Republicans from Senate District 27 on Tuesday endorsed a Hayfield man in the race against incumbent Sen. Dan Sparks.

Gene Dornink, 53, owns Gene Dornink Carpentry LLC. He said in a previous article he decided to get active again in politics after being laid off from a union job.

Dornink said this morning he was humbled to be in a position to represent people, and he is grateful for the party’s confidence in him.

Dornink previously served as chairman of the Dodge County Republicans  and went to Tampa, Florida, as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Last month he said he had three major issues in his campaign: the bonding bill, accountability and problems with MNsure. He said he thinks t he state is going in the wrong direction and that legislators lose touch with what happens throughout the state.

Dornink and his wife, Vicky, have 12 children. The family enjoys playing volleyball and doing other activities as a family.