Karin Housley

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Karin Housley
Image of Karin Housley
Minnesota State Senate District 33
Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Predecessor
Prior offices
Minnesota State Senate District 39

Compensation

Base salary

$51,750/year

Per diem

$86/day

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

South St. Paul High School, 1982

Bachelor's

State University of New York, 1988

Personal
Birthplace
South St. Paul, Minn.
Religion
Lutheran
Profession
Business owner
Contact

Karin Housley (Republican Party) is a member of the Minnesota State Senate, representing District 33. She assumed office on January 3, 2023. Her current term ends on January 5, 2027.

Housley (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Minnesota State Senate to represent District 33. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Biography

Karin Housley was born in South St. Paul, Minnesota, and lives in Stillwater. Housley graduated from South St. Paul High School in 1982. She earned a B.A. in communications and media studies from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo in 1988. Her career experience includes working as a television news producer at the ABC and NBC affiliates in Buffalo and owning her own realty business in Minnesota. Housley served as a board member of the Washington County Agricultural Society and the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce.[1][2]

Elections

2022

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Minnesota State Senate District 33

Incumbent Karin Housley defeated Nancy McLean in the general election for Minnesota State Senate District 33 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karin Housley
Karin Housley (R)
 
52.8
 
23,091
Image of Nancy McLean
Nancy McLean (D) Candidate Connection
 
47.2
 
20,624
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
17

Total votes: 43,732
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 33

Nancy McLean defeated Brian Baber in the Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 33 on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Nancy McLean
Nancy McLean Candidate Connection
 
91.0
 
4,635
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Brian Baber
 
9.0
 
459

Total votes: 5,094
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 33

Incumbent Karin Housley advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 33 on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karin Housley
Karin Housley
 
100.0
 
4,325

Total votes: 4,325
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

2020

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Minnesota State Senate District 39

Incumbent Karin Housley defeated Josiah Hill in the general election for Minnesota State Senate District 39 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karin Housley
Karin Housley (R)
 
53.0
 
29,246
Image of Josiah Hill
Josiah Hill (D)
 
46.9
 
25,921
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
45

Total votes: 55,212
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 39

Josiah Hill defeated Brian Hile in the Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 39 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Josiah Hill
Josiah Hill
 
86.9
 
7,188
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Brian Hile
 
13.1
 
1,080

Total votes: 8,268
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 39

Incumbent Karin Housley advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 39 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karin Housley
Karin Housley
 
100.0
 
3,213

Total votes: 3,213
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

2018

See also: United States Senate special election in Minnesota, 2018 and United States Senate special election in Minnesota (August 14, 2018 Republican primary)

General election

Special general election for U.S. Senate Minnesota

Incumbent Tina Smith defeated Karin Housley, Sarah Wellington, and Jerry Trooien in the special general election for U.S. Senate Minnesota on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tina Smith
Tina Smith (D)
 
53.0
 
1,370,540
Image of Karin Housley
Karin Housley (R)
 
42.4
 
1,095,777
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Sarah Wellington (Legal Marijuana Now Party)
 
3.7
 
95,614
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Jerry Trooien (Unaffiliated) Candidate Connection
 
0.9
 
24,324
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1,101

Total votes: 2,587,356
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota

The following candidates ran in the special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tina Smith
Tina Smith
 
76.1
 
433,705
Image of Richard Painter
Richard Painter
 
13.7
 
78,193
Image of Ali Chehem Ali
Ali Chehem Ali Candidate Connection
 
3.3
 
18,897
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Gregg Iverson
 
3.1
 
17,825
Image of Nick Leonard
Nick Leonard
 
2.9
 
16,529
Image of Christopher Seymore
Christopher Seymore
 
0.9
 
5,041

Total votes: 570,190
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota

Karin Housley defeated Bob Anderson and Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey in the special Republican primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karin Housley
Karin Housley
 
62.0
 
186,384
Image of Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson
 
35.6
 
107,102
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey
 
2.5
 
7,375

Total votes: 300,861
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Minnesota State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016.

