Republican Party of Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Republican Party of Minnesota | |
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| Party Chairman | Ron Carey |
| Senate Leader | David Senjem |
| House Leader | Marty Seifert |
| Founded | 1858 or earlier |
| Headquarters | 525 Park St Suite 250 St Paul, MN 55103 |
| Political ideology | American Conservatism Center-right |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
| Color(s) | Red |
| Web Site | www.gop-mn.org |
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee on 11 June 2005, its current chairman is Ron Carey. Its current deputy-chairman is Eric Hoplin, former chairman of the College Republican National Committee.
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[edit] Early history
The Republican Party in Minnesota was the dominant party in the state for approximately the first hundred years of Minnesota's statehood, from 1858 through the 1950s. The 1892 Republican National Convention was held in Minnesota. Republican candidates routinely won the state governorship as well as most other state offices. The party was aided by an opposition divided between the Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, who eventually merged in 1944.
[edit] Independent-Republican era
The Independent-Republican Party (I-R) was the name used for the party from November 15, 1975 until September 23, 1995. The party added "Independent" to its name after the Watergate affair in an attempt to distance itself from the national party. During most of the 1970s and into the early 1980s more moderate leadership prevailed within the party, but the party gradually grew more conservative. Several more moderate Republican candidates and officeholders have now left the party (including former governor Arne Carlson and former U.S. Senator David Durenberger), with some of them moving to the Independence Party of Minnesota, which considers itself a centrist party.
[edit] Current information
The current Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty is a Republican. Because of Pawlenty's narrow reelection in 2006, Republicans will have held the governorship for 16 of the last 20 years by the end of 2010. Since that election, however, Republicans are in the minority in the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate.
For the 2006 senate elections, the party endorsed Mark Kennedy for United States Senate, who lost to Amy Klobuchar.
Former GOP governor Arne Carlson (1991-99) has been critical of his now-former party in recent years.
[edit] Current elected officials
U.S. Senators:
Minnesota Constitutional Officers:
State Legislative Leaders:
- Minnesota House of Representatives Minority Leader - Rep. Marty Seifert
- Minnesota Senate Minority Leader - Sen. David Senjem
Members of the United States Congress:
- U.S. Representative (2nd District) - John Kline
- U.S. Representative (3rd District) - Jim Ramstad
- U.S. Representative (6th District) - Michele Bachmann
