Rudy Takala
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| Rudy Takala | |
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| Born | November 30, 1988 Rush City, Minnesota |
| Residence | Pine City, Minnesota |
| Alma mater | Hamline University, St. Paul |
| Occupation | Legal assistant, Farmer |
| Political party | Republican |
| Religion | Missouri Synod Lutheran |
Rudy Takala (born November 30, 1988) is a public policy commentator residing in Minnesota. He ran unsuccessfully to represent district 8B in the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2010, winning 1,260 votes in the Republican primary held August 10.[1] Following his defeat, Rudy Takala founded "Simply Right Conservatives," a political action committee (PAC) intended to help conservative candidates. The PAC has been featured in the publication "Politics in Minnesota." [2]
Simply Right held its first meeting for members on January 17, 2011. Speakers who were featured included Pine County Sheriff Robin Cole and Pine County Commissioner Mitch Pangerl.
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[edit] Early life
Takala was born in Rush City, Minnesota and grew up on a dairy farm in neighboring Pine City. Takala was homeschooled for nine years prior to earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in Legal Studies & Economics in 2009 from Hamline University. Takala was 20-years-old at the time of his graduation.
[edit] Political background
Takala states that he began attending political meetings at the age of twelve following the 2000 presidential election. He was elected chairman of the Pine County Republicans in 2007 at the age of 18 with 67% of the vote from the county's Republican delegates. He was re-elected against one of his party's former candidates for Congress in 2009 with 60% of the vote.
In early 2009, Takala announced his decision to run for the Minnesota House of Representatives in House district 8B, which at the time encompassed all of Kanabec County and parts of Pine & Isanti counties. He was frequently referred to as a Tea Party candidate over the course of the campaign, at length by Politics in Minnesota in an article titled "Grand Old Party or Tea Party?" [3] and briefly in a featured story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune [4] published shortly before the election. Takala earned a reputation for fiery populist rhetoric and oratory ability during the campaign, winning a 55% majority vote by Republican delegates for endorsement by the Republican Party of Minnesota on March 23, 2010. [5]
Takala lost the primary election to Roger Crawford on August 10, 2010. he carried his own Pine County by 696 votes to 486 votes for his opponent, equating to a tally of 58% to 42%.[6]
It was also during the campaign that Takala began holding forum-themed meetings named "Simply Right," which were frequented by luminaries of the Minnesota Republican Party. In July 2009, a local radio station reported that Tony Sutton, Chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, attended a Simply Right meeting held in the city of Hinckley. The Republican Party's eventual 2010 gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer also attended the meeting, as did Pat Anderson, Minnesota's state auditor from 2002-2006.[7]
[edit] Commentator
Takala provides commentary on public policy and Minnesota politics for various media outlets. He regularly advocates for more conservative policies, and in particular conservative economic policies. In 2011, he was quoted by Politics in Minnesota as saying of Minnesota's 2011 legislative session, “There was too much talk about the rate of growth [of spending], and we should have been talking about cutting.” [8] Republicans controlled Minnesota's Legislature during the 2011 legislative session.
[edit] Electoral history
- 2010 Primary election for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 8B
- Roger Crawford (R) 59.09% (1,820 votes)
- Rudy Takala (R) 40.91% (1,260 votes)
- Tim Faust (DFL), 100.00% (3,050 votes)
- 2010 Republican Endorsement for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 8B
- Rudy Takala (R) 55.5% (56 votes)
- Roger Crawford (R) 45.5% (43 votes)
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Minnesota Secretary of State. 2010 Primary Election Results. 10 August 2010.
- ^ Politics in Minnesota. Tea Party activist Takala starts political fund. 19 August 2010.
- ^ Politics in Minnesota. Grand Old Party or Tea Party? 28 July 2010.
- ^ Star Tribune. GOP Awaits Primary Tea Leaves 5 August 2010
- ^ Pine City Pioneer. Republicans Can't Endorse Candidate 4 April 2010.
- ^ Pine City Pioneer. Takala takes Pine, Crawford claims overall victory 10 August 2010.
- ^ Red Rock on Air. Getting Back on the RIGHT Track 10 July 2009.
- ^ Politics in Minnesota. Many in GOP Base Angry at Legislature 5 August 2011.
