GOP Lawmaker Caught Making Out With Other Lawmaker Won't Seek Re-Election
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A powerful Minnesota GOP legislator who was cited last summer for making out with a fellow lawmaker in a public park announced Wednesday he won't run for re-election.
Rep. Tim Kelly will leave his Red Wing-area seat after eight years. As current chair of the House transportation committee, he'll be a major figure in his final year at the Legislature as lawmakers try to finalize a road and bridge repair funding package.
Kelly didn't mention last summer's scandal in his statement. Rather, he said he'd like to spend more time with his growing family — he recently became a grandfather — and on a financial advising business he co-owns in Red Wing.
Kelly and Rep. Tara Mack were cited in August for causing a nuisance by a Dakota County park ranger, who said the pair of lawmakers were making out inside a parked car. Mack and Kelly initially called the account a lie and vowed to lodge a complaint, but later paid their $260 fines while still insisting they disagreed with some details of the ranger's report.
Mack has not announced whether she plans to seek re-election in her Apple Valley district.
Kelly's seat is an alluring target for Democrats, who hope to regain a House majority. While Kelly regularly won the seat by large margins, the district leans Democratic.
(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
