Jonette Ellen Engan (born November 29, 1951) is an American politician and a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

DFL Party leader

A resident of Willmar, Minnesota, Engan is a former DFL Party leader. She served as chair of the old 2nd Congressional District DFL from 1989 to 1997, succeeding longtime chair Harold Windingstad. The sprawling district encompassed southwestern Minnesota, and included all or portions of 31 counties. Prior to being elected chair, she had served as associate chair of the district from 1983 to 1989. In addition to her activism in congressional district politics, Engan was also involved at the state and national level. She was a member of the Minnesota DFL's central and executive committees, and was selected as a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

for the 1992 presidential election in which

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

defeated George H. Bush and

Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an inde ...

. The support of Engan and the ten other Minnesota members of the Electoral College went to Clinton, who had solidly won the state in the November election. She was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

and

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, and also attended the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

convention as a DFL official.

Congressional campaign manager and adviser

Engan served as campaign manager for

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

teacher Doug Peterson's unsuccessful 1991 bid for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

against incumbent Vin Weber. In 1993, she was a key adviser to

David Minge David R. Minge (born March 19, 1942) is an American former judge and politician. David Minge served as a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 2002 until retiring at the end of March 2012. Previously, Minge was a Democratic–Farmer–L ...

in his successful bid for the same congressional seat against opponent

Cal Ludeman Cal R. Ludeman ( ; born April 1951) is an American politician currently serving as Secretary of the Minnesota Senate. He is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southwestern Minnesota. First elected in 1978, he was re-e ...

. Minge later honored Engan by entering official remarks into the

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Inde ...

thanking her for her service to the DFL and the congressional district, and for her valued counsel and advice to him as a candidate and congressman.

DFL "woman of distinction"

Engan opted not to run for re-election as chair of the congressional district in 1997. She was later honored by the state party as a "woman of distinction," and was inducted into the Minnesota DFL Women's Hall of Fame. In 2004, she served as a co-chair of the John Kerry for President organization in Minnesota. While Engan has cut back on her political involvement, she is active in her community and her church. She remains involved in the DFL at the local level, currently serving as vice chair of the

Kandiyohi County Kandiyohi County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population is 43,732. As of November 20, 1871, its county seat is Willmar. Kandiyohi County comprises the US Census Bureau's "Willmar, MN Micropolit ...

party organization.

References

External links

Congressional Record Remarks on Jonette Engan by Congressman David MingeDFL Women's Hall of Fame Past Award Winners
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engan, Jonette 1951 births Living people Minnesota Democrats People from Kandiyohi County, Minnesota People from Willmar, Minnesota Women in Minnesota politics 21st-century American women