Terri Bonoff
Encyclopedia
Terri E. Bonoff is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
who represents District 43, which includes portions of Minnetonka, Plymouth
and Medicine Lake
in Hennepin County
, which is in the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. A Democrat
, she won a special election in November 2005, after Senator David Gaither resigned to become Governor Tim Pawlenty's
chief of staff.
Bonoff is currently an assistant minority leader
in the Senate. She is a member of the Senate's Commerce and Consumer Protection, Education, and Finance committees. Her special legislative concerns include early childhood education, transportation, health care, education, and the environment.
and later attended Clark University
in Worcester, Massachusetts
, earning a degree in Psychology and Sociology. After 18 years in business, she retired in 1999 as a marketing executive from Navarre Corporation
. Prior to joining Navarre, she spent five years in the toy and video game business, first with Tonka Toys and later Toy Soldiers. In addition, she began her career in fashion retail with Jackson Graves, a family owned women's specialty store. She chose to leave her business career to spend time with her husband and four children.
David Gaither. She won a rematch with Johnson in the 2006 General Election. Her slogan for both elections was "uniting the middle". She was elected to a second full term in 2010.
Prior to being elected to the senate, she served on the Minnetonka Planning Commission and lobbied at the Minnesota Capitol as a volunteer for the Hopkins Legislative Action Commission. She became heavily involved in the community, eventually becoming president of the Hopkins Legislative Action Coalition, a guide at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and president of Babe Ruth Baseball in Hopkins/Minnetonka.
seat held by the retiring Jim Ramstad
. In November 2007, EMILY's List
endorsed her campaign. The AFSCME
union endorsed Bonoff on November 30, 2007. On April 12, 2008, Bonoff made good on her pledge and dropped out of the U.S. House race after Ashwin Madia
was endorsed by the DFL party.
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 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...
who represents District 43, which includes portions of Minnetonka, Plymouth
Plymouth, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 65,894 people, 24,820 households, and 17,647 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,002.0 persons per square mile . There were 25,258 housing units at an average density of 767.4 per square mile...
and Medicine Lake
Medicine Lake, Minnesota
Medicine Lake is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 371 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of —0.2 square miles of it is land and of it is water...
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...
, which is 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. A 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...
, she won a special election in November 2005, after Senator David Gaither resigned to become Governor Tim Pawlenty's
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
chief of staff.
Bonoff is currently 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...
in the Senate. She is a member of the Senate's Commerce and Consumer Protection, Education, and Finance committees. Her special legislative concerns include early childhood education, transportation, health care, education, and the environment.
Personal life
Bonoff grew up in Edina, MinnesotaEdina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
and later attended Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, earning a degree in Psychology and Sociology. After 18 years in business, she retired in 1999 as a marketing executive from Navarre Corporation
Navarre Corporation
Navarre Corp. is a public distribution and publishing company founded in 1983 by Eric H. Paulson. The company is headquartered in New Hope, Minnesota...
. Prior to joining Navarre, she spent five years in the toy and video game business, first with Tonka Toys and later Toy Soldiers. In addition, she began her career in fashion retail with Jackson Graves, a family owned women's specialty store. She chose to leave her business career to spend time with her husband and four children.
Political career
Bonoff won a 2005 special election against Plymouth Mayor Judy Johnson to fill the Minnesota Senate seat being vacated by incumbent RepublicanRepublican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
David Gaither. She won a rematch with Johnson in the 2006 General Election. Her slogan for both elections was "uniting the middle". She was elected to a second full term in 2010.
Prior to being elected to the senate, she served on the Minnetonka Planning Commission and lobbied at the Minnesota Capitol as a volunteer for the Hopkins Legislative Action Commission. She became heavily involved in the community, eventually becoming president of the Hopkins Legislative Action Coalition, a guide at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and president of Babe Ruth Baseball in Hopkins/Minnetonka.
2008 Campaign for Congress
Bonoff was a candidate for the 3rd congressional districtMinnesota's 3rd congressional district
Minnesota's 3rd congressional district is one of the most affluent in the state, encompassing the suburbs of Hennepin County to the north, west, and south of Minneapolis...
seat held by the retiring Jim Ramstad
Jim Ramstad
James Marvin "Jim" Ramstad is a United States politician from the state of Minnesota.-Early life:Ramstad was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, was educated at the University of Minnesota and the George Washington University Law School. He was an officer in the United States National Guard from 1968...
. In November 2007, EMILY's List
EMILY's List
EMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....
endorsed her campaign. The AFSCME
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is the second- or third-largest labor union in the United States and one of the fastest-growing, representing over 1.4 million employees, primarily in local and state government and in the health care industry. AFSCME is part of the...
union endorsed Bonoff on November 30, 2007. On April 12, 2008, Bonoff made good on her pledge and dropped out of the U.S. House race after Ashwin Madia
Ashwin Madia
Jigar Ashwin Madia, known as Ashwin Madia , is an American attorney and Iraq War veteran who ran for the United States Congress in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district in 2008...
was endorsed by the DFL party.
Electoral history
- Minnesota Senate District 43 Election 2010
- Terri Bonoff (D) (inc.), 18271 votes, 51.74%
- Norann Dillon (R), 17018 votes, 48.19%
- Write In, 22 votes, 0.06%
- Minnesota Senate District 43 Election 2006
- Terri Bonoff (D) (inc.), 19159 votes, 51.93%
- Judy Johnson (R), 17697 votes, 47.96%
- Write In, 41 votes, 0.11%
- Minnesota Senate District 43 Special Election 2005
- Terri Bonoff (D), 5745 votes, 54.44%
- Judy Johnson (R), 4802 votes, 45.50%
- Write In, 6 votes, 0.06%
External links
- Minnesota Senate - Senator Terri E. Bonoff Web Page
- Terri Bonoff for Congress Campaign Site
- Minnesota Public Radio - Votetracker: Terri Bonoff Voting Record
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Terri Bonoff Profile
- Time Magazine Article: "Parental Leaves"
- Follow the Money - Terri Bonoff Campaign Contributions