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Kurt Zellers
Kurt Zellers (b. October 16, 1969) is a former Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 34B from 2003 to 2015. Zellers is a former Speaker of the House.
Zellers was a candidate for Governor of Minnesota in the 2014 elections. He lost in the Republican primary on August 12, 2014.[1]
Biography
Zellers' professional experience includes serving as Communications Consultant for the Republican Caucus in the Minnesota State House of Representatives and Communications Director for U.S. Senator Rod Grams. [2]
In May 2011, Governing Magazine named Zellers one of 17 "GOP Legislators to Watch." Each of the legislators was selected on the basis of qualities like leadership, ambition, and political potential.[3]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Zellers served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy |
| • Rules and Legislative Administration |
| • Taxes |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Peppin served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Labor |
| • Rules and Legislative Administration |
| • Taxes |
Campaign themes
2012
Zellers' website highlighted the following campaign themes:[4]
Fiscal Responsibility
- Excerpt: "Zellers continues to advance policies that provide flexibility and freedom for our community’s small businesses to grow and prosper."
The Economy
- Excerpt: "Speaker Zellers believes that we not only need to bring jobs to Minnesota, but bring careers."
Health Care
- Excerpt: "Zellers will continue to promote policies that provide flexibility and competition in the marketplace, drive down costs and empower individuals to make decisions that best fit their own needs."
Education
- Excerpt: "Kurt Zellers has worked to ensure that more accountability is placed in the classroom, that teachers are rewarded for their student’s success and that parents and children have more, not less, options when it comes to the choices that we provide them."
Elections
2014
- See also: Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2014
Zellers ran for election as Governor of Minnesota.[1] Zellers lost the Republican nomination along with lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Dean Simpson in the primary on August 12, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Results
Primary
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Jeff Johnson/Bill Kuisle |
30.3% | 55,836 | ||
| Kurt Zellers/Dean Simpson | 23.9% | 44,046 | ||
| Marty Seifert/Pam Myhra | 21.1% | 38,851 | ||
| Scott Honour/Karin Housley | 20.8% | 38,377 | ||
| Merrill Anderson/Mark Anderson | 3.8% | 7,000 | ||
| Total Votes | 184,110 | |||
| Election results via Minnesota Secretary of State. | ||||
2012
Zellers ran in the 2012 election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 34B. He was unopposed in the Republican primary on August 14 and defeated David Hoden (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kurt Zellers Incumbent |
54.6% | 12,802 | |
| Democratic | David Hoden | 45.4% | 10,652 | |
| Total Votes | 23,454 | |||
2010
Zellers won re-election to the District 32B seat in 2010. He had no primary opposition. He defeated Katie Rodriguez (DFL) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[7]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 32B (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Katie Rodriguez (DFL) | 7,076 | 44.51% | ||
| Kurt Zellers (R)
|
8.804 | 55.38% | ||
| Write-In | 18 | 0.11% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Kurt Zellers won election to the District 32B Seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, defeating Lee Carlson. [8]
Kurt Zellers raised $55,045 for his campaign.[9]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 32B (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Kurt Zellers (R)
|
11,129 | 53.06% | ||
| Lee Carlson (DFL) | 9,809 | 46.77% | ||
| Write-In | 37 | 0.18% | ||
Campaign themes
2014
At his 2014 campaign launch event, Zellers emphasized his disapproval of Democratic incumbent Gov. Mark Dayton's decision to add $2 billion in taxes and fees to the recent budget, claiming it will hurt working class families and small business owners. His campaign platform is "to get the yoke of government off the backs, out of the pockets and out of the way of these small business owners."[1]
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.
2014
In 2014, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from February 25 to May 19.
- Legislators are scored on if they supported or opposed AFSCME's position.
- Legislators are scored based on votes on economic 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 bills of interest to an organization advocating "limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty."
- Legislators are scored based on bills related to education.
- Legislators are scored on business-related bills.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored based on issues affecting nurses, healthcare, and working families.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animals.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored by the organization on "their support for legislation forwarding an equitable and inclusive Minnesota."
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 8 to May 20.
|
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."[10]
2013
Zellers received a score of 92% in the 2013 scorecard, ranking 9th out of all 134 Minnesota House of Representatives members.[11]
2012
Zellers received a score of 86% in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 22nd out of all 134 Minnesota House of Representatives members.[12]
2011
Zellers received a score of 77% in the 2011 scorecard, ranking 19th out of all 134 Minnesota House of Representatives members. [13]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Zellers is married with two children.[2]
See also
External links
- Campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Minn Post, "Former Speaker Kurt Zellers becomes third Republican to challenge Dayton in 2014," June 24, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Project Vote Smart, "Kurt Zellers' Biography," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ Governing, "GOP Legislators to Watch," May 24, 2011
- ↑ Volunteers for Zellers, "The Issues," accessed December 18, 2014 (Archived)
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2012 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed June 18, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Canvassing Report - State Primary - Tuesday, August 14, 2012," accessed April 23, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2010 Election Results," accessed March 9, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "All Races by Legislative District," accessed April 23, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Zellers, Kurt," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ 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 Joe Hoppe (R) |
Minnesota House of Representatives District 34B 2013–2015 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Minnesota House of Representatives District 32B 2003–2013 |
Succeeded by Bob Barrett (R) |
 |
State of Minnesota St. Paul (capital) |
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