Keith Langseth

{{Infobox officeholder

| name=Keith Langseth

| image name=Langseth.jpg

| imagesize=210px

| state_senate=Minnesota

| state=Minnesota

| district=9th

| term_start=1981

| term_end=January 7, 2013

| preceded=Doug Sillers

| succeeded=district redrawn

| state_house2=Minnesota

| state2=Minnesota

| district2=9B

| term_start2=1975

| term_end2=1979

| preceded2=Arlan Stangeland

| succeeded2=Merlyn O. Valan

| party=Democratic Farmer Labor Party

| birth_date= {{birth date and age |1938|01|20}}

| birth_place=Glyndon, Minnesota

| death_date=

| death_place=

| occupation=Farmer, legislator

| spouse=Lorraine Langseth

| children=3

| residence=Glyndon, Minnesota

}}

Keith Langseth (born January 20, 1938) is a Democratic Farmer Labor Party politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 9 since 1981 until 2013. Prior to his election to the Senate, he was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 9B from 1975 to 1979. He served a combined 36 years in the Legislature. His district included portions of Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Traverse and Wilkin counties in the northwestern part of the state.{{cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=10355 |title=Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record – Langseth, Keith L |publisher=Leg.state.mn.us |accessdate=July 20, 2010}}

Personal life

Langseth grew up in Glyndon, where he still resides. He graduated from Glyndon High School in 1956 and began working as a dairy farmer. He continued farming throughout his tenure in the legislature. He and his wife, Lorraine, have three children: Dan, Joy and Gayle.[http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=10355 Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Langseth, Keith L]

Political career

Langseth first became involved in the DFL as a result of his opposition to the Vietnam War. He was asked by the local DFL Party to run for the House of Representatives in 1974, later choosing to run for the Senate in 1980. He ran against and defeated an incumbent in both elections.

Langseth served as Chair of the Capital Investment Committee, a position he held since its creation in 2001. He was also a member of the Taxes, Agriculture and Veterans, Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Division, Transportation, Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and Rules and Administration committees. His stated legislative concerns included bonding, tax policy, transportation, education and agriculture.{{cite web |url=http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?leg_id=10355 |title=Senator Keith Langseth DFL District 09 |publisher=Senate.leg.state.mn.us |date=January 20, 1938 |accessdate=July 20, 2010 |archive-date=September 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921011954/http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?leg_id=10355 |url-status=dead }}

Langseth announced his retirement from politics and did not run for re-election in 2012.{{cite news|last=Davis |first=Don |title=Cash-strapped Republicans downplay funding issue |url=http://www.wadenapj.com/event/article/id/28709/ |newspaper=Wadena Pioneer Journal |date=November 13, 2012 }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Electoral history

Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 2010
Keith Langseth (D) 14,595 votes, 52.52%
Jeff Backer (R), 13,168 votes, 47.39%
Write In, 25 votes, 0.09%{{cite web |url=http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/20101102/ElecRslts.asp?M=LG&LD=09 |title=Election Reporting |accessdate=2010-11-19 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313122730/http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/20101102/ElecRslts.asp?M=LG&LD=09 |archivedate=March 13, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 2006
Keith Langseth (D) 20,353 votes, 69.8%
Paul Holle (R), 8,771 votes, 30.1%
Write In, 33 votes, 0.1%[http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/2006/campaign/results/stsenate_dist.php?district=09 MPR: Campaign 2006: Election Results: Minnesota Senate District 9]
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 2002
Keith Langseth (D) 18,587 votes, 61.22%
Bradley Monson (R), 10,144 votes, 33.41%
Dan Stewart (IP), 1,278 votes, 4.21%2003–2004 Legislative Manual
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 2000
Keith Langseth (D) 19,412 votes, 61.05%
Wallace "Wally" Nord (R), 10,946 votes, 34.43%2001–2002 Legislative Manual
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 1996
Keith Langseth (D) 17,189 votes, 58.67%
Cliff Dyrud (R), 11,235 votes, 38.35%1997–1998 Legislative Manual
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 1992
Keith Langseth (D) 18,954 votes, 59.68%
Bob Friederichs (IR), 11,587 votes, 36.48%1993–1994 Legislative Manual
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 1990
Keith Langseth (D) 13,705 votes, 61.80%
Robert Westfall (IR) 7,716 votes, 34.79%1991–1992 Legislative Manual
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 1986
Keith Langseth (D) 11,166 votes, 57.96%
David Green (IR) 8,099 votes, 42.04%1987–1988 Legislative Manual
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 1982
Keith Langseth (D) 11,733 votes, 50.62%
Phyllis Thysell (IR) 10,803 votes, 46.61%1983–1984 Legislative Manual
Minnesota Senate District 9 Election 1980
Keith Langseth (D) 13,776 votes, 52.9%
D.H. (Doug) Sillers (Incumbent) (IR) 12,245 votes, 47.1%1981–1982 Legislative Manual
Minnesota House District 9B Election 1978
Keith Langseth (D) 5,743 votes, 49.9%
Merlyn Valan (IR) 5,758 votes, 50.1%1977–1978 Legislative Manual
Minnesota House District 9B Election 1976
Keith Langseth (D) 8,498 votes, 62.8%
Lee Johnson (IR) 4,664 votes, 37.2%
Minnesota House District 9B Election 1974
Keith Langseth (D) 5,361 votes, 58.94%
Arian Strangeland (Incumbent) (IR) 3,735 votes, 41.06%1975–1976 Legislative Manual

References

External links

[http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?mem_id=1029&ls=85 Minnesota Senate – Senator Keith Langseth Web Page]
[http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/votetracker/legislator_view.php?id=20 Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Keith Langseth Voting Record]
[http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=3904 Project Vote Smart – Senator Keith Langseth Profile]

{{succession box

|title=Minnesota Senate District 9

|before=D.H. Sillers

|years=1981 – January 7, 2013

|after=district redrawn}}

Category:1938 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Clay County, Minnesota

Category:American Lutherans

Category:American people of Norwegian descent

Category:Farmers from Minnesota

Category:Democratic Party Minnesota state senators

Category:Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives

Category:21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature