Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former state representative Lyle Koenen (KUHN’-un) has been sworn in as senator to finish out the term of Sen. Gary Kubly, who died last month.
Koenen says Wednesday after his swearing-in that Kubly set an example for how senators should conduct themselves. He says intends to follow that example. Kubly, a Democrat with a reputation for working across party lines, died in March after a battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Koenen, who has worked as a farmer, was first elected to the House in 2002.
His western Minnesota Senate district near the South Dakota border includes parts of Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Renville, Swift and Yellow Medicine counties.
All 67 Senate seats will be up for reelection again this November.