Thomas M. Bakk ( ; born June 8, 1954) is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. Currently independent and a former member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Bakk represents District 3, which includes portions of Cook, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis counties in the northeastern part of Minnesota. He has served in the Minnesota legislature since 1995 and is a former majority leader and minority leader.

Early life, education, and career

Bakk was born and raised in Cook, Minnesota, where he graduated from Cook High School in 1972. He received an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

from Mesabi Community College and a bachelor's degree in business administration and labor relations from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is a retired union carpenter and labor official.

Political career

Minnesota House of Representatives

Bakk represented District 6A in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.

Minnesota Senate

Bakk was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2016. After the 2010 election, in which Republicans gained control of the Senate for the first time since party designation, Bakk was elected by his caucus to serve as its first-ever minority leader. After the DFL regained a majority in the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

, Bakk was elected by his caucus to serve as majority leader, a position he assumed when the legislature convened on January 8, 2013. Bakk was again elected by his caucus to serve as minority leader following the

2016 election The following elections occurred in the year 2016. Africa Benin Republic *2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016 Cape Verde * 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016 Chad * 2016 Chadian presidential election 10 A ...

, which saw Republicans re-gain control of the upper chamber. In late 2019, it was reported that Susan Kent, a state senator from Woodbury, intended to challenge Bakk for his caucus leadership post. On February 1, 2020, in a caucus meeting that lasted more than six hours, Kent defeated Bakk, succeeding him as minority leader. Three weeks after the

2020 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

, when it was determined that the DFL did not win a majority in the Senate, Bakk and fellow DFL state senator

David Tomassoni David Joseph Tomassoni ( ; December 5, 1952 – August 11, 2022) was an American politician who served in the Minnesota Legislature from 1993 to 2022. A former member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Tomassoni left th ...

announced they would no longer

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

with Democrats and instead form their own “independent caucus.” Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka welcomed the move and gave Bakk the chairmanship to the Capital Investment in exchange for voting in line with the Republican Party on floor votes. This changed the composition of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

to 34 Republicans, 31 Democrats, and two independents. In March 2022, Bakk announced he was not seeking re-election to the State Senate and would retire from politics at the end of the year.

2010 Minnesota gubernatorial campaign

Tom Bakk - DFL Gubernatorial Debate (4135227616)

Bakk campaigned in the

2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election The 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 to elect the 40th Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota for a four-year term to begin in January 2011. The general election was contested by the major party candi ...

. He led in early fundraising among the DFL candidates, raising $146,000 in 2008, and beginning 2009 with a little more than $131,000. He ended his campaign in March 2010.

Electoral history

Personal life

Bakk and his wife, Laura, who works as a legislative assistant in the Minnesota Senate, have four children.

References

External links

Official Minnesota Senate website
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bakk, Thomas 1954 births Living people 21st-century American politicians American Lutherans Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Minnesota Democrats Minnesota Independents Minnesota state senators People from Cook County, Minnesota People from Virginia, Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth alumni