Michael J. Jungbauer (born February 9, 1958) is a
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
politician and former 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 ...
representing District 48 in the northern part of the
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. The district included portions of
Anoka and
Sherburne counties. A
Republican, he was first elected in 2002, and was re-elected in 2006 and 2010. Prior to becoming a senator, he was the mayor of
East Bethel from 1998 to 2002.
Overview
Jungbauer was a member of the Senate's Capital Investment, Commerce and Consumer Protection, Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications, and Judiciary and Public Safety committees. His special legislative concerns included transportation, education, aviation issues, and concealed carry.
On February 18, 2005, the Minnesota Senate's Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct issued a report on Jungbauer's 2004 misuse of his Senate legislative assistant, as well as Senate communications equipment such as computers and e-mail, to publicize a partisan campaign activity on behalf of Jeffrey Davis, a Republican candidate for Minnesota Senate District 50.
In July 2007, the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board ruled that Jungbauer had knowingly accepted a campaign contribution in the form of a wholesale discount on model airplanes for his office. The Jungbauer campaign was forced to pay nearly $2,000 in fines.
On July 1, 2009, Jungbauer announced his candidacy for the 2010
Minnesota governor's race. He officially launched his campaign in
Anoka on August 8, 2009.
Claims
It has been alleged that certain claims he made regarding his studies and degrees may not be accurate. He "claims to have a bachelor's degree from the
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...
with a "background in biochemistry." However, MinnPost reported on June 16, 2011, that he never graduated, and that the closest thing he has to a bachelor of science degree is a ministerial ordainment from Christian Motorsports International, which provides "chapel services" at "races, car shows, cruise-ins, and tractor pulls." His campaign website refers to "pursuing a degree in Environmental Policy at
Metropolitan State University
Metropolitan State University (Metro State) is a public university in the Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. ," although the school has no such program.
References
External links
Senator Jungbauer Web PageMinnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Michael JungbauerSenator Jungbauer Profile on Votesmart.orgMike Jungbauer Campaign Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jungbauer, Michael J.
1958 births
Living people
Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota
People from Anoka County, Minnesota
Mayors of places in Minnesota
Republican Party Minnesota state senators
21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature