Patricia Anderson
Encyclopedia
Patricia "Pat" Anderson (born June 4, 1966) is a Minnesota
politician and current national committeewoman for Minnesota to the Republican National Committee
. She served as the 17th State Auditor of Minnesota
, from 2003 to 2007. Prior to this, she was mayor of Eagan, Minnesota
for four years after serving as a city council member for eight years. She also owned Capitol Companies, a direct mail and third party verification business. She attended college and received her bachelor's degree at the University of Minnesota
, and later went on to earn a M.A.
in Public Administration from Hamline University
in Saint Paul
.
, Anderson defeated State Treasurer
Carol Johnson, a Democrat
in the 2002 state auditor's race. Incumbent Judi Dutcher
had opted not to seek re-election in order to run for governor. She was elected as Pat Anderson Awada, the name she held prior to the finalization of her divorce in 2004.
Rebecca Otto
in 2006. In January 2007, Governor Tim Pawlenty
nominated her for a position is his cabinet as Commissioner of Employee Relations, with her responsibilities including the merger of that agency into the Department of Finance. At the time, news sources noted that, at the governor's direction, she intentionally worked herself out of a job in order to promote greater efficiency in government. She also served as president of the Minnesota Free Market Institute.
-style Republican" who opposes corporate subsidies and represents the party's shifting priorities. However, on January 12, 2010, she announced that she was withdrawing from the governor's race and would again run for state auditor. Anderson lost her election bid to incumbent Rebecca Otto
by over 20,000 votes.
.
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 current national committeewoman for Minnesota to the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
. She served as the 17th State Auditor of Minnesota
Minnesota State Auditor
The Minnesota State Auditor is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. The State Auditor is charged with overseeing more than $20 billion spent annually by local governments in Minnesota...
, from 2003 to 2007. Prior to this, she was mayor of Eagan, Minnesota
Eagan, Minnesota
Eagan is a city south of Saint Paul in Dakota County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and nearby suburbs form the southern portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the fifteenth largest...
for four years after serving as a city council member for eight years. She also owned Capitol Companies, a direct mail and third party verification business. She attended college and received her bachelor's degree at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, and later went on to earn a M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Public Administration from Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
.
2002 election as state auditor
A 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:...
, Anderson defeated State Treasurer
Minnesota State Treasurer
The Minnesota State Treasurer was an elected officer under the Minnesota Constitution until 2003. Before statehood, the Minnesota Territory had the same office.In 1886, elections were moved from odd years to even years...
Carol Johnson, 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...
in the 2002 state auditor's race. Incumbent Judi Dutcher
Judi Dutcher
Judith H. Dutcher is an attorney and former politician who served as the Minnesota State Auditor from 1995 – 2003 as both a Republican and Democrat . She was the first woman to serve as Minnesota State Auditor....
had opted not to seek re-election in order to run for governor. She was elected as Pat Anderson Awada, the name she held prior to the finalization of her divorce in 2004.
State commissioner and Free Market Institute leadership
Anderson lost her re-election bid to former state representativeMinnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
Rebecca Otto
Rebecca Otto
Rebecca Otto is the State Auditor of the U.S. state of Minnesota. She is affiliated with the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party . She also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 – 2005 and on the Forest Lake School Board. Before entering politics, she was a science...
in 2006. In January 2007, Governor Tim Pawlenty
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...
nominated her for a position is his cabinet as Commissioner of Employee Relations, with her responsibilities including the merger of that agency into the Department of Finance. At the time, news sources noted that, at the governor's direction, she intentionally worked herself out of a job in order to promote greater efficiency in government. She also served as president of the Minnesota Free Market Institute.
2010 run for governor and state auditor
On July 15, 2009, Anderson announced that she was running for governor of Minnesota in 2010. She touted herself as a "LibertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
-style Republican" who opposes corporate subsidies and represents the party's shifting priorities. However, on January 12, 2010, she announced that she was withdrawing from the governor's race and would again run for state auditor. Anderson lost her election bid to incumbent Rebecca Otto
Rebecca Otto
Rebecca Otto is the State Auditor of the U.S. state of Minnesota. She is affiliated with the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party . She also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 – 2005 and on the Forest Lake School Board. Before entering politics, she was a science...
by over 20,000 votes.
RNC
On April 16, 2011, Anderson was elected national committeewoman for Minnesota to the Republican National Committee. She garnered 180 votes from delegates to the Republican Party of Minnesota's state central committee meeting in BloomingtonBloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
.