Mark Dayton
| Mark Dayton | ||
 | ||
| Governor of Minnesota | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2011 - Present | ||
| Years in position | 2 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Prior offices | ||
| United States Senator | ||
| January 3, 2001-January 3, 2007 | ||
| Minnesota Auditor | ||
| 1991-1995 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Yale University (1969) | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | January 26, 1947 | |
| Place of birth | Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| Profession | CFO | |
| Religion | Presbyterian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Biography
A Minnesota native, Mark Dayton was born to Gwendolen May Brandt and Bruce Bliss Dayton. On his father's side, he is descended from George Dayton, founder of Dayton's Department Stores. The fortune he inherited has helped Dayton in his political ambitions; he spent $12 million of his personal wealth on his 2000 Senate campaign and, to date, just under $3 million on his gubernatorial campaign.
Growing up in Long Lake, Mark studied at the Blake School in Hopkins. He went to college at Yale, where he played Division I Hockey. While at Yale, he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, where future president George W. Bush was a brother. After graduating, e spent two years teaching in New York City's public high schools. In 1971, he moved to Boston and spent time in social work.
His first Senate campaign, in 1982, was unsuccessful. However, he remained in public life, working as Walter Mondale's legislative assistant and serving as the Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1995.
After a single term in the Senate, Dayton declined to run for re-election. His old seat is now head by fellow Democrat Amy Klobuchar. Dayton cited a personal belief that he was not the best candidate to ensure the seat remained under Democratic control; however he had rated as one of the worst members of Senate, citing erratic behavior and lack of legislation.[2]
Mark and his former wife, Alida Rockefeller Messinger, have two grown sons, Andrew and Eric.
Education
- Yale University, B.A., 1969, cum laude
Political career
Governor of Minnesota
Dayton played a leading role in the summer 2011 shutdown of the Minnesota government after he and the Republican-controlled legislature failed to agree on a plan to close the $5 billion deficit in the state's biennial budget. Dayton had demanded tax increases on the state's highest earners, while Republicans refused to consider any hikes and insisted on spending cuts. The state government's non-essential services subsequently shut down on July 1, furloughing 23,000 state employees.[3]
Dayton defended his hardline stance against spending cuts, saying "most of the money the state collects doesn’t go to a bureaucracy. It goes to the people of Minnesota, who need services — education, health care and the like."[4] He has suggested that an all-cuts solution to the state's budget problem would fall excessively hard on the state's most vulnerable citizens.
Elections
2010
Dayton narrowly defeated Margaret Anderson Kelliher in the August 10 primary by a margin of 41.0% to 40.1%.
He defeated Tom Emmer (R), Farheen Hakeem (G), and Tom Horner (Independence) in the general election on November 2, 2010.
Campaign donors
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Mark Dayton's donors each year.[5] Click [show] for more information.
| Mark Dayton's Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Governor of Minnesota | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised | $5,377,917 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $3,521,762 (Republican) $1,219,277 (Independent) $15,171 (Green) $10,260 (Ecology Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | Mark Dayton | $3,920,000 | |||||||||||||||||
| Prettner Solon Volunteer Committee 15539 | $15,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lockridge Grindal Nauen & Holstein | $3,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota Pipe Trades Association | $2,500 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 16 individual donors | $2,500 each | ||||||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $1,024,098 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $157,052 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $4,934,550 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $186,322 | ||||||||||||||||||
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Project Vote Smart biographical profile of Mark Dayton
- ↑ Time, "Mark Dayton: The Blunderer", April 14, 2006
- ↑ CNBC, "States Beat Budget Deadlines, While Minnesota Shuts Down," July 1, 2011.
- ↑ Washington Post, "Quotes from Minn. Gov. Mark Dayton on his state’s shutdown and his standoff with Republicans," July 2, 2011.
- ↑ Follow the Money.org
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