Tim Penny
Encyclopedia
Timothy Joe "Tim" Penny (born November 19, 1951), is an American
politician
from Minnesota
. Penny was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor
member of the United States House of Representatives
, 1983–1995, representing Minnesota's 1st congressional district
in the 98th
, 99th
, 100th
, 101st
, 102nd
and 103rd congresses
.
, and was educated at Winona State University
, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science in 1974. He was a member of the Minnesota State Senate, 1976–1982.
Tom Hagedorn
, becoming only the third Democrat to ever represent this district. (Leading up to the election, Republicans were divided after conservative 2nd District incumbent Rep. Tom Hagedorn narrowly defeated two-term 1st District moderate incumbent Rep. Arlen Erdahl in a contentious Republican Convention endorsement contest after redistricting.) Penny was reelected in 1984 with 56 percent of the vote, becoming the first non-Republican to win reelection in the 1st since statehood. This was all the more surprising considering that 1984 was a very bad year for Democrats nationally. He never faced another contest nearly that close, winning four more times by an average of 70 percent of the vote.
Penny was a somewhat conservative Democrat. He opposed abortion (though he has since stated support for a woman's right to choose) and gun control, stances not surprising given that he represented a mostly rural district in southern Minnesota. He was best known, however, for his work on fiscal policy. Although he had built a nearly unbreakable hold on his district, he announced in 1994 that he wouldn't run for a seventh term.
In 2000, Penny briefly considered running against Rod Grams
for the Senate
. Jesse Ventura
unsuccessfully tried to recruit him to run on the Reform Party
ticket. Ventura later left the Reform Party for the Independence Party
, and recruited Penny to run as his replacement.
Penny's unsuccessful 2002 run for governor of Minnesota
as the Independence Party candidate received 16% of the vote, despite polls indicating a dead heat between him, DFL
candidate Roger Moe
, and Republican candidate Tim Pawlenty
less than a month before the election. His running mate for the election was state senator Martha Robertson of Minnetonka
, a moderate Republican
. In 2008, he endorsed Republican John McCain
for the President and Independence Party
candidate former Sen. Dean Barkley
for U.S. Senate.
's Humphrey Institute
. He served for a time as the institute's co-director alongside one of his former congressional colleagues, Republican Vin Weber
.
He serves on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Law and Politics
at the University of Minnesota Law School
and is on the Board of Directors for the Energy Literacy Advocates.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Minnesota
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...
. Penny was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor
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...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, 1983–1995, representing Minnesota's 1st congressional district
Minnesota's 1st congressional district
Minnesota's 1st congressional district extends across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. The First District is primarily a rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, although this is changing rapidly due to strong population growth in...
in the 98th
98th United States Congress
The Ninety-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1983 to January 3, 1985, during the third and...
, 99th
99th United States Congress
The Ninety-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1985 to January 3, 1987, during the fifth and sixth...
, 100th
100th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Senate :* President: George H.W. Bush * President pro tempore: John Stennis - Majority leadership :* Majority Leader, Democratic Conference Chairman, and Democratic Policy Committee Chairman: Robert Byrd...
, 101st
101st United States Congress
The One Hundred First United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1989 to January 3, 1991, during the first two...
, 102nd
102nd United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Senate :* President:Dan Quayle * President pro tempore: Robert Byrd - Majority leadership :* Majority Leader: George Mitchell* Majority Whip: Wendell Ford- Minority leadership :...
and 103rd congresses
103rd United States Congress
- House of Representatives :- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Dan Quayle , until January 20, 1993** Al Gore , from January 20, 1993* President pro tempore: Robert Byrd - Majority leadership :* Majority Leader: George Mitchell...
.
Early life
Penny was born in Albert Lea, MinnesotaAlbert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census....
, and was educated at Winona State University
Winona State University
Winona State University is a comprehensive public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States, a college and river town located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, with around 8,900 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students...
, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science in 1974. He was a member of the Minnesota State Senate, 1976–1982.
Political career
In 1982, Penny won the DFL nomination for the 1st District and upset four-term 2nd District RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Tom Hagedorn
Tom Hagedorn
Thomas Michael Hagedorn was a Representative from Minnesota; born in Blue Earth, Faribault County, Minnesota, November 27, 1943; graduated from Blue Earth High School, 1961; served in United States Navy, 1961; engaged in grain and livestock farming, Watonwan County, Minnesota; member of the...
