Patricia Anderson
| Pat Anderson | |
|---|---|
| 17th Minnesota State Auditor | |
| In office January 6, 2003 – January 2, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Judi Dutcher |
| Succeeded by | Rebecca Otto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 4, 1966 St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Political party | Republican Party of Minnesota |
| Profession | business owner, former "think tank" president |
Patricia "Pat" Anderson (born June 4, 1966) is an American politician from the State of Minnesota and a member of the Republican Party. She served as the 17th State Auditor of Minnesota, from 2003 to 2007. Prior to this, she was Mayor of Eagan for four years after serving as a city council member for eight years. She also owned Capitol Companies, a direct mail and third party verification business. She is also a former national committeewoman for Minnesota to the Republican National Committee.[1]
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Early life[edit]
She attended college and received her bachelor's degree at the University of Minnesota, and later went on to earn a M.A. in Public Administration from Hamline University in Saint Paul.[2]
State Auditor[edit]
Anderson defeated State Treasurer Carol Johnson, the Democratic–Farmer–Labor nominee, and Independence Party nominee Dave Hutcheson in the 2002 State Auditor election. Incumbent Democrat Judi Dutcher had opted not to seek re-election, running unsuccessfully for Governor of Minnesota. Anderson was elected as Pat Anderson Awada, the name she held prior to the finalization of her divorce in 2004.
Anderson ran for re-election to a second term in 2006. She faced Democratic former State Representative Rebecca Otto in the general election. After Otto discovered hundreds of millions of dollars in financial errors made by Anderson,[3] she won the election by the largest margin of victory over an incumbent in 112 years (since 1894). Former Governor Arne Carlson, who had crossed party lines to support Otto during her legal ordeals, also switched his support from Anderson to Otto in the 2006 election. Otto was also endorsed by former State Auditors Mark Dayton and Judi Dutcher.
State Commissioner[edit]
In January 2007, Governor Tim Pawlenty nominated her for a position is his cabinet as Commissioner of Employee Relations, with her responsibilities including the merger of that agency into the Department of Finance. At the time, news sources noted that, at the Governor's direction, she intentionally worked herself out of a job in order to promote greater efficiency in government.[4] She also served as President of the Minnesota Free Market Institute.
2010 elections[edit]
On July 15, 2009, Anderson announced that she was running for Governor of Minnesota in the 2010 election. She touted herself as a "Libertarian-style Republican" who opposes corporate subsidies and represents the party's shifting priorities.[5] However, on January 12, 2010, she announced that she was withdrawing from the governor's race and would again run for State Auditor.[6] Anderson lost her election bid to incumbent Rebecca Otto by 25,483 votes.
RNC[edit]
On April 16, 2011, Anderson was elected national committeewoman for Minnesota to the Republican National Committee to serve out the remaining term of Evie Axdahl, who retired. She garnered 180 votes from delegates to the Republican Party of Minnesota's state central committee meeting in Bloomington.[7] On May 19, 2012, Janet Biehoffer defeated Anderson 215-124 in her quest for a full term as a national committeewoman to the RNC.[8] Anderson's campaign suffered as many of the state central committee members were upset by the election of Ron Paul supporters as delegates to the Republican National Convention. Biehoffer's campaign was largely funded by Native America casino interests in response to Anderson's lobbying for Racino.
References[edit]
- ^ http://blog.4president.org/2012/2011/04/minnesota-gop-elects-pat-anderson-rnc-national-committeewoman-and-jeff-johnson-rnc-national-committe.html
- ^ http://mnfreemarketinstitute.org/about/staff-and-fellows-of-the-minnesota-free-market-institute/pat-anderson-bio/
- ^ "State Auditor corrects report after Rebecca Otto points out $180.1 million error". Retrieved October 25, 2010.
- ^ http://hometownsource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5177&Itemid=29
- ^ Star Tribune July 15, 2009: "Pat Anderson, ex-state auditor, to run for governor"
- ^ Star Tribune 1/12/2010: "GOP's Anderson quits gov's race; says Coleman a factor"
- ^ http://blog.4president.org/2012/2011/04/minnesota-gop-elects-pat-anderson-rnc-national-committeewoman-and-jeff-johnson-rnc-national-committe.html
- ^ http://politicsinminnesota.com/2012/05/gop-activist-janet-beihoffer-wins-rnc-committeewoman-race/
External links[edit]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Judi Dutcher |
Minnesota State Auditor 2003–2007 |
Succeeded by Rebecca Otto |
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