Kevin L. Dahle (born January 24, 1960) is a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

politician and former member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are h ...

. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Repr ...

(DFL), he represented District 20, which included portions of Le Sueur,

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

, and Scott counties in the south central part of the state.

Early life, education, and career

Dahle attended the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and gr ...

in Cedar Falls, graduating in 1982, and later attended St. Mary's University in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, receiving his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in education in 2004. Dahle was a member of the Council of Local Presidents of

Education Minnesota Education Minnesota is an American trade union representing pre-K to 12 education teachers, school support staff and higher education faculty in Minnesota. It is affiliated with both the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Fede ...

, a trade union representing local teachers in Minnesota, and was also president of the Northfield Education Association for approximately ten years. He previously worked with Citizens for Quality Education, and also worked for the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

as a liaison in the

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, where he taught

civic education Civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society. The term derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". The term relates to behavior affecting other citizens, particularly in the context of ur ...

. He is a social studies and driver's education teacher at Northfield High School in Northfield.

Minnesota Senate

Dahle was first elected to the Senate in a special election held on January 3, 2008. The seat became vacant when Senator Tom Neuville resigned in order to accept an appointment by then-

Minnesota Governor The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

Tim Pawlenty Timothy James Pawlenty (; born November 27, 1960) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 39th governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House o ...

as a district judge. He was subsequently unseated by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Al DeKruif in the 2010 general election. Dahle won a close race against Mike Dudley in 2012, and returned to the Senate representing District 20. Dahle was a member of the Senate's Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, the Education Committee, and the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee. He also served on the Finance Subcommittee for the E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division. His special legislative concerns included E-12 education funding, health care, and transportation. Dahle lost

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

Rich Draheim.

References

External links

Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Kevin DahleProject Vote Smart - Senator Kevin Dahle Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahle, Kevin 1960 births Living people People from Forest City, Iowa Democratic Party Minnesota state senators People from Northfield, Minnesota University of Northern Iowa alumni 21st-century American politicians American United Methodists