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Almost two decades after his first run at political office, David Forbes still delights in telling a story from his nomination campaign about the time he knocked on Isabel Bergstrom’s door — with no idea her older brother was Tommy Douglas.

As Forbes remembers, Bergstrom began talking about the Saskatchewan NDP in detail, often referring to “Tommy.” The former teacher and political neophyte had no idea what she was talking about until he saw Douglas’s photo on the mantel.

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“I thought, ‘I’ve got a lot to learn,’ ” Forbes said with a laugh.

Forbes — who won that nomination and was subsequently elected to represent Saskatoon Idylwyld in a 2001 byelection and subsequently held two cabinet posts — announced Friday that he won’t stand for re-election in 2020.

In an interview on Friday morning, the 62-year-old NDP MLA said he considered packing it in before the 2016 general election, but ultimately decided this summer that he would rather spend time with his family, particularly his grandchildren.