Ganey Concedes, DFLer Mike Obermueller to Face John Kline for Congress Seat

And then there was one.

Eagan's Mike Obermueller, a former state representative, was endorsed as the Second Congressional District's DFL candidate on Saturday at  after Northfield's Patrick Ganey conceded before the fourth ballot.

Obermueller, who then received unanimous support, will face Republican John Kline, a five-term incumbent from Lakeville.

Kathleen Gaylord, Dakota County commissioner and former mayor of South St. Paul, conceded earlier in the contest. 

For a full recap of the event, read our live blog above.

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Second Congressional District DFLers gather at  today to select their nominee to challenge Republican incumbent John Kline in the November elections.

Kline  from Republicans at the GOP convention at Shakopee Junior High School last week. But thanks to February's court-panel redistricting of Minnesota, Kline faces a tougher road in a second district that now includes DFL-leaning portions of northern Dakota County, as well as southern Washington County, and doesn't include Republican strongholds such as Carver County.

 for today's DFL endorsement include , a member of the , , a Dakota County commissioner and former mayor of South St. Paul; and  of Eagan, a former legislator.

Ganey, a second-year councilor, dropped out of the Minnesota  race to seek the DFL's endorsement for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District.

“I am announcing that I will seek the DFL endorsement to represent Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional district in the United States House of Representatives,” Ganey said in a March press release. “Many of the issues that affect our lives are a result of decisions made in Washington, DC, and strong representation will benefit the citizens in this district.  Residents and businesses will benefit from a representative who will listen to local concerns and advocate for policies that strengthen our community, state, and nation.”

Gaylord, an attorney, is in her third term as Dakota County Commissioner, having been elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006 and 2010. In 2006 and 2009, she was elected Dakota County Board Chair and is the current Vice Chair.

"It’s time for new representation in the new 2nd Congressional District,” Gaylord said in a statement after filing. “Voters of all political persuasions are fed up with elected officials who put partisanship ahead of progress. They want common sense government instead of governance by the lowest common denominator." 

Obermueller is an attorney in Eagan and a former state representative.

"We basically lost a decade of prosperity and progress in this district," said Obermueller regarding his intent to seek Kline’s seat.

For years, Kline has been as safe a bet during election season as anyone, churning out double-digit election wins every cycle.

But the new second district now includes DFL-leaning portions of northern Dakota County, as well as southern Washington County, and doesn't include Republican strongholds such as Carver County.

"The district got some better demographics for us (in redistricting)," Obermueller told the Star Tribune. "We have a popular president and a congressman whose voting record doesn't match the district very well, and so there's an opportunity here to take him out."

Updated 3:08 p.m.: Speaking to Patch just ahead of accepting his party’s nomination, Obermueller said: “Washington has changed John Kline more than John Kline has changed Washington. These votes to end MediCare as we know it, Social Security where he’s not standing up for seniors, these are promises we’ve made to folks and they deserve to be honored.”

Obermueller said repealing No Child Left Behind is a high priority as well and said Kline has been in a position to have a positive impact on education but has sat on bipartisan legislation to prevent President Obama from getting positive news during his term.

“This is a district that has become a lot more aware of the fact that this is an opportunity to get real representation back in Washington,” Obermueller continued. “We’re going to have a real unified front coming out of here because of that.”