Sams will serve fourth term in Senate

Sen. Dallas Sams, DFL-Staples, said his history of accomplishment in the Senate and reputation for delivering for the district were what propelled him to victory in the District 11 Senate race.

"My office has done a good job responding to constituency," he said.

With 86 percent of the precincts reporting, Sams defeated Wayne Hoffert of Staples, 17,428-12,536.

Sams characterized this campaign as one of the most difficult ones because of negative ads aimed at him. He said he always focused on running a clean campaign.

Elected to his fourth term Tuesday, Sams said he would have to look at the situation in two years before deciding whether he'd run again.

His Republican opponent, Hoffert, praised the work of his committee particularly since he had little money to offer committee members and worked full time in Fargo, N.D.

"I wasn't able to spend the time meeting as many people as I could," he said.

Hoffert, who ran against Sams earlier, said many people don't realize how demanding a candidate's job is. He declined to say whether he'll be a candidate in the next District 11 legislative race.