Bob Gunther is a 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...

 politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives

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...

 from Fairmont

Fairmont, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,889 people and 2,962 families residing in the city. The population density was 747.5 people per square mile . There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 345.7 per square mile...

. He is currently serving his seventh term representing District 24A, which includes all or portions of Blue Earth

Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Blue Earth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 64,013. Its county seat is Mankato.Blue Earth County is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, Faribault

Faribault County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,181 people, 6,652 households, and 4,476 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile . There were 7,247 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...

, Martin

Martin County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,802 people, 9,067 households, and 6,047 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 9,800 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...

 and Watonwan

Watonwan County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...

 counties. Prior to legislative redistricting

Redistricting

Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...

 in 2002, he represented the old District 26A.

Background

Gunther was born in Sioux City, Iowa

Sioux City, Iowa

Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....

 and graduated from Fairmont High School in Fairmont. He served in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 until age 26, then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

 from Saint Cloud State University.

Gunther co-owned Gunther's Foods in Fairmont and Elmore

Elmore, Minnesota

Elmore is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 663 at the 2010 census. Elmore was the boyhood home of former vice president and presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale...

. He is married to Nancy, and has one child, Elizabeth. He is a member of the Bethel Evangelical Free Church. He enjoys reading Louis L’Amour and Robert Ludlum

Robert Ludlum

Robert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...

.

Political career

Gunther was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives as a Republican in 1995 in a special election held after Rep. Gene Hugoson was appointed Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture. He has been re-elected eight times. He currently serves as an assistant minority leader

Minority leader

In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...

, and is a member of the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee, and of the Finance Subcommittees for the Energy Finance and Policy Division, the Environment and Natural Resources Finance Division, and the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division.

Electoral history

2010 Minnesota State Representative District 24A

Bob Gunther (R), 8994 votes, 63.15%

Steve Fausch (DFL), 5242 votes, 36.80%

Write-In, 7 votes, 0.05%

2008 Minnesota State Representative District 24A

Bob Gunther (R), 10752 votes, 61.57%

Dale Hansen (DFL), 6697 votes, 38.35%

Write-In, 14 votes, 0.08%

2006 Minnesota State Representative District 24A

Bob Gunther (R), 9905 votes, 66.35%

Norma Schmitt (DFL), 5007 votes, 33.54%

Write-In, 17 votes, 0.11%

2004 Minnesota State Representative District 24A

Bob Gunther (R), 11468 votes, 62.84%

John Gibeau(DFL), 6775 votes, 37.13%

Write-In, 6 votes, 0.03%

2002 Minnesota State Representative District 24A

Bob Gunther (R), 11446 votes, 72.36 %

Lavonne Bowman (DFL), 4358 votes, 2755%

Write-In, 14 votes, 0.09%

• • • Redistricting
      Redistricting
      Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
      
      : Change in district number and configuration

2000 Minnesota State Representative District 26A

Bob Gunther (R), 13090 votes, 100.00%

Unopposed.

1998 Minnesota State Representative District 26A

Bob Gunther (R), 12076 votes, 98.9%

Unopposed.

Write-In, 130 votes, 1.1%

1996 Minnesota State Representative District 26A

Bob Gunther (R), ? votes, ?%

?(DFL), ? votes, ?%

Write-In, ? votes, ?%

1995 Minnesota State Representative District 26A
Special Election 8/1/1995

Bob Gunther (R),? votes, ?%

?(DFL), ? votes, ?%

Write-In, ? votes, ?%

External links

• Rep. Gunther Web Page
• Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Rep. Bob Gunther
• Project Votesmart: Rep. Bob Gunther Profile
• Vance, Daniel J. "Mr. Whipple goes to St. Paul." Connect Business Magazine