Margaret Anderson Kelliher
Encyclopedia
Margaret Anderson Kelliher (born March 11, 1968) is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
. A Democrat, she represented District 60A, which includes portions of the city of Minneapolis in Hennepin County
, located in the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. First elected in 1999, she served as the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from 2007–2011. She was also the DFL-endorsed candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial election
. She is the second woman (after Dee Long
) to hold the position of House speaker, and the first woman to earn major-party endorsement for a gubernatorial election in Minnesota.
and then-Senate President Allan Spear
before being elected to the legislature herself.
Anderson Kelliher served as Minority Whip from 2003 to 2006, and in January 2006 became the first Assistant Minority Leader
of the Minnesota House. In June 2006, she was selected by her caucus to succeed Rep. Matt Entenza as Minority Leader, assuming the position after the legislative session came to a close. After the Democrats won control of the House in the 2006 election, she was selected by her caucus to be Speaker starting in January 2007. She succeeded Rep. Steve Sviggum
in that position. On January 6, 2009, she was re-elected Speaker for the 2009–2010 biennium.
.
On April 24, 2010, Anderson Kelliher was endorsed by the DFL state convention to serve as the party's candidate for governor. Anderson Kelliher won after her closest rival, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, dropped out after the sixth convention ballot.
While Kelliher won the party's endorsement, she still had to win a primary election
to earn a spot on the November ballot. On August 10, 2010, Kelliher lost a narrow primary election to former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton
, ending her campaign.
. After graduating from Mankato West High School, she received a B.A. in history and political science from Gustavus Adolphus College
in St. Peter, Minnesota
, and a Master of Public Administration
from Harvard University
. Anderson Kelliher and her husband, David Kelliher, have two children, Patrick and Frances.
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...
. A Democrat, she represented District 60A, which includes portions of the city of Minneapolis in Hennepin County
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
, located in the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area. First elected in 1999, she served as the Speaker 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 2007–2011. She was also the DFL-endorsed candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial election
Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 to elect the 40th Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota for a four-year term to begin in January 2011. The general election was contested by the major party candidates State Representative Tom Emmer , former Senator...
. She is the second woman (after Dee Long
Dee Long
Dee Long is a Minnesota politician, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing part of Minneapolis...
) to hold the position of House speaker, and the first woman to earn major-party endorsement for a gubernatorial election in Minnesota.
Political career
Kelliher worked as a legislative staffer for then-Speaker Robert VanasekRobert Vanasek
Robert Vanasek is a Minnesota politician and a former member and Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Democrat, he was first elected to the House in 1972 at just 23 years of age, and was re-elected every two years from 1974 to 1990...
and then-Senate President Allan Spear
Allan Spear
Allan Henry Spear was an American politician and educator from Minnesota who served almost thirty years in the Minnesota Senate, including nearly a decade as President of the Senate.-Biography:...
before being elected to the legislature herself.
Anderson Kelliher served as Minority Whip from 2003 to 2006, and in January 2006 became the first 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...
of the Minnesota House. In June 2006, she was selected by her caucus to succeed Rep. Matt Entenza as Minority Leader, assuming the position after the legislative session came to a close. After the Democrats won control of the House in the 2006 election, she was selected by her caucus to be Speaker starting in January 2007. She succeeded Rep. Steve Sviggum
Steve Sviggum
Steven A. "Steve" Sviggum is a Minnesota politician, a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, and a former Speaker and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Republican, he represented District 28B in the southeastern part of the state...
in that position. On January 6, 2009, she was re-elected Speaker for the 2009–2010 biennium.
2010 gubernatorial campaign
On September 16, 2009, Anderson Kelliher announced that she would seek the DFL endorsement for governor in 2010. She joined a field that included two other former house minority leaders, Democrat Matt Entenza and Republican Marty SeifertMarty Seifert
Marty Seifert is a former Republican Minority Leader and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He represented District 21A, a predominantly rural district in southwestern Minnesota that includes portions of Lyon, Redwood and Yellow Medicine counties, and the cities of Marshall...
.
On April 24, 2010, Anderson Kelliher was endorsed by the DFL state convention to serve as the party's candidate for governor. Anderson Kelliher won after her closest rival, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, dropped out after the sixth convention ballot.
While Kelliher won the party's endorsement, she still had to win a primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to earn a spot on the November ballot. On August 10, 2010, Kelliher lost a narrow primary election to former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton
Mark Dayton
Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses...
, ending her campaign.
Political Positions
During her 2010 primary campaign Kelliher announced several policy and budget initiatives. In July 2010, she proposed that the state of Minnesota should borrow 2 billion dollars over 5 years to stimulate the construction industry in Minnesota however, she does not support using general fund dollars to build a new Vikings Stadium.Personal life
Anderson Kelliher grew up on a dairy farm in rural Blue Earth County, MinnesotaBlue 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:...
. After graduating from Mankato West High School, she received a B.A. in history and political science from Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. A coeducational, four-year, residential institution, it was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans. To this day the school is firmly...
in St. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,196 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nicollet County.St...
, and a Master of Public Administration
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Anderson Kelliher and her husband, David Kelliher, have two children, Patrick and Frances.
External links
- Representative Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL) District: 60A official MN House website
- Margaret Anderson Kelliher for Governor official campaign website
- Voting record (2005–2008) at Minnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
Votetracker