Michelle R. Benson (born September 11, 1968) is an American accountant, politician, and Republican member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

. She represents District 31, which includes portions of Anoka, Isanti and Sherburne counties in the northern

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

metropolitan area. Benson is the Deputy Majority Leader of the Minnesota Senate.

Early life, education, and career

Benson was raised on a farm near Murdock, Minnesota, graduating from Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg High School. In 1991, Benson graduated from

St. Catherine University St. Catherine University (St. Kate's) is a private Catholic university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was established as one of the first institutions of higher learning specifically for women in the Midwest and was known as the College of St. C ...

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in chemistry. In 1996, Benson received a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from the University of St. Thomas. Benson, a

certified public accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Stat ...

, previously worked as an auditor and consultant at

Deloitte & Touche Deloitte is a Multinational corporation, multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of employees, and is one of the Big Four a ...

and as executive director of a non-profit

cybersecurity Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

organization.

Minnesota Senate

In 2010, Benson challenged incumbent Debbie Johnson for the Republican nomination. Benson won the nomination and subsequently won the election. Benson was re-elected handily in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. She currently serves as chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee and is a deputy majority leader. In 2015, she co-sponsored legislation that would allow businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex couples. In 2021, Michelle Benson called into question the ways in which the Minnesota government spent federal COVID-19 relief, dubbing the spending wasteful. On August 31, 2021, Benson announced she was

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

for Governor of Minnesota. In her announcement, Benson promised to fight back against “radical, leftist policies” regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and promised to deliver a "safer, better, and stronger" Minnesota. She later suspended her campaign in April 2022. Benson campaigning

Personal life

Benson has been a

Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...

and

Cub Scout Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with some Scout organizations, for young children, usually between 8 and 12, who are too young to be Scouts and make the Scout Promise. A participant in the program is called a Cub and a group of Cubs ...

leader, an administrator for a local

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

school, and a member of the local

chambers of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to adv ...

. Benson and her husband, Craig, live in Ham Lake with their three children.

References

External links

Senator Michelle Benson
''official Minnesota Senate website''
Senator Michelle Benson
''official Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus page''
Project Vote Smart - Senator Michelle Benson Profile
- {{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Michelle 1968 births Living people People from Ham Lake, Minnesota St. Catherine University alumni University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Republican Party Minnesota state senators Women state legislators in Minnesota 21st-century American women politicians Government accounting officials American women accountants American accountants American auditors 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature