The Forum: Friends, colleagues honor retiring Senator Langseth
By: Ryan Johnson, INFORUM
MOORHEAD – Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, said Saturday night that state senator may not be the highest position he could have held during his political career. “But as far as I’m concerned, I’ve been to the mountaintop, and I’ve enjoyed the mountaintop a lot,” he said to more than 100 friends, legislators and supporters during an event to honor his retirement from the Minnesota Legislature. Langseth, 74, was first elected to the House in 1974, suffering his only electoral defeat in 1978 when he lost by 11 votes during the so-called “Minnesota Massacre.” He bounced back in 1980 when he was elected to the Senate from west-central Minnesota’s District 9, which includes Clay County and portions of Becker, Otter Tail, Traverse and Wilkin counties. Langseth was re-elected to the office nine times, most recently in 2010, and announced after that election that this term would be his last.