Henry Helgerson, a Wichita Democrat who served in the Kansas House from 1983 through 2000, will return to the chamber for the 2016 session.

Helgerson was elected by Democratic precinct committee members Tuesday night to replace Rep. Carolyn Bridges in the 83rd District. Only six precinct committee slots are filled in that district and, in a 4-2 vote, Helgerson defeated Chris Pumpelly, communications director in Democrat Paul Davis’ unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign last year.

Helgerson also served briefly in the Kansas Senate during the 2003 and 2004 sessions, filling the unexpired term of Sen. Paul Feliciano, who resigned to accept an appointment to the Kansas Parole Board. He then lost the 2004 election to Republican Mike Petersen after a campaign in which the GOP questioned whether Helgerson actually lived in the district.

“I’ve had several years of sitting on the sideline, and I’m fed up,” Helgerson said in a statement released Tuesday night. “The state we’re in now isn’t the state I remember or the state the citizens deserve.”