Paul Marquart Joins Minnesota House Members Who Won't Seek Reelection

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The number of Minnesota state lawmakers who don't plan to seek reelection continues to grow.

Longtime Rep. Paul Marquart joined the list Wednesday.

"At 65, it's time to try new things and to spend more time with my family and those fun grandchildren," Marquardt said in a statement.

The Democrat was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2000 after serving as Dilworth's mayor for 11 years and a city council member for two. He's the current chairman of the Taxes Committee and has also served as chairman of the Education Finance and Property Tax committees.

Marquart said the most enjoyable part of being a legislator was going door-to-door and meeting and visiting with constituents.

"I truly valued the friendships and conversations I had with a lot of wonderful people in the district. I will really miss that," he said.

He's the fourth state lawmaker in just the past week to announce he won't seek reelection, following Rep. Tim Miller, Rep. Jim Davnie and Rep. Rod Hamilton.

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