, becoming only the third Democrat to ever represent this district. (Leading up to the election, Republicans were divided after conservative 2nd District incumbent Rep. Tom Hagedorn narrowly defeated two-term 1st District moderate incumbent Rep. Arlen Erdahl in a contentious Republican Convention endorsement contest after redistricting.) Penny was reelected in 1984 with 56 percent of the vote, becoming the first non-Republican to win reelection in the 1st since statehood. This was all the more surprising considering that 1984 was a very bad year for Democrats nationally. He never faced another contest nearly that close, winning four more times by an average of 70 percent of the vote.
Penny was a somewhat conservative Democrat. He opposed abortion (though he has since stated support for a woman's right to choose) and gun control, stances not surprising given that he represented a mostly rural district in southern Minnesota. He was best known, however, for his work on fiscal policy. Although he had built a nearly unbreakable hold on his district, he announced in 1994 that he wouldn't run for a seventh term.
In 2000, Penny briefly considered running against Rod Grams
Rod Grams
Rodney Dwight "Rod" Grams served the state of Minnesota in both the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.- Early life :...
for the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
unsuccessfully tried to recruit him to run on the Reform Party
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
ticket. Ventura later left the Reform Party for the Independence Party
Independence Party of Minnesota
The Independence Party of Minnesota , formerly the Reform Party of Minnesota, is the third largest political party in Minnesota, behind the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Republican Party . It is the political party of former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura , and endorsed former U.S...
, and recruited Penny to run as his replacement.
Penny's unsuccessful 2002 run for governor of Minnesota
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
as the Independence Party candidate received 16% of the vote, despite polls indicating a dead heat between him, DFL
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...
candidate Roger Moe
Roger Moe
Roger Moe is an American politician and a former member and majority leader of the Minnesota Senate. He was also the state Democratic Party's endorsed candidate for governor in 2002.-Education and early career:...
, and Republican candidate 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...
less than a month before the election. His running mate for the election was state senator Martha Robertson of Minnetonka
Minnetonka, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,301 people, 21,393 households, and 14,097 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,893.0 persons per square mile . There were 22,228 housing units at an average density of 818.9 per square mile...
, a moderate Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. In 2008, he endorsed Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
for the President and Independence Party
Independence Party of Minnesota
The Independence Party of Minnesota , formerly the Reform Party of Minnesota, is the third largest political party in Minnesota, behind the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Republican Party . It is the political party of former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura , and endorsed former U.S...
candidate former Sen. Dean Barkley
Dean Barkley
Dean Malcolm Barkley is a politician who briefly served as a member of the United States Senate from Minnesota following the death of Paul Wellstone...
for U.S. Senate.
Electoral history
- 2002 Race for Governor
- Tim PawlentyTim PawlentyTimothy 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...
(R), 44% - Roger MoeRoger MoeRoger Moe is an American politician and a former member and majority leader of the Minnesota Senate. He was also the state Democratic Party's endorsed candidate for governor in 2002.-Education and early career:...
(DFL), 36% - Tim Penny (IPM.), 16%
- Ken PentelKen PentelKen Pentel is an American politician, and a candidate for Governor of Minnesota for the Ecology Democracy Party. Pentel was the gubernatorial candidate for the Green party three previous times, in 1998, 2002, and 2006.-Biography:...
(Grn), 2%
- Tim Pawlenty
Post-political career
Penny is currently the President of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. He is also a Senior Fellow at the University of MinnesotaUniversity 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...
's Humphrey Institute
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs is a graduate public affairs school located at the University of Minnesota, ranking among the top 15 professional schools of public affairs at public universities in the country. It is named after Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President of the...
. He served for a time as the institute's co-director alongside one of his former congressional colleagues, Republican Vin Weber
Vin Weber
John Vincent Weber is a former Republican Congressman from Minnesota. Weber attended the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities from 1970 to 1974. He had been the co-publisher of Murray County newspaper and the president of Weber Publishing Company...
.
He serves on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Law and Politics
Institute for Law and Politics
The Institute for Law and Politics is an interdisciplinary research institute based at the University of Minnesota Law School. The Institute for Law and Politics brings together faculty from the Law School and the University of Minnesota Political Science department to study national and...
at the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
and is on the Board of Directors for the Energy Literacy Advocates.