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Dave Thompson (Minnesota)
Dave Thompson (b. October 2, 1961) is a former Republican member of the Minnesota State Senate, representing District 58 from 2011 to 2017. In the 2013 session, Thompson served as an Assistant Minority Leader before stepping down that July to focus on a gubernatorial run.[1]
Thompson did not seek re-election to the Minnesota State Senate in 2016.
On June 26, 2013, Thompson announced his bid for Governor of Minnesota.[2] He dropped out of the gubernatorial race on June 1, 2014.[3] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Thompson earned his bachelor's degree in economics and political science from the University of North Dakota, and his law degree from the University Of Minnesota Law School in 1987. His professional experience includes working as an attorney, focusing his practice on small business work, contracts, estate planning, and litigation. Thompson also has experience on radio and TV, hosting The Dave Thompson Show for seven and a half years, and participating in a debate segment on At Issue with Tom Hauser, an Emmy Award winning news program.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Thompson served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • State and Local Government |
| • Taxes |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Thompson served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • State and Local Government |
| • Taxes |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Thompson served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Consumer Protection |
| • Education |
| • Judiciary and Public Safety |
| • State Government Innovation and Veterans |
Campaign themes
2012
Thompson's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[4]
Jobs and Business
- Excerpt: "Like everyone, I am concerned about high unemployment and the pressure this puts on families. Good jobs are provided by thriving businesses."
Taxes
- Excerpt: "Taxes are a necessary evil. The revenues are used to fund public goods. However, taxes are a drag on the economy. Therefore taxes should be as low as possible, and tax laws should be straightforward and easy to understand."
Social Policy
- Excerpt: "I am and always have been staunchly pro life. Society must protect its most vulnerable members. It is horrifying to think of the number of people who have been killed in the name of privacy rights. I believe in the traditional definition of family."
Education
- Excerpt: "Education policy should be set at the local level. Parents, family members, friends and neighbors are in the best position to determine what is best for their children. I am a strong supporter of home schooling and private education as well."
Presidential preference
2012
Dave Thompson (Minnesota) endorsed Rick Santorum in the 2012 presidential election.[5]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
- See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Minnesota State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016. Incumbent Dave Thompson (R) did not seek re-election.
Matt Little defeated Tim Pitcher in the Minnesota State Senate District 58 general election.[6][7]
| Minnesota State Senate, District 58 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Matt Little |
50.43% | 22,833 | |
| Republican | Tim Pitcher | 49.57% | 22,446 | |
| Total Votes | 45,279 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||||
Matt Little ran unopposed in the Minnesota State Senate District 58 Democratic primary.[8][9]
| Minnesota State Senate, District 58 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Matt Little (unopposed) | |
Tim Pitcher ran unopposed in the Minnesota State Senate District 58 Republican primary.[8][9]
| Minnesota State Senate, District 58 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Tim Pitcher (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2014
Thompson was running for election as Governor of Minnesota. Thompson sought the Republican nomination in the primary election on August 12, 2014. He dropped out of the race on June 1, 2014.[10] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
2012
- See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2012
Thompson won election in District 58 for the Minnesota State Senate. He was unopposed in the Republican primary on August 14 and defeated Andrew Brobston (D) in the general election on November 6.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dave Thompson Incumbent |
57.7% | 24,097 | |
| Democratic | Andrew Brobston | 42.3% | 17,686 | |
| Total Votes | 41,783 | |||
2010
- See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2010
Thompson had no opponent in the primary. He defeated Steve Quist (DFL) in the general election.[12]
| Minnesota State Senate, District 36 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Dave Thompson (R)
|
23426 | 63.05% | ||
| Steve Quist (DFL) | 13686 | 36.84% | ||
| Write-In | 42 | 0.11% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Minnesota scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 3 through May 22. The legislature held a special session from May 23 to May 26.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from March 8 through May 23.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 6 through May 18.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from February 25 to May 19.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 8 to May 20.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 24 to May 10.
|
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 4 to May 23.
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Taxpayers League of Minnesota
The Taxpayers League of Minnesota, a Minnesota-based taxpayer advocacy organization, releases a legislative scorecard for the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota State Senate once a year. The scorecard gives each legislator a score based on how they voted in the prior legislative term on tax issues and “their efforts to balance the state budget without a tax increase.” The organization also compiles a legislator’s individual "Lifetime Score."[13]
2013
Thompson received a score of 100 percent in the 2013 scorecard, ranking 1st out of all 67 Minnesota State Senate members.[14]
2012
Thompson received a score of 100 percent in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 1st out of all 67 Minnesota State Senate members.[15]
2011
Thompson received a score of 92 percent in the 2011 scorecard, ranking 1st out of all 67 Minnesota State Senate members.[16]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Thompson and his wife, Rhonda, have two children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Dave + Thompson + Minnesota + Senate
External links
- Office website
- Campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2010
- Facebook profile
Footnotes
- ↑ Politics in Minnesota, "Dave Thompson steps down from GOP Senate leadership," accessed February 7, 2014
- ↑ TwinCities.com, "Dave Thompson's run for Minnesota governor formally announced," June 26, 2013
- ↑ Facebook, "Thompson for Governor," June 1, 2014
- ↑ "davethompsonforsenate," Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Minnesota Post, "State Sen. Dave Thompson supports Santorum," February 7, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Primary: Tuesday, August 9, 2016," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Sun This Week, "Lakeville Sen. Dave Thompson considers run for governor," March 19, 2013
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2012 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed June 22, 2012
- ↑ Secretary of State Official general election results
- ↑ Taypayers League of Minnesota, "Legislative Scorecards," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Taypayers League of Minnesota, "Legislative Scorecard, 2013," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Taypayers League of Minnesota, "Legislative Scorecard, 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Taypayers League of Minnesota, "Legislative Scorecard, 2011," accessed May 15, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Linda Higgins (DFL) |
Minnesota State Senate District 58 2013–2017 |
Succeeded by Matt Little (DFL) |
| Preceded by Patricia Pariseau (DFL) |
Minnesota State Senate District 36 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by John Hoffman (R) |
