Karin Housley (/ˈkɑːrɪn ˈhaʊzli/ KAR-in HOWZ-lee;[1] née Locke; born January 20, 1964) is an American politician, businesswoman, and member of the Minnesota Senate. A Republican, she represents Forest Lake, Stillwater, and the surrounding St. Croix Valley. Housley was the Republican nominee in Minnesota's 2018 special election for the United States Senate.
Karin Housley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 33rd district | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Karin Locke January 20, 1964 South St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Augsburg University State University of New York, Buffalo (BA) |
Early life, education, and career
editHousley was born and raised in South St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated from South St. Paul High School in 1982 and briefly attended Augsburg College before moving to Buffalo, New York, after her high school sweetheart, Phil Housley, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres.[2] She enrolled at the State University of New York at Buffalo, graduating in 1987 with a B.A. in communication studies.[3] Housley then worked as a news producer for WGRZ and WKBW in Buffalo until 1991.[4]
Minnesota Senate
editHousley has represented Forest Lake, Stillwater, and communities along the St. Croix Valley in the Minnesota Senate since 2013. As a state senator, she is best known for her work on issues related to aging and long-term care and veterans.[5] Housley was instrumental in creating the first Minnesota Senate committee on aging, which she chaired.[6][7] In 2019, Housley authored "landmark" legislation to provide enhanced protections for elderly and vulnerable adults in senior care facilities and licensed assisted living facilities in Minnesota for the first time.[8][9]
Housley was selected by her colleagues to serve as an assistant majority leader in both the 91st and 92nd sessions of the Minnesota Legislature.[10][11]
Political campaigns
editIn her first campaign for public office, Housley ran for the Minnesota Senate in 2010 and narrowly lost to DFL incumbent Katie Sieben.[12] After redistricting placed Housley's residence in a new district, she was elected to the Senate in 2012, defeating her opponent by 1% of the vote.[13] She was reelected in 2016 by more than 20 points.[14][15] Housley was reelected again in 2020 and 2022.[16]
In 2014, Housley was selected by Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Honour, a businessman from Orono, to be his candidate for lieutenant governor of Minnesota.[17] They lost the 2014 Republican primary to Jeff Johnson.[18]
In December 2017, Housley announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2018 special election for United States Senate. The seat was vacated by Al Franken, who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct.[15] Governor Mark Dayton appointed Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith to fill the vacancy, and Smith announced her candidacy for election to the seat.[19] Housley won the Republican primary and lost to Smith in the general election.[20][21] Housley was criticized during the campaign for a 2009 Facebook post in which she made a comparison between then-First Lady Michelle Obama's posture and Ronald Reagan's character in Bedtime for Bonzo.[22]
In March 2019, Housley registered a political action committee to assist conservative candidates running for office in Minnesota, fueling speculation that she would run for the same U.S. Senate seat again in 2020.[23] She ultimately decided against it, instead announcing she would run for reelection to the Minnesota Senate.[24]
Personal life
editAfter living in Buffalo, Winnipeg, St. Louis, Calgary, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Toronto, and Phoenix during Phil's National Hockey League career, the Housleys moved back to Minnesota in 2003.[25] Karin and Phil have four children, all graduates of Stillwater Area High School, and four grandchildren.[26] They reside in Stillwater, where Housley also owns a real estate business.[27][28] She is Lutheran.[29]
Electoral history
edit| 2010 Election for Minnesota's 57th Senate District[30] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Katie Sieben | 15,812 | 50.94% | −14.03% | |
| Republican | Karin Housley | 15,206 | 48.98% | +14.03% | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 25 | 0.08% | — | |
| Majority | 606 | 1.96% | −30.02% | ||
| Democratic (DFL) hold | |||||
| 2012 Election for Minnesota's 39th Senate District[31] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Julie Bunn | 22,754 | 49.25% | |
| Republican | Karin Housley | 23,385 | 50.62% | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 62 | 0.13% | |
| Majority | 631 | 1.37% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic (DFL) | ||||
| 2016 Election for Minnesota's 39th Senate District[32] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Sten Hakanson | 18,237 | 38.60% | −10.65% | |
| Republican | Karin Housley | 28,960 | 61.29% | +10.67% | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 25 | 0.11% | —0.02% | |
| Majority | 10,723 | 22.69% | 21.32% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| 2018 Special election for United States Senate in Minnesota[33] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Tina Smith | 1,370,540 | 52.97% | |
| Republican | Karin Housley | 1,095,777 | 42.35% | |
| Legal Marijuana Now | Sarah Wellington | 95,614 | 3.70% | |
| Independent | Jerry Trooien | 24,324 | 0.94% | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 1,101 | 0.04% | |
| Majority | 274,763 | 10.62% | ||
| Democratic (DFL) hold | ||||
| 2020 Election for Minnesota's 39th Senate District[34] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Josiah Hill | 25,918 | 46.95% | +8.35% | |
| Republican | Karin Housley | 29,241 | 52.97% | −8.32% | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 45 | 0.08% | —0.03% | |
