Hal Kimball of Cokato is endorsed by DFL for District 18 seat

COKATO, MN — Hal Kimball of Cokato received the DFL endorsement for State Senate District 18, which is being vacated by Steve Dille (R-Dassel), who is retiring.

Kimball served 11 years in the Army, and received his degree at St. Cloud State University.

In a speech to delegates before he was endorsed, Kimball told DFLers that the coming election offers a clear choice between the past and the future.

“We can choose a decade more of status quo in St. Paul and a deficit of common sense, or we can commit right here, today, to a new direction,” Kimball said.

Kimball challenged Republicans to back up their rhetoric on freedom and liberty with real action.

“When state budget cuts put more than 40,000 more Minnesotans at risk without access to affordable and quality health care, is that freedom? Is that liberty?” Kimball asked.

“When no-new-tax pledges force local governments to increase property taxes, pushing seniors out of their homes, homes they’ve owned for generations, is that the freedom they speak of?” Kimball asked.

“When the state literally takes $17.4 million from schools in our Senate District, is that the freedom they speak of?” Kimball asked.

The endorsements took place at a party convention at the Cokato City Hall that encompassed the District 18 area. District 18B includes the cities of Annandale, Cokato, Howard Lake, and South Haven, and the townships of Cokato, Corinna, French Lake, Middleville, Stockholm, and Southside in Wright County, and all of Meeker.

No DFL candidate has come forward yet for State representative in District 18A, which is served by Ron Shimanski. District 18A includes all of McLeod County, plus Collinwood Township, Cedar Mills, and Cedar Mills Township.

District 18 includes all of Meeker and McLeod counties, plus the following area in Wright County: the cities of Howard Lake, Cokato, and Annandale; and townships of French Lake, Middleville, South Haven, Southside, and Stockholm.