A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 17B, northeast of the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Kalin was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota and grew up in Sioux City, Iowa.
Kalin was the sole proprietor of JNK Studio from 1995 to 2004 and also taught at Watershed High School in Minneapolis from 1996 to 2000.
[3] On July 9, 2013, Kalin announced his candidacy in the 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election.
[5] Kalin was a member of Concerned River Valley Citizens from 1997 to 2001, of the Chisago County Gateway Task Force from 2003 to 2004, and of the East Central Regional Arts Council from 2005 to 2006, and he has been a member of the League of Women Voters since 2003.