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Dave Thompson (Minnesota)

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Dave Thompson
Image of Dave Thompson
Prior offices
Minnesota State Senate District 58

Education

Bachelor's

University of North Dakota

Law

University of Minnesota

Personal
Profession
Attorney/Radio Host
Contact

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:

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:

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

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Dave Thompson (Minnesota) endorsed Rick Santorum in the 2012 presidential election.[5]

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 Green check mark transparent.png 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 Green check mark transparent.png 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 Green check mark transparent.png Tim Pitcher  (unopposed)

This district was included in the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's list of "2016 Essential Races." Read more »

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]

Minnesota State Senate, District 58, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDave 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
Green check mark transparent.png 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.


Dave Thompson campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2012Minnesota State Senate, District 36Won $31,817 N/A**
2010Minnesota State Senate, District 36Won $41,199 N/A**
Grand total$73,016 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Minnesota

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


2015


2014


2013


2012


2011

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

Footnotes

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)


Current members of the Minnesota State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Bobby Champion
Majority Leader:Erin Murphy
Minority Leader:Mark Johnson
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
Rob Kupec (D)
District 5
Paul Utke (R)
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Jeff Howe (R)
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
Vacant
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
Susan Pha (D)
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
Ann Rest (D)
District 44
Tou Xiong (D)
District 45
District 46
Ron Latz (D)
District 47
Vacant
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
Democratic Party (33)
Republican Party (32)
Vacancies (2)