Photo courtesy of Marty Seifert Braxton Seifert spoke at the Senate District 15 Republican convention Saturday in Belview. Seifert, one of three candidates who announced they were running for Sen. Gary Dahms' seat, received the endorsement from a majority of delegates.

Republican races for Minnesota state Senate and House brought more than 250 people out to an endorsing convention in Redwood County over the weekend, organizers said.

“We did have a very strong turnout,” said David Sturrock, 15th Senate District chairman. “We had a large number of people who were first-time attendees.”

On Saturday, a majority of area delegates endorsed Braxton Seifert as a candidate for state Senate District 15, and Geri Theis as a candidate for House District 15B.

Meanwhile, over the weekend Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, announced that he will not be seeking re-election in state House District 15A. Swedzinski joins a list of several established state legislators who will be retiring at the end of their current terms.

Swedzinski, who has represented southwest Minnesota since 2011 in District 15A, cited a desire to spend more time with his family and return to a more private life. He said will serve out the remainder of his current term, according to his press release.

“Serving the people of our district has been the greatest professional honor of my life,” Swedzinski said. “After much prayer and reflection with my family, I have decided that it is time for a new chapter. While my passion for our community and the issues facing rural Minnesota remains as strong as ever, I am looking forward to being home more consistently and focusing on my family, my business and new endeavors.”

Swedzinski expressed deep gratitude to the constituents who returned him to office over seven consecutive terms.

“To the people of the district: thank you for trusting in my abilities to represent you,” Swedzinski said. “Whether we met at a town hall, a county fair, or on the doorstep, your stories and your concerns were always at the forefront of my mind in the Capitol. I have always tried to be a common-sense voice for our corner of the state, and I am humbled by the confidence you placed in me for over a decade.”

The Republican endorsing convention for SD 15 was held Saturday at the Odeon Hall in Belview. Delegates were tasked with endorsing one of three Senate candidates in District 15, and one of two candidates in House District 15B. Sturrock said that Seifert received about 63% of the vote on the first ballot for Senate candidates.

“It was a clear result,” he said.

There was also a clear result for the District 15B endorsement, with Theis receiving about 70% of the votes on the first ballot.

Sturrock said that Seifert will still need to file as a candidate for state Senate in order to get on the ballot this fall. That filing period opens May 19. But Sturrock said the other two people who announced candidacy in SD 15, Tiffany Lesmeister-Knott and Brian Mock, have said they would honor the endorsement and would not contest it in the primary.

At Saturday’s convention, Seifert thanked his opponents, Tiffany Lesmeister-Knott and Brian Mock.

“They ran a great campaign with a lot of hard work,” Seifert said.

He also thanked delegates and convention organizers.

“I’m running to make a difference, to fight for my values, to fight for the beliefs and represent the community I love,” Seifert said.

There were some unusual factors impacting the turnout at Saturday’s convention, Sturrock said.

“We haven’t had a contest like this in a long time in this area,” he said. Several longtime legislators have announced that they will be retiring after their current terms.

Earlier this year, District 15 Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, had announced he would not seek re-election. In House District 15B, Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska, also said he wasn’t running again. In addition to Dahms and Torkelson, state Sen. Bill Weber, R-Luverne, announced he would not see re-election in Senate District 21. Rep. Joe Schomacker, R-Luverne, also said he would not be running again in House District 21A.

After Swedzinski announced that he will also not be seeking re-election in House District 15A, Granite Falls resident Hunter McFall, a Republican, announced on Sunday he would be running for the seat.

An announcement posted on McFall’s Facebook page said he is a paramedic with Avera Granite Falls Ambulance and CentraCare Ambulance in Willmar, and he also serves as an EMS educator at Ridgewater College. McFall said his priorities if elected will include strengthening rural health care services, transparency in state government, and promoting economic development and population growth in rural Minnesota.

Anita Gaul, chair of the Lyon County DFL, said Swedzinski’s decision not to run again came as a surprise.

“I do think this opens an opportunity,” both to get a new candidate in 15A seat, and potentially to elect a Democratic candidate, Gaul said. Turnout and participation in caucuses and conventions had been up this year for area Democrats, she said.

“People are turning out in numbers we haven’t seen for years,” Gaul said. “I think we’re in a very high political activity year, and people are motivated.”

The political convention season in southwest Minnesota is not over yet. Sturrock said the 7th Congressional District convention is coming up next month. CD7, which is represented by U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach, stretches across most of western Minnesota, from the Canadian border south to Pipestone, Murray and Cottonwood Counties.

The CD7 convention will be held April 25, at the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University.