representing along with all of Dakota County, Scott County, Wabasha County and a portion of Rice County. 

Congressman John Kline (R-Lakeville) has represented the district since 2003.

The following is a press release sent to Patch:

I am announcing that I will seek the DFL endorsement to represent Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.  Many of the issues that affect our lives are a result of decisions made in Washington, DC, and strong representation will benefit the citizens in this district.  Residents and businesses will benefit from a representative who will listen to local concerns and advocate for policies that strengthen our community, state, and nation.

I currently serve on the Northfield City Council and I have brought to that position the skills and willingness to listen, deliberate, compromise, and make decisions that positively affect our community.  I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand and subsequently worked for Peace Corps as a recruiter and public affairs specialist for a five-state region in the upper Midwest.  Since 2003, I have worked in the division of external relations at Carleton College, where I am a development officer. 

I will support education and work to ensure that it is available for every American, from the stay-at-home mother who prepares to re-enter the workforce to the returning veteran who wants to make a seamless transition from military to civilian life.  We need to invest in our young children and also make sure that every college-bound student can afford it.  We must support the young entrepreneur and the mid-career professional who have the bold ideas for a new business, and make sure they are not thwarted by a lack of local infrastructure or a lack of health care coverage. 

Our representative democracy calls upon its citizens to stand and be active participants in the development of law and policy.  Ours is not a government that asks its elected officials to become career politicians; instead, regular citizens can add their voice to the debates that shape our nation’s future.  I hope to serve the people of Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional district as a representative in the United States Congress.