Apple Valley DFLer exits, vet enters House race

Updated: January 30, 2008 - 9:55 PM

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Jeremy Morgan of Apple Valley said Wednesday that he's withdrawing from the race as DFL candidate for the state House of Representatives seat in District 37B, which includes Rosemount and the northeastern half of Apple Valley.

Also Wednesday, veterinarian Kurt Hansen of Rosemount announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination to represent the district.

The seat will be vacant because Rep. Dennis Ozment is not running for reelection.

Morgan cited personal health reasons in his decision to withdraw from the race.

"I'll be fine," he told the Star Tribune. "There are some personal things I need to focus on right now, and it's just bad timing."

Hansen, a former mayoral candidate in Rosemount, had been embroiled in a controversy over a half-acre of land he owned, which the city was poised to condemn as the last parcel needed for a downtown redevelopment. But he agreed to sell in December for $525,000.

At one point, Hansen had said he wanted to develop the property himself.

"Years of experience in the business community of Rosemount, and recent political interactions in a local eminent domain case, have well prepared me for a larger venue of commitment," Hansen said in a news release Wednesday.

"I have been given opportunities in our town, and been successful over the years. I now feel it is time for me to return the community's generosity by offering my energy and knowledge for the good of the district."

JOY POWELL