Incumbent Karin Housley defeated Sten Hakanson in the Minnesota State Senate District 39 general election.[3][4]

Minnesota State Senate, District 39 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Karin Housley Incumbent 61.36% 28,960
     Democratic Sten Hakanson 38.64% 18,237
Total Votes 47,197
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State


Sten Hakanson ran unopposed in the Minnesota State Senate District 39 Democratic primary.[5][6]

Minnesota State Senate, District 39 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sten Hakanson  (unopposed)


Incumbent Karin Housley ran unopposed in the Minnesota State Senate District 39 Republican primary.[5][6]

Minnesota State Senate, District 39 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Karin Housley Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: Minnesota lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Housley was running for election as Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. She lost the Republican nomination in the open primary election as the running mate of gubernatorial candidate Scott Honour. Incumbent Mark Dayton, a Democrat first elected governor in 2010, ran for a second term in 2014.[7]

The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJeff Johnson/Bill Kuisle 30.3% 55,836
Kurt Zellers/Dean Simpson 23.9% 44,046
Marty Seifert/Pam Myhra 21.1% 38,851
Scott Honour/Karin Housley 20.8% 38,377
Merrill Anderson/Mark Anderson 3.8% 7,000
Total Votes 184,110
Election results via Minnesota Secretary of State.

2012

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2012

Housley ran in the 2012 election for Minnesota State Senate District 39. She defeated Eric Michael Langness in the Republican primary on August 14 and defeated Julie Bunn (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[8][9]

Minnesota State Senate, District 39, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngKarin Housley 50.7% 23,385
     Democratic Julie Bunn 49.3% 22,754
Total Votes 46,139
Minnesota State Senate, District 39 Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngKarin Housley 67.3% 1,941
Eric Michael Langness 32.7% 945
Total Votes 2,886

2010

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2010

Housley was a Republican candidate for District 57 of the Minnesota State Senate. She was defeated by Katie Sieben (DFL) in the general election.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Karin Housley did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Karin Housley did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Campaign website

Housley's campaign website stated the following:


Social Security

Minnesotans work hard – and when they retire, they deserve the money they’ve paid into Social Security. That’s why we must work together on protecting Social Security, preserving its solvency for future generations. Social Security should not be privatized; instead, we need a bipartisan solution that protects benefits without increasing taxes or raising the age of retirement.


Healthcare

Obamacare has failed hardworking Minnesotans. A government takeover of health care has driven up costs, hurt small businesses, and reduced the quality of care. I believe in a patient-centered, market-driven health care system that provides individuals and families with affordable, accessible coverage and care.


Economy

A strong economy is the foundation for a strong Minnesota – but a growing national debt and increasingly wasteful spending threatens the prosperity of future generations. By balancing the budget, cutting taxes, rolling back burdensome regulation, and encouraging innovation, we can continue to grow an economy that provides an opportunity for all Minnesotans to thrive.


Values

Life is a gift, and it should be protected. As a mother and grandmother, I believe every effort should be made to protect and honor life.


Second Amendment

The rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental guarantee of our Constitution. I believe we can protect the rights and freedoms of law-abiding gun owners while also addressing the growing issue of gun violence, but only if we work together. We must enforce existing gun laws, better address mental illness, and prevent violent criminals and known terrorists from gaining instant access to firearms.


Taxes

It’s your money, not the government’s – and as a small business owner, I understand the crushing impact high taxes have on job creation. I believe a healthy economy begins when hardworking Minnesotans keep more of their earnings and businesses are free to spur economic growth.


Trade

I believe in free and fair trade, unhindered by practices that unfairly disadvantage one side of a trade relationship. In a global economy, American workers are positioned to succeed as long as we are playing by the same set of rules. To grow our economy, we should encourage free trade – but not at the expense of our national security or shipping jobs overseas.


Military

A strong military is essential to keeping America free, safe, and prosperous. Maintaining a strong global military presence is vital to American interests, our allies, and peace around the world. In Washington, I will be a steadfast supporter for the brave men and women of our military. We need to ensure that we maintain a trained and ready force, support current operations, prepare for future missions, and ensure that military families receive the care they deserve.


Immigration

America was founded by immigrants and immigrants continue to enrich our nation. But in order to continue this legacy, we must modernize and fix our broken immigration system. Securing our borders is the first step toward a workable immigration plan that attracts the best and brightest students and workers, ultimately improving our economy and preserving our global competitiveness. I support immigration policy that maximizes public safety, strengthens families, and expands economic opportunity.


Agriculture

Minnesota’s agricultural industry is the backbone of our economy, supporting over 430,000 jobs and responsible for $121 billion in economic activity each year. From the farmers harvesting the fields to the families gathered around their tables, a sound agricultural policy benefits all Americans.[10][11]

Campaign advertisements

The following is an example of an ad from Housley's 2018 election campaign.

