Anthony G. "Tony" Sutton (born September 1967) is the former chairman of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Minnesota and the oldest active political party in the state. Founded in 1855, the party is headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, E ...

and founder of a political public relations firm, Winning Strategies.

Biography

Sutton was born in

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 ...

, and graduated from Hibbing High School in

Hibbing Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industry today. At the edge of ...

. He and his late ex-wife, Bridget Cronin, have three biological children; Margaret, Olivia, and Molly, and one adopted son Kieran Cronin. Sutton lives in Inver Grove Heights, a southeastern suburb in 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. Sutton has served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota since July 1, 2009, when he succeeded Ron Carey in the role. Tony Sutton was found guilty of circumventing Finance Laws by the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board which imposed $33,000 in fines against him and the fund he created to help with the Gubernatorial Election Recount of 2010. Amid mounting evidence of party financial disarray, Sutton announced his resignation effective at 5pm, Friday, December 2nd, 2011 on

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at 4:45 pm that day. Sutton has served on numerous campaigns and committees on both the local and national level, including working as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Minnesota. He served as Secretary-Treasurer of the party from 2005-2009. In January 2011, Sutton stepped down from his role at the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Baja Sol Restaurant Group to found Winning Strategies. Sutton was a board member of CAGE, Citizens Against Gambling Expansion, a group funded in part by American Indian casino operators opposed to gambling expansion. In May 2011 he came under investigation by the Minnesota Republican Party, requesting that he explain how GOP activists on a closely held party database began receiving e-mails from CAGE. On May 14, 2011, he resigned from CAGE. In September 2013, Sutton and his wife - who he has since divorced - filed for

Chapter 7 bankruptcy Chapter 7 of Title 11 U.S. Code is the bankruptcy code that governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. This is in contrast to bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and Chapter 13, which govern the process of ''re ...

, citing $2.1 million in personal debts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Tony 1967 births Living people Minnesota Republicans People from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota State political party chairs of Minnesota Minnesota politicians convicted of crimes Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota de:Ron Carey (Politiker)