Becky Lourey
Encyclopedia
Becky Lourey is an American politician
, a former Minnesota
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
(DFL) state senator
and state representative
, and a former Minnesota gubernatorial candidate. Her son, Matt, served in the U.S. Army and was killed on May 27, 2005, as a result of injuries received in combat over Buhriz
, Iraq
, where he was serving in his second tour of duty.
Lourey was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1990, running against a long-time incumbent Republican, and became the first woman to represent her rural district. She was re-elected in 1992 and 1994. She ran for and was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1996, again defeating a veteran incumbent, later becoming chair of the Senate Health and Family Security Committee and earning a reputation as an expert on health care.
Lourey did not run for re-election in 2006. Her son, Tony
, currently holds her former seat.
in November 2005. She lost the DFL Party endorsement to Attorney General Mike Hatch
, gaining the support of 31% of the delegates on the first ballot, with 38% voting for Hatch and 29% voting for Steve Kelley. She withdrew from the endorsement process after the third ballot after falling behind Kelley, with Hatch's vote total increasing. She subsequently ran an opposition campaign against Hatch in the September primary, losing with 24% of the popular vote.
Lourey's gubernatorial campaign health care platform was the Health Care Security Plan, which included the details to put a universal health coverage system in place in Minnesota by 2010. That system would have been voluntary, not mandatory as was the Massachusetts health program that was enacted into law in Spring 2006. The platform also included other state-level health reform proposals, including the current Minnesota Medical Association's proposal.
At the heart of the Lourey health care plan was an expanded and reformed MinnesotaCare
, a state program providing health insurance coverage for low-income Minnesotans that she, along with several others, had authored in the state legislature in 1993. Under her Health Care Security Plan, all Minnesotans would have been eligible to join the new MinnesotaCare by 2010. Employers could participate by offering their employer plan via the new BusinessCare program to be created as part of the revised MinnesotaCare. There were several cost containment measures in Lourey's Health Care Security Plan, including a requirement that any HMOs, private health insurers or Third Party Administrators receiving contracts to administer state-funded health plans spend no more than 5% on administrative expenses.
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, a former Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
(DFL) state senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
and state representative
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
, and a former Minnesota gubernatorial candidate. Her son, Matt, served in the U.S. Army and was killed on May 27, 2005, as a result of injuries received in combat over Buhriz
Buhriz
Buhriz is an Iraqi town of about 40,000 located 25 miles north of Baghdad and 6 miles south of the major city of Baquba. The town of Buhriz is heavily agricultural, located on fertile land along the Diyala River and engaged in the cultivation of date palms, orange trees, and other crops.It...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, where he was serving in his second tour of duty.
Lourey was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1990, running against a long-time incumbent Republican, and became the first woman to represent her rural district. She was re-elected in 1992 and 1994. She ran for and was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1996, again defeating a veteran incumbent, later becoming chair of the Senate Health and Family Security Committee and earning a reputation as an expert on health care.
Lourey did not run for re-election in 2006. Her son, Tony
Tony Lourey
Tony Lourey is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 8, which includes portions of Carlton, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine and St...
, currently holds her former seat.
2006 Campaign for Governor
Lourey announced her candidacy for GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
in November 2005. She lost the DFL Party endorsement to Attorney General Mike Hatch
Mike Hatch
Michael Allen Hatch is an American politician, and was Attorney General of Minnesota from 1999 to 2007. In 2006, he was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominee for governor of Minnesota...
, gaining the support of 31% of the delegates on the first ballot, with 38% voting for Hatch and 29% voting for Steve Kelley. She withdrew from the endorsement process after the third ballot after falling behind Kelley, with Hatch's vote total increasing. She subsequently ran an opposition campaign against Hatch in the September primary, losing with 24% of the popular vote.
Lourey's gubernatorial campaign health care platform was the Health Care Security Plan, which included the details to put a universal health coverage system in place in Minnesota by 2010. That system would have been voluntary, not mandatory as was the Massachusetts health program that was enacted into law in Spring 2006. The platform also included other state-level health reform proposals, including the current Minnesota Medical Association's proposal.
At the heart of the Lourey health care plan was an expanded and reformed MinnesotaCare
MinnesotaCare
MinnesotaCare is a health coverage program in the U.S. state of Minnesota for low-income individuals and families who do not have access to employee-sponsored health insurance. It is administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Enrollees pay a monthly fee based on income and family...
, a state program providing health insurance coverage for low-income Minnesotans that she, along with several others, had authored in the state legislature in 1993. Under her Health Care Security Plan, all Minnesotans would have been eligible to join the new MinnesotaCare by 2010. Employers could participate by offering their employer plan via the new BusinessCare program to be created as part of the revised MinnesotaCare. There were several cost containment measures in Lourey's Health Care Security Plan, including a requirement that any HMOs, private health insurers or Third Party Administrators receiving contracts to administer state-funded health plans spend no more than 5% on administrative expenses.
Electoral history
- 2006 Race for Governor - Democratic Primary
- Mike HatchMike HatchMichael Allen Hatch is an American politician, and was Attorney General of Minnesota from 1999 to 2007. In 2006, he was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominee for governor of Minnesota...
(DFL), 73% - Becky Lourey (DFL), 24%
- Mike Hatch
- 2002 Race for Minnesota Senate - District 8
- Becky Lourey (DFL) (inc.), 55%
- Bruce Nelson (R), 31%
- Steve Keillor (IPL), 8%
- 2000 Race for Minnesota Senate - District 8
- Becky Lourey (DFL) (inc.), 68%
- Dennis Janssen (R), 33%