Rep. Kurt Bills wins Republican U.S. Senate endorsement
Former Rosemount City Council member and current District 37B Rep. Kurt Bills has won the Republican Party endorsement for U.S. Senate.
Rep. Kurt Bills of Rosemount has won the Republican U.S. Senate endorsement, besting two other main challengers to take on Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar this election. Bills's daughters stand behind their father. (Photo by T.W. Budig)
Bills won in the second ballot at the Republican State Convention in St. Cloud today May 18, garnering some 1,353 votes — breaking the 60 percent endorsement mark — against contenders Pete Hegseth’s 316 votes and former state representative Dan Severson’s 439 votes.
“I have been teaching economics for 15 years, and I am running to bring ECON 101 to Washington,” said Bills, a high school economics and government teacher at Rosemount High School.
“Americans can’t afford another four years of Obamanomics. Amy Klobuchar has voted in lock step with (President) Barack Obama, and the result is a sluggish economy, more debt, and too much unemployment,” Bills said.
Asked what the first thing he would do as the endorsed U.S. Senate candidate, Bills said he would teach his first-hour advanced economics class at Rosemount High School.
Bills has been teaching the class through the legislative session and Senate campaign.
The Republican’s endorsed candidate was elected to the Rosemount City Council in 2008 and defeated Phillip Sterner for the 37B seat in 2010.
“All three people are quality men,” said Rep. Bob Dettmer, R-Forest Lake, of Bills, Severson, and Hegseth.
Dettmer, who supported Hegseth, a former student, thought the first ballot would be closer.
It wasn’t.
Bills missed a first-ballot endorsement by only 146 votes.
Both Hegseth and Severson have indicated they would abide by the endorsement.
Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Pat Shortridge and Deputy Chairwoman Kelly Fenton said in a statement that Minnesota conservatives are united behind Bills and are willing to work hard on his behalf to ensure they send someone to Washington who is willing to make the tough decisions necessary to getting our country back on track.
