Rodney N. Halvorson (born December 23, 1949) is an Iowa state legislator and political activist in Iowa and his home state of Minnesota. Halvorson was born and raised in

Appleton, Minnesota Appleton is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, Swift County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 1,412 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The town is home to a vacant medium-security prison, the Prairie Correctional Facili ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he served Webster and Calhoun county in the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the Iowa, state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . Each Senat ...

from 1995 to 1999, representing the 7th District. From 1979 to 1995, he served Fort Dodge and Webster county in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

, representing the 46th and 13th Districts.

Biography

Halvorson was born and raised in

. After high school, he was a public administration intern at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

and received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Moorhead State University in 1971. Halvorson pursued graduate studies in community and regional planning

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. It was ...

and in public administration at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

. From 1972 to 1978, Halvorson worked for Iowa Congressman

Berkley Bedell Berkley Warren Bedell (March 5, 1921 – December 7, 2019) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician and businessman who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Iowa's 6th ...

, serving as a campaign organizer and congressional district manager. From 1979 to 1995, he served as a state representative, and as a state senator from 1995 to 1999. During this time, Halvorson served as a member of the Iowa Democratic State Central committee, from 1978 to 1982, 1992–94 and 2000 and as an assistant House majority leader for the 70th-72nd General Assemblies. In November 2000, Halvorson moved back to his home state of Minnesota to accept a position as the executive director and chief lobbyist for the Minnesota Social Service Association (MSSA) in Saint Paul. He retired from this position in February 2013. Halvorson continued to be a community and political activist in his new hometown and was named "a prominent St. Paul political activist" by the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He served as the DFL party chair in Senate Districts 66 and 65 as well as the DFL Ramsey County Chair for eight years, ending in 2012. In 2015 and 2016 Halvorson became actively involved in the Senator Bernie Sanders campaign for president and was elected as a Minnesota DFL national delegate to the Democratic National Convention and elected to serve as the Minnesota DFL delegation co-chair for Sanders. Halvorson continued his support for Sanders as an active member of the Sanders inspired Our Revolution Minnesota, serving on the board of directors and chair of the board in 2019. Halvorson was again elected as a Sanders nation delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. In 2014, Halvorson attempted a political comeback by returning to Fort Dodge and running for the Webster County Board of Supervisors in District 4. Halvorson was defeated by the incumbent.

References

External links

Senator Rod N. Halvorson
''official Iowa General Assembly site'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Halvorson, Rod N. Democratic Party Iowa state senators Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives 1949 births Living people People from Appleton, Minnesota People from Webster County, Iowa 20th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly