NEWS BULLETIN: Redistricting reshuffles political landscape, Senator Dornink to move

Minnesota Sen. Gene Dornink announced Tuesday he plans to move after a special judicial redistricting panel ordered new boundaries for all legislative districts.
What has been known as Senate District 27 will become District 23 serving Steele, Mower, Freeborn, Faribault and Waseca counties. Most notably Dodge County is not included in the new district and that’s where Dornink currently lives. He has a residence outside of Hayfield.
Dornink told the Steele County Times Tuesday night he plans to move to the Glenville area in Freeborn County where he already owns a house, allowing him to remain in the district that he was elected to serve in 2020. Besides serving in the Senate, Dornink is a carpenter who buys and refurbishes homes. He has owned the house where he plans to move since last August.
Dornink said two-thirds of the district he currently serves in will remain the same. Under redistricting, he has picked up the entire southern half of Steele County, including the City of Ellendale. Only the City of Blooming Prairie has been in the current district.
All of Dodge County will now become District 24 and be paired up with Olmsted County.
In other redistricting news, Sen. John Jasinski will continue to serve the northern half of Steele County, including Medford and Owatonna. His district will become known as District 19 instead of District 24.
The legislative district currently served by Rep. John Petersburg will remain mostly unchanged, though the City of Medford and Medford Township in Steele County have been added to what will now become District 19A.
Rep. Brian Daniels will no longer be serving Steele County under the new redistricting boundaries.
The City of Blooming Prairie will be getting a new state representative as the district boundary will now become included with Mower County, instead of Freeborn County. Rep. Peggy Bennett has served the City of Blooming Prairie for several years, but she will not be in the new district. Mower County is currently served by Rep. Patty Mueller.