Reps. Kahn, Carlson set House longevity record
Two DFL lawmakers are now the longest serving Minnesota House members in state history.
State Reps. Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis and Lyndon Carlson of Crystal both took office in January 1973. They are in their 22
nd
terms. As of Monday they’ve surpassed the record of 15,532 days, which was set by former Rep. Willard Munger of Duluth.
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Kahn said she’s always had a good district and an interest in many issues.
“It’s not something that I kind of thought about at any time,” Kahn said. “It’s just each time to decide to run is a new decision, and I just did it. There are still problems to solve and still things that I’m interested in doing.”
Carlson said he’s always worked hard to win re-election and to serve his constituents.
“I have to say it’s a much better experience if you’re in the majority. But you can still accomplish some things in the minority and let your viewpoints be known,” he said.
Both Carlson and Kahn said they plan to run again in 2016. The next longest serving current House member is 20-term DFL Rep. Mary Murphy of Hermantown.