"Play Fair" Housley campaign ad released September 6, 2018

2016

Housley's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Jobs & the Economy

  • I want to help get this state back on track to being prosperous. Now, more than ever, we need to focus on growing our economy & improving our job climate. We need to keep our businesses here and we need to help to create more jobs. I will work diligently for job growth in our state by easing the taxes, high fees, & complicated state regulations.
  • We need to be fiscally responsible, stop runaway spending and stick to a balanced budget.

Economic Development

  • Being in the real estate business, we saw a turn in the economy before it was publicly declared a “recession.” Homes were taking longer to sell as the pool of buyers was drying up and there weren’t as many potential buyers relocating to the Twin Cities.
  • Tens of thousands of Minnesotans have lost their jobs, endured pay cuts, benefit cuts and reduced hours.Minnesota’s poor business climate has contributed to this financial demise. Our anti-business tax, regulatory, and job creation climate has made this recession worse for Minnesotans than it really had to be.
  • It’s no surprise that this is where we ended up. It’s a logical result of public policies enacted by our legislature that have handcuffed our employers, employees and everyone else who has tried to grow a small business, pay taxes, give back to their community and keep the state moving forward productively

Education

I will work with parents and educators to:

  • Improve the quality of teaching.
  • Address the student problems outside of the classroom.
  • Hold schools accountable.
  • Prepare ALL students for life after high school.

Health Care

  • The ever-increasing cost of health care and outrageous cost of prescription drugs must be addressed. Opening our health care system to competition, increasing consumer-based decision-making in the process and providing greater incentives for those who purchase long-term care insurance are a couple cost-friendly approaches with promise.
  • At a cost of over one trillion dollars, the new health care law is too costly. And contrary to what my opponent might say, it won’t create sustainable jobs, because we don’t have the money for it. My goal is to make Minnesota one of the ten lowest states in health spending per capita by 2015. We can do that by opening the insurance marketto competition. Focusing on preventive care and rewarding healthy individuals.[11]
—Karin Housley[12]

2012

Housley's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[13]

Jobs & the Economy

  • Excerpt: "I want to help get this state back on track to being prosperous. Now, more than ever, we need to focus on growing our economy & improving our job climate. We need to keep our businesses here and we need to help to create more jobs. I will work diligently for job growth in our state by easing the taxes, high fees, & complicated state regulations."

Education

  • Excerpt: "I will work with parents and educators to: Improve the quality of teaching, Address the student problems outside of the classroom, Hold schools accountable, Prepare ALL students for life after high school"

Healthcare

  • Excerpt: "The ever-increasing cost of health care and outrageous cost of prescription drugs must be addressed. Opening our health care system to competition, increasing consumer-based decision-making in the process and providing greater incentives for those who purchase long-term care insurance are a couple cost-friendly approaches with promise."

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Housley was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Housley was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Housley was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Minnesota committee assignments, 2017
Aging and Long-Term Care, Chair
Commerce and Consumer Protection, Vice chair
Jobs and Economic Growth
Veterans and Military Affairs

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Housley served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Housley served on the following committees:

Minnesota committee assignments, 2012
Commerce
State and Local Government

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Karin Housley campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2022Minnesota State Senate District 33Won general$110,646 $115,452
2020Minnesota State Senate District 39Won general$170,299 N/A**
2018U.S. Senate MinnesotaLost general$4,697,809 $4,682,067
2016Minnesota State Senate, District 39Won $67,478 N/A**
2014Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota*Lost $1,022,046 N/A**
2012Minnesota Senate, District 39Won $60,784 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Minnesota

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

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2023


2022


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
David Osmek (R)
Minnesota State Senate District 33
2023-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
-
Minnesota State Senate District 39
2013-2023
Succeeded by
Mary Kunesh-Podein (D)


Current members of the Minnesota State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Bobby Champion
Majority Leader:Erin Murphy
Minority Leader:Mark Johnson
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
Rob Kupec (D)
District 5
Paul Utke (R)
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Jeff Howe (R)
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
Susan Pha (D)
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
Ann Rest (D)
District 44
Tou Xiong (D)
District 45
Vacant
District 46
Ron Latz (D)
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
Republican Party (33)
Democratic Party (33)
Vacancies (1)