| Majority | 3,323 | 6.02% | 16.67% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| 2014 Republican primary election for governor and lieutenant governor in Minnesota[35] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Marty Seifert and Pam Myhra | 38,851 | 21.10% | |
| Republican | Kurt Zellers and Dean Simpson | 44,046 | 23.92% | |
| Republican | Merrill Anderson and Mark Anderson | 7,000 | 3.80% | |
| Republican | Jeff Johnson and Bill Kuisle | 55,836 | 30.33% | |
| Republican | Scott Honour and Karin Housley | 38,377 | 20.84% | |
| Majority | 11,790 | 6.41% | ||
| 2018 Republican special primary election for United States Senate in Minnesota[36] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Karin Housley | 186,384 | 61.95% | |
| Republican | Bob Anderson | 107,102 | 35.60% | |
| Republican | Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey | 7,355 | 2.45% | |
| Majority | 79,282 | 26.35% | ||
References
edit- ^ "Senate Members' Pronunciation". Minnesota Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ "The thoroughly modern marriage of Phil and Karin Housley". The Buffalo News. 2017-11-23. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
- ^ Van Berkel, Jessie. "In tight race for U.S. Senate, Karin Housley sticks to convictions". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
- ^ "About Karin". Karin Housley 24/7. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ "Our View / Endorsement: Helping the elderly inspired Housley". Retrieved 2018-09-08.
- ^ "The thoroughly modern marriage of Phil and Karin Housley". The Buffalo News. 2017-11-23. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ Lebens, Alicia. "Housley campaigns for U.S. Senate". hometownsource.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
- ^ Serres, Chris (2019-05-26). "A landmark new law aims to protect Minnesota's elderly, but who writes the rules?". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
- ^ Nelson, Tim (2019-05-20). "Elder care reform package on way to governor's desk". MPR News. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
- ^ "Hortman, Gazelka are chosen as Minnesota legislative leaders". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ "Senate Republicans Announce Leadership Team". Minnesota Senate Republicans. 2020-11-06. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
- ^ Lightbourn, Jane (November 3, 2010). "Sieben wins in very close race". Hastings Star Gazette. Hastings, Minnesota. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
- ^ Goodrich, Kristine (November 14, 2012). "Election: Many leaders return, several ousted". White Bear Press. White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
- ^ Lebens, Alicia (November 12, 2016). "Incumbents retain seats in state Legislature". Stillwater Gazette. Stillwater, Minnesota. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
- ^ a b "Washington County Republican Karin Housley wants Al Franken's Senate seat". St. Paul Pioneer Press. 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
- ^ Hiti, Joe (3 November 2020). "Housley set for another term as State Senator in District 39". hometownsource.com. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
- ^ Salisbury, Bill (2014-05-30). "Scott Honour picks first-term lawmaker Karin Housley as running mate". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
- ^ Stassen-Berger, Rachel E.; Howatt, Glenn (September 5, 2014). "Success around state propelled Jeff Johnson to GOP primary win". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
- ^ Orrick, Dave (2017-12-19). "Republican Karin Housley Enters Race For Al Franken's Seat". WCCO-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
- ^ "Karin Housley Wins GOP Special Election Primary For Senate". 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
- ^ "Amy Klobuchar defeats Jim Newberger, Tina Smith defeats Karin Housley in U.S. Senate races". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ "Housley Drawing Fire For Comparing Michelle Obama's Posture To Chimp". 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ "Karin Housley starts super PAC for conservative candidates. But will she run for Senate again?". Twin Cities. 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
- ^ Van Oot, Torey. "Republican Karin Housley won't run for U.S. Senate in 2020". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ "Meet Karin". Karin Housley | Senator For Stillwater, Forest Lake & the St. Croix Valley | Minnesota - Official Campaign Site. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ Tim, O'Shei (June 16, 2017). "Meet the Housleys: One wants a Cup, the other a governorship". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ "Housley Homes Keller Williams". Karin Housley Homes.
- ^ "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
- ^ "Results for State Senator District 57". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Results for State Senator District 39". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Results for State Senator District 39". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Minnesota Secretary Of State - 2018 General Election Results". www.sos.state.mn.us. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "Results for State Senator District 39". Forest Lake Times. 3 November 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "Minnesota Secretary Of State - 2018 General Election Results". www.sos.state.mn.us. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "Minnesota Secretary Of State - 2018 General Election Results". www.sos.state.mn.us. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
External links
edit
- Karin Housley at Minnesota Legislators Past & Present
- Senator Karin Housley official Minnesota Senate website
- Karin Housley for Senate official campaign website
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Senator Karin Housley official Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus website