Dale Zorn defeats John Dahlgren to become representative of 34th Michigan House District
Beginning in January, a majority of Lenawee County will have a familiar face serving as their state representative.
Republican Dale Zorn of Onsted, who is currently Lenawee County’s state senator representing the 17th District in Michigan’s Senate, will become the state representative of the new 34th District in the Michigan House of Representatives. The district was one of many created by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Zorn, who has been Lenawee and Monroe county’s senator since assuming office January 2015, defeated his Democratic challenger, John Dahlgren of Clinton, in Tuesday’s general election, 24,145 to 14,642, according to election results provided by the Lenawee County Clerk’s Office.
Because of term limits in the state Senate, Zorn cannot run for reelection there. He previously served in the House from 2011-15 and is eligible to seek the House seat again, which is a term of two years.
Zorn will succeed Rep. Bronna Kahle, R-Adrian, who has represented most of Lenawee County since January 2017. Kahle is unable to seek reelection to her current post because of term limits. Upon completion of her term in office, she will take over president and CEO duties at the Lenawee Community Foundation.
Zorn moved from his longtime home in Ida in Monroe County to his family cottage at Sand Lake in order to run for the House.
“I’m excited to serve Lenawee County as its state representative,” Zorn said Wednesday morning. “I am looking forward to bringing resources back to the county so that the county can continue to move in the right direction.”
With his prior experience in the House, Zorn said he is expecting a “seamless” transition to take place from his Senate seat to the representative role.
“I understand the legislative process and the community makeup,” he said.
Zorn said two matters especially are of utmost importance to him: getting the inflation issue under control and bringing well-paying jobs to Michigan and Lenawee County.
“We need to make sure we have as many opportunities as possible for people to find work in Michigan and here in Lenawee County,” he said.
Dahlgren, a first-time candidate for the House, said Wednesday morning he got into the race not to lose, but to win.
“But I was also realistic about the outcome,” he said. “I’m a brand new candidate, I didn’t really know anything at all about running a campaign, and I still got almost 15,000 votes. The Democratic Party in Michigan is doing well as a whole. I’m pleased with the results, but I’m not overjoyed.”
No matter what the results of the election turned out to be, Dahlgren said he plans to work alongside Zorn and the Republican Party to make Lenawee County and Michigan better for everybody. A key component for his next bid for office, he said, is to find more time for campaigning, going door-to-door to meet with residents and advocating for mental health services and accessibility in Lenawee County.
“I know what I did wrong during this campaign,” he said. “I’m going to hit the ground running the next time. Ultimately, we are trying to make Lenawee County more competitive for everybody, which will be better for everybody.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Dale Zorn defeats John Dahlgren to become 34th District representative
