Rep. Dan Kaiser is running for re-election

In addition to casting ballots to elect our next president some voters in Aberdeen will also decide a pretty competitive race for state House.

Republican Dan Kaiser is running for re-election in district 3 after missing all of the 2016 legislative session. But it wasn't because he didn't feel like working, Representative Kaiser was in Sioux Falls last January helping his young son fight a cancer diagnosis.

After six year old son Jaxon kaiser's leukemia diagnosis in January, the illness forced the family to embrace a new way of life, which included putting Dan Kaiser's political life aside.

"It was the toughest time in my life," says Kaiser. "It was the most difficult thing I've ever gone through emotionally, hearing the news about Jaxon."

with several months of rigorous treatment Jaxon is in remission, and his joyful, big personality has returned.

"We're in what they call a maintenance phase of the treatment which will take so more time to get through, but the main focus is we're in remission, things are going good," says Kaiser.

Now that Jaxson is healing and the trips to the hospital in Sioux Falls are less frequent Dan is ready to focus on his political career.

"It's a way for me to thank the community," says Kaiser. "I can't express how much my wife and I cried because of all the love and support of the community, there's so much power to that when people let you know you're in their thoughts, their prayers."

The free time has allowed Dan to knock on doors and campaign for his re-election for District three State Representative and he says he's optimistic.

"I'm lucky enough to be running with a couple of other gentlemen that are really good friends and really know the system and have their finger on the pulse of the community," says Kaiser.

Though Jaxson's leukemia is in remission, he still needs to make monthly doctor visits to Sioux Falls to monitor his health.

We attempted to reach out to kaiser's opponents but they were not able to sit down for an interview today.