April 24, 2006: Endorsement

Republicans pick Decker for House
Former Lourdes teacher will take on Kim Norton for Fran Bradley's seat
Post-Bulletin Monday, April 24
by Matthew Stolle

Rich Decker, a former Lourdes High School teacher and coach, has won the Republican endorsement to run for seat 29B in the state House of Representatives, setting up a contest between him and DFL candidate Kim Norton.

Decker won the right to be on the November ballot after winning 62 percent of delegates in the first ballot of the District 29 GOP convention, Olmsted County GOP chairman Duane Quam said. A candidate must secure a threshold 60 percent of delegates to win the endorsement. Decker defeated Rebecca Toth, a Mayo Clinic nurse.

The endorsement sets up an intriguing race between two candidates with strong credentials in K-12 education. Decker has been a teacher of many years in both private and public school settings, and Norton is a two-term member of the Rochester School Board.

"He's definitely got the name recognition, has been around the community for decades and is passionate about education," Quam said.

House seat 29B is held by GOP Rep. Fran Bradley, a 12-year incumbent who announced his retirement earlier this year.