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Matt Entenza

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Matt Entenza
Minnesota House Minority Leader
In office
January 7, 2003 – June 20, 2006
Preceded byThomas W. Pugh
Succeeded byMargaret Anderson Kelliher
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 64A district
In office
January 3, 1995 – June 20, 2006
Preceded byC. Thomas Osthoff
Succeeded byErin Murphy
Personal details
Bornthumb
(1961-10-04) October 4, 1961 (age 62)
Santa Monica, California
Diedthumb
Matt Entenza in 2009.
Resting placethumb
Matt Entenza in 2009.
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic-Farmer-Labor Party
SpousesLois Quam
ChildrenBen, Will and Steve
Parent
  • thumb
  • Matt Entenza in 2009.
ResidencesSt. Paul, Minnesota
Alma materMacalester College
Oxford University
University of Minnesota
OccupationAttorney

Matthew "Matt" Entenza is a Minnesota lawyer and politician who served six terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives and also ran for state attorney general. He served as House Minority Leader from 2003–2006, stepping down to focus on the attorney general's race. He withdrew from that race on July 18, 2006.

On April 23, 2009, Entenza announced his candidacy for Governor of Minnesota.[1]

Background

Entenza was born in Santa Monica, California.[2] He studied at Augustana College in South Dakota before transferring to Macalester College. After graduating, Entenza studied law at Oxford University and taught high school. After returning to Minnesota, he received his J.D. with honors from the University of Minnesota Law School.[2]

After graduating, Entenza clerked for U.S. District Judge Harry H. MacLaughlin. He then joined the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, assigned to the Charities Division. Entenza also concurrently taught law at St. Mary's University. He later joined the Hennepin County Attorney's office, principally prosecuting white-collar crime.

Service in the Minnesota House of Representatives

A Democrat, Entenza was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 64A in 1994. The district includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County. He served on the K-12 Finance, Education Policy, and Commerce committees.[2] He was chief author of the “Do Not Call List” law, a consumer privacy initiative. In 2004, his caucus won 14 legislative seats, resulting in a 68-66 House divide.

2006 Minnesota Attorney General race

On July 18, 2006, Entenza withdrew his candidacy from the race for Minnesota Attorney General. Critics had raised concerns of a conflict of interest due to Entenza's wife's high ranking executive position at UnitedHealth Group. Entenza's political campaign committee was also fined $28,000 by the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board on August 15, 2006, for exceeding the legal amount for contributions. [3]

Minnesota 2020

Entenza founded a Saint Paul-based think tank called Minnesota 2020 in June 2007. [4]

2010 gubernatorial campaign

Entenza had announced that he will seek the Minnesota DFL's endorsement for the 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial race, later dropping out of the endorsement process and running a primary campaign without the DFL endorsement. Before removing himself from the official endorsement process, he was endorsed by Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison in May 2009[5] and Minnesota Stonewall DFL in December 2009.[6] Since launching a primary campaign, Entenza has announced plans to start a large television campaign. On May 27, 2010, he announced television broadcaster Robyne Robinson as his lieutenant governor running mate.[7]

Personal

Entenza and his wife have been married for 24 years. Lois Quam was featured in Fortune Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women”[8] while working at UnitedHealth Group for 17 year period, during which in 1993 she served as a senior adviser on rural health issues to then First Lady Hillary Clinton as a member of President Clinton's Task Force on Health Care Reform from 1993 to 1994.[9] Lois Quam served as a Leader in Strategic Investor for the Green Economy and Health at Piper Jaffray from 2007 to April 2009, when she founded Tsyvar, an investment firm that focuses on the green economy.

They have three sons, Ben, Will and Steve.

References

  1. ^ Patricia Lopez, Entenza announces bid for Governor in '10. Star Tribune, April 23, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Entenza, Matthew Keating". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  3. ^ http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/state/minnesota/15288038.htm
  4. ^ [1][dead link]
  5. ^ Broom, Sean. "Ellison Endorses Entenza." MNPublius.com, May 4, 2009
  6. ^ "Stonewall DFL Endorses Matt Entenza for Governor." TheColu.mn, December 14, 2009
  7. ^ [2]"http://entenza.com/news_and_events/recent_news/detail/2010-05-matt-entenza-picks-robyne-robinson-for-lg"
  8. ^ [3][dead link]
  9. ^ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1956083/posts

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Minnesota House Minority Leader
2003 – 2006
Succeeded by
Minnesota House of Representatives
Preceded by
C. Thomas Osthoff
State Representative from Minnesota District 64A
1995 – 2006
Succeeded by
Erin Murphy