Paul Koering
Encyclopedia
Paul Koering is a Minnesota
politician
and a former member of the Minnesota Senate
from Fort Ripley
. A Republican
, he represented District 12, which includes all or portions of Crow Wing
and Morrison
counties, including the city of Brainerd
. A liquor store owner, funeral car service owner, and small farmer, he served two terms, but was defeated by former Rep. Paul Gazelka
in the August 10, 2010, Republican primary election.
Koering was first elected in 2002, defeating longtime senator and Democrat
Don Samuelson
, who had been the senate president. He was re-elected in 2006, overcoming both primary and general election opponents.
Koering was a member of the senate's Agriculture and Veterans Committee, the Capital Investment Committee, the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee (on which he was the ranking minority party member), and the Higher Education Committee. He also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Division, for the Health and Human Services Budget Division, and for the Higher Education Budget and Policy Division.
Koering's positions tended to be conservative
, including opposition to tax increases, opposition to abortion
, support for tougher criminal sentences, and support for broad gun rights, including support for a general right to carry a concealed firearm. In a notable exception to that conservatism, he has sided with Senate Democrats in opposing restrictions on gay rights. He is believed to be the first openly gay Republican elected official in Minnesota, and was the only openly gay Republican member of the Minnesota Legislature
to date.
Koering effectively 'outed'
himself by breaking from the Republican Party line on a procedural vote in the Minnesota Senate
. The pivotal moment came on April 7, 2005, when then-State Senator Michele Bachmann
used procedural tactics that would have forced a vote on her constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota. This vote coincided with the gay and lesbian justFair lobby day at the Capitol, as well as the second anniversary of the death of Koering's mother. Koering explicitly stated his sexual orientation a week later. Some public commentary questioned how this disclosure would affect his prospects for re-election in 2006 in a rural, right-leaning district, but he won by over 12 percentage points. However, he disappointed pro-same-sex marriage advocates by voting against the Minnesota Marriage and Family Protection Act, a DFL-backed proposal to legalize same-sex civil union
s in the state.
On June 15, 2010, gay news site TheSword.com stated that Koering went on a dinner date in Brainerd with gay pornographic actor Brandon Wilde. He admitted to the date with Wilde and told The Sword, "I don't see anything wrong with going out with him." In light of the story, the Minnesota Republican Party further distanced themselves from Koering. After losing the August 2010 primary election to Tea Party movement
-backed candidate Paul Gazelka by a vote of 57 to 43 percent, he announced his withdrawal from the Republican Party, backing DFL Party candidate Taylor Stevenson's bid for the District 12 seat.
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and a former member of the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
from Fort Ripley
Fort Ripley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 74 people, 34 households, and 24 families residing in the city. The population density was 55.6 people per square mile . There were 35 housing units at an average density of 26.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 94.59% White, 1.35% Native...
. A Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, he represented District 12, which includes all or portions of Crow Wing
Crow Wing County, Minnesota
Crow Wing County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 62,500. Its county seat is Brainerd.-Geography:...
and Morrison
Morrison County, Minnesota
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,712 people, 11,816 households, and 8,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile . There were 13,870 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
counties, including the city of Brainerd
Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,590 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County and one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota...
. A liquor store owner, funeral car service owner, and small farmer, he served two terms, but was defeated by former Rep. Paul Gazelka
Paul Gazelka
Paul E. Gazelka is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate who represents District 12, which includes all or portions of Crow Wing and Morrison counties, including the city of Brainerd, in the north central part of the state...
in the August 10, 2010, Republican primary election.
Koering was first elected in 2002, defeating longtime senator and Democrat
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...
Don Samuelson
Don Samuelson (Minnesota politician)
Donald M. Samuelson is a Minnesota legislator and a former President of the Minnesota Senate. A bricklayer by trade, Samuelson was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1968, where he served seven terms...
, who had been the senate president. He was re-elected in 2006, overcoming both primary and general election opponents.
Koering was a member of the senate's Agriculture and Veterans Committee, the Capital Investment Committee, the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee (on which he was the ranking minority party member), and the Higher Education Committee. He also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Division, for the Health and Human Services Budget Division, and for the Higher Education Budget and Policy Division.
Koering's positions tended to be conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
, including opposition to tax increases, opposition to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, support for tougher criminal sentences, and support for broad gun rights, including support for a general right to carry a concealed firearm. In a notable exception to that conservatism, he has sided with Senate Democrats in opposing restrictions on gay rights. He is believed to be the first openly gay Republican elected official in Minnesota, and was the only openly gay Republican member of the Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...
to date.
Koering effectively 'outed'
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
himself by breaking from the Republican Party line on a procedural vote in the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
. The pivotal moment came on April 7, 2005, when then-State Senator Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
used procedural tactics that would have forced a vote on her constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota. This vote coincided with the gay and lesbian justFair lobby day at the Capitol, as well as the second anniversary of the death of Koering's mother. Koering explicitly stated his sexual orientation a week later. Some public commentary questioned how this disclosure would affect his prospects for re-election in 2006 in a rural, right-leaning district, but he won by over 12 percentage points. However, he disappointed pro-same-sex marriage advocates by voting against the Minnesota Marriage and Family Protection Act, a DFL-backed proposal to legalize same-sex civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
s in the state.
On June 15, 2010, gay news site TheSword.com stated that Koering went on a dinner date in Brainerd with gay pornographic actor Brandon Wilde. He admitted to the date with Wilde and told The Sword, "I don't see anything wrong with going out with him." In light of the story, the Minnesota Republican Party further distanced themselves from Koering. After losing the August 2010 primary election to Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
-backed candidate Paul Gazelka by a vote of 57 to 43 percent, he announced his withdrawal from the Republican Party, backing DFL Party candidate Taylor Stevenson's bid for the District 12 seat.