Dan Sparks is the choice of DFLers in Senate District 27C.

Allan L. Halvorsen, Albert Lea, is the DFL choice

in House District 27A and Jeanne E. Poppe is the DFL choice in House District 27B.

The biggest surprise was the endorsement of Sparks, an Austin banker and novice to elective politics.

"I'm excited," Sparks said. "To win the endorsement is an incredible feeling."

Watching were his mother, Faye Sparks, a DFL political party worker, and grandfather, Leonard Thompson, Hayfield. Both vowed to begin immediately to campaign for the newly endorsed state senate candidate.

Unless things change at the September primary, the November elections will see Grace Swab, Republican, and Dan Sparks, DFLer, in the Senate District 27C race; State Rep. Dan Dorman, Republican, and Allan L. Halvorsen, DFLer, in the House District 27A race; and Jeff Anderson, Republican, and Jeanne E. Poppe, DFLer, in the House District 27B race.

Sparks went into Sunday's DFL convention as a long-shot for the House District 27B endorsement and left with a solid endorsement victory for a Senate seat.

Sparks had announced his candidacy for the House District 27B seat being vacated at the end of this term by long-time incumbent State Rep. Rob Leighton.

The field was crowded with Len Miller, a Mower County Commissioner and DFL Party activist, Dick Chaffee, an Austin City Council member, and Poppe.

At Sunday afternoon's DFL endorsing convention, Sparks defeated Terry Kelley, a former television anchorman, on the second convention ballot, winning 61 of 99 delegate votes.

Kelley immediately vowed, "I'm 99 percent sure I will take this to the primary election in September."

Sparks had the DFL Party's endorsement committee nod for the Senate race. Pat Higgins, DFL Party chair, nominated him.

Former state senator Pat Piper nominated Kelley and Judy Himle marched to the Austin Labor Center stage to second the Sparks nomination. Charlene Blowers also seconded the nomination.

When the candidates spoke, Kelley hammered away at this "electability" after working as a television personality in the area.

Sparks led after the first ballot, but didn't have the necessary majority of delegates votes. When the second vote was taken, he had the majority and defeated Kelley 61-38 to win the endorsement.

Sparks promised DFLers, "I'll work hard to make the strongest DFL ticket I know how."

"I'll take this fight to the DFL in September." Kelley asserted.

House District 27A

Freeborn County DFLers endorsed Allan L. Halvorsen, an Albert Lea attorney, for the House District 27A race.

Halvorsen was a late-entry into the House District 27A race. When Freeborn County DFLers assembled at the Austin Labor Center Sunday, veteran political activist, Tony Samudio, sought the endorsement.

Halvorsen won on the first ballot

House District 27A with a 19-6 win over Samudio. All 25 delegates voted.

"I'm excited to have received the endorsement of the party and plan to work hard to win election this fall," said Halvorsen.

When Sparks left the House District 27B race to successfully seek the Senate District endorsement, that left a free-for-all among Miller, Chaffee and Poppe.

After each candidates' supporters made short speeches, the candidates took the stage to win support from delegates.

Miller promised to abide by the convention endorsement process. Chaffee said he had the endorsement of Minnesota DFL Party leadership and Poppe said her winning margins in Austin City Council races proved her appeal to voters in the largest population center of District 27B.

Then, the voting began. Poppe led on all three ballots taken. When Chaffee collected the smallest vote total, ballot, he was eliminated from the race.

Finally, Poppe collected 46 votes to Miller's 27 on the third ballot and was declared the winner of the endorsement.

Miller immediately said he would abide by the convention's endorsement, but Chaffee said, he would "consider taking this to the primary election in September."

Schwab, Anderson

are GOP choices

Grace Schwab and Jeff Anderson are the choices of the GOP to run for State Senate and House districts' seats in the Minnesota Legislature.

The GOP held its endorsing convention Saturday at Ellis Middle School with Freeborn, Mower and Fillmore counties' delegates present.

Schwab, an Albert Lea Republican, made history two years ago when she upset long-time incumbent Pat Piper, an Austin DFLer, in the Senate District 27 race. It marked the first time the GOP was able to wrestle the Senate seat from the stranglehold of DFLers for so many years.

She was nominated for another endorsement Saturday by Tom Purcell. Yes, that Tom Purcell. The long-time DFLer bolted the party to switch allegiances to the GOP.

Purcell nominated Schwab for re-election to the redrawn

Senate District 27C.

"Grace is the real thing," Purcell said. "When you get good people, you back them and fight for them."

State Rep. Dan Dorman seconded Purcell's nomination and so did Anderson.

Schwab accepted the endorsement after a voice vote of acclamation. Schwab recalled how she drove to Austin for a similar convention two years ago. "You helped me find a way to fin," she told the GOP delegates. "We need to make it happen again."

House District 27A, B

Incumbent State Rep. Dan Dorman was nominated by his father, J. R. Dorman. Not to be outdone by his grandfather, the legislator's sons Chris and Matt seconded the nomination to endorse their father for the House District.

Dorman also was given a voice vote of acclamation by the GOP delegates.

Anderson, an Austin teacher, won the GOP endorsement for House District 27B by a voice vote of acclamation.

Judy Needham

nominated Anderson and Lee Aase seconded the nomination.

Anderson lost to incumbent State Rep. Rob Leighton two years ago by nearly 500 votes.

When Leighton announced early this year he would not seek reelection, Anderson pounced and declared his candidacy.

Anderson told the convention delegates, "I truly believe I reflect the values and beliefs of people in this area."

Geoff Baker, Mower County GOP chair and Saturday's convention chair, challenged the party faithful to support the slate of candidates. "We feel we are fielding the best slate of candidates we can to support our local communities," Baker said.