| Allen Quist | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 23B district |
|
| In office January 1983 – January 1989 |
|
| Preceded by | Carl M. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Don Ostrom |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1944 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Diane (d. 1986) Julie Quist |
| Children | Emily, Lisa, Laurie, Andrew, Nathan, Katie, Marissa, Tricia, Julie, Daniel |
| Residence | St. Peter, Minnesota |
| Alma mater | Bethany Lutheran College Gustavus Adolphus College Mankato State University |
| Occupation | farmer professor |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Allen J. Quist (born October 1944) is a Minnesota politician, a former state representative, and a two-time candidate for governor of the state.[1]
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A Republican, Quist was first elected to the House in 1982. He served four terms until 1989 when he was defeated for re-election by St. Peter School Board Chair and Gustavus Adolphus College Professor Don Ostrom. He represented the old District 23B, which included portions of Blue Earth, Brown, Le Sueur, Nicollet and Renville counties in the south central part of the state. He chaired the Health and Human Services Subcommittee on Social Services during the 1985-1986 biennium.[1]
In December 1986, Quist's first wife, Diane, died in a car accident. He subsequently married conservative activist Julie Morse in 1987.[1] He has ten children, nine by his first wife and one by his second.[1]
A conservative stalwart, Quist challenged incumbent Governor Arne Carlson in the 1994 gubernatorial election, with former U.S. Senate candidate Doug McFarland as his running mate. He campaigned on the premise that the pro-choice Carlson was too liberal to lead the Republican Party. Although he won endorsement at his party's convention, he was soundly defeated by Carlson in the state's open primary.[2] He ran for governor again in 1998, but withdrew before the state convention in favor of Saint Paul Mayor Norm Coleman.
On November 19, 2009, Quist announced his candidacy for U.S. Representative in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District in the 2010 race against incumbent Representative Tim Walz.[3]
In early December, Quist claimed that a marriage penalty exists in the U.S. House and Senate health care bills.[4] The information he discovered was quickly picked up by the media, tax reform organizations, and other politicians.[5]
Quist garnered some controversy for his December 7, 2009, speech at a Christmas Party of the Wabasha County Republicans. The following remarks (included in the speech which lasted a total of seven and a half minutes) were criticized by some members of the media:
"“Our country is being destroyed. Every generation has had to fight the fight for freedom… Terrorism? Yes. That’s not the big battle,” he said. “The big battle is in D.C. with the radicals. They aren’t liberals. They are radicals. Obama, Pelosi, Walz: They’re not liberals, they’re radicals. They are destroying our country.”
Quist also spoke against the health care bill at the event. “This is the most insidious, evil piece of legislation I have ever seen in my life… Every one of us has to be totally committed to killing this travesty… I have to kill this bill.”[6]
Following the Christmas Day 2009 terror plot, Representative Walz sought to exploit Quist's month-old remark in a fundraising email to his supporters.[7]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carl M. Johnson |
State Representative from District 23B 1983 – 1989 |
Succeeded by Don Ostrom |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Jon Grunseth |
Endorsed Gubernatorial Candidate, Minnesota Republican Party State Convention 1994 |
Succeeded by Norm Coleman |