Judi Dutcher
Judith H. Dutcher is an American politician, who served as the Minnesota State Auditor from 1995-2003. She is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Currently, she is the president of the Minnesota Community Foundation.
Judi Dutcher was born in Michigan on November 27th, 1962. Her father, Jim Dutcher, would later be the basketball coach of the University of Minnesota. She would go on to receive her B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1984, and her Law Degree from the U of M law school in 1997. She currently lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with her husband and two sons.
After practing as a prosecutor in the Twin Cities for several years, Governor Arne Carlson, a friend of her fathers, approached her about running for state auditor as a member of the Independent-Republican Party in 1994. Dutcher would later say that at the time, Dutcher did not affliate herself with either party. However, she accepted, and ran in the Arne Carlson mold of a centrist Republican; liberal on social issues, and conservative on fiscal issues. She narrowly won the Republican Party nomination for Auditor, and in November of 1994, became the first pregnant woman ever elected to national office in the United States.
Dutcher was reelected in 1998, receiving more votes than any other candidate for constitutional office in Minnesota that year. In January of 2000, she announced that she was switching to the DFL party, saying that she felt uncomfortable as a pro-choice, pro-gay rights woman in the Republican Party. She was giving a speaking slot at the 2000 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles, and supported Vice President Al Gore and Senator Joe Lieberman.
In 2001, Dutcher announced that she was creating an exploratory committee to run for Governor of Minnesota. She entered the race in early 2002, with State Senator Becky Lourey as her main opponent for the DFL endorsement. State Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe entered the race a few months later, setting up a three-way-fight for the DFL endorsement. At the convention, Lourey dropped out after the second round of balloting and endorsed Dutcher. However, Dutcher did not have the support of 60% of the delegates needed for the endorsement, and Roger Moe had the moment after several more rounds of balloting. Dutcher withdrew her bid for governor, and endorsed Moe. Dutcher decided not to seek reelection to the auditors office, and rejected calls from the Minnesota Independce Party to run under their banner. Roger Moe lost the governor's race to Tim Pawlenty in November, and Republican Patricia Anderson Awada won the State Auditor's office. Dutcher's term expired in January of 2003.
Today, Dutcher is the President of the Minnesota Community Foundation, a philanthropy that benefits public charities, non-profit organizations and civic efforts. Dutcher has kept a low profile since leaving the State Auditor's office. She has disclaimed interest in running for office, but has created speculation that Attorney General Mike Hatch will choose her as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor, after she strongly endorsed him and spoke on his behalf at the 2006 DFL convention. Neither Hatch or Dutcher have addressed this speculation when asked.
Election Results for Judi Dutcher
- 1998 MN State Auditor
- Judi Dutcher, (R), 968,132 votes (49.06%)
- Nancy A. Larson, (DFL), 812,892 votes (41.20%)
- Patricia G.V. Becker, (USTP), 116,578 votes (5.91%)
- Bob Odden, (L), 40,228 votes (2.04%)
- Joseph G. Peschek, (PM), 33,507 votes, (1.7%)
- 1994 MN State Auditor
- Judi Dutcher, (R), 836,626 votes (49.62%)
- Donald M. Moe, (DFL), 768630 votes (45.59%)
- Steven Anderson, (GRTS), 80,811 votes (4.79%)
- 1994 MN State Auditor GOP Primary
- Judi Dutcher, 100,908 votes (28.07%)
- David A. P. Anderson, 77,265 votes (21.49%)
- Don Koenig, 69,571 votes (19.35%)
- James J. Wagner, 61,809 votes, (17.19%)
- Nick Tretinyak, Jr., 25,414 votes, (7.07%)
- Jual Carlos Carlson, 24,539 votes (6.83%)