Jim Ramstad

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Jim Ramstad
Jim Ramstad
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 3, 1991
Preceded by Bill Frenzel
Born May 6, 1946 (1946-05-06) (age 62)
Jamestown, North Dakota
Political party Republican
Spouse Kathryn Ramstad
Religion United Church of Christ

James M. "Jim" Ramstad (born May 6, 1946) is a United States politician from the state of Minnesota. Ramstad has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota. The district, the state's wealthiest, includes most of the western portion of the Twin Cities area, including cities such as Maple Grove, Bloomington, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Wayzata, Edina, Eden Prairie and Brooklyn Park. On September 17, 2007 Ramstad announced he would not seek reelection in 2008.[1] He reiterated his statement on December 19, 2007[2]

He was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, was educated at the University of Minnesota and the George Washington University Law School. He was an officer in the United States Army Reserve from 1968 to 1974.[3] He was a member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1981 to 1990 before entering the U.S. Congress and has served in the 102nd, 103rd, 104th, 105th, 106th, 107th, 108th, 109th, and 110th congresses thus far, beginning on January 3, 1991. He first defeated former Minneapolis city councilman Lou DeMars in the 1990 election and has rarely faced serious opposition since.

Ramstad is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership. He is pro-choice, supports stem cell research, and supports gay rights but is opposed to gay marriage.[4] However, he voted in favor of an amendment to a whistleblower protection bill that would have allowed the government to influence stem-cell research.[5]

He is considered to be the most moderate Republican member of the Minnesota delegation in the 109th Congress, scoring 68% conservative by a conservative group[6] and 21% progressive by a liberal group.[7] Minnesota Congressional Districts shows the scores for the entire delegation.

Ramstad is an admitted recovering alcoholic since 1981, and is Patrick J. Kennedy's AA sponsor. Ramstad's sister, Sheryl Ramstad-Hvass, is currently a Tax Court Judge in Minnesota.

On February 25, 2008 it was announced that Ramstad had been elected to the board of directors of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University [8]

Contents

[edit] Committee Assignments

  • Ways and Means Committee
    • Subcommittee on Oversight (Ranking Member)
    • Subcommittee on Health
  • Co-chair of the Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus
  • Co-chair of the Disabilities Caucus
  • Co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus
  • Co-chair of the Medical Technology Caucus

[edit] Electoral history

  • 2006 Race for U.S. House of Representatives — 3rd District
    • Jim Ramstad (R)(inc.), 65%
    • Wendy Wilde (DFL), 35%

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fred Frommer, Fred (2007-09-17). Ramstad announces his retirement from Congress. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
  2. ^ Ramstad Says He Has No 'Plans' To Seek Re-Election. WCCO (2007-12-19). Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
  3. ^ Veterans in the US House of Representatives 109th Congress (PDF). Navy League. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
  4. ^ Jim Ramstad on the Issues Retrieved October 24, 2006
  5. ^ Clerk of the House: Final Vote Results for Roll Call 150
  6. ^ ACU Ratings of Congress, 2006. American Conservative Union (2006). Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
  7. ^ Leading with the Left. Progressive Punch. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  8. ^ {{cite web|title =U.S. Congressman Jim Ramstad Elected to CASA Board of Directors|publisher =CASA Columbia|url =http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/templates/PressReleases.aspx?articleid=517&zoneid=66|accessdate = 2008-02-25

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Bill Frenzel		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 3rd congressional district
1991–present		 Succeeded by
incumbent
v • d • e
Minnesota's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Representative(s)
Tim Walz (DFL), John Kline (R), Jim Ramstad (R), Betty McCollum (DFL), Keith Ellison (DFL), Michele Bachmann (R), Collin Peterson (DFL), Jim Oberstar (DFL)
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