Marty Seifert | |
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Seifert in 2014
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Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
In office January 3, 2007 – June 3, 2009 |
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Preceded by | Margaret Kelliher |
Succeeded by | Kurt Zellers |
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 21A district |
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In office January 7, 1997 – January 3, 2011 |
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Preceded by | Jim Girard |
Succeeded by | Chris Swedzinski |
Personal details | |
Born |
Springfield, Minnesota, U.S. |
April 23, 1972
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Traci Seifert |
Children | Brittany Braxton |
Alma mater | Southwest Minnesota State University |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Martin "Marty" John Seifert (born April 23, 1972) is a former Republican Minority Leader and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He represented District 21A, a predominantly rural district in southwestern Minnesota that includes portions of Lyon, Redwood and Yellow Medicine counties, and the cities of Marshall and Redwood Falls. In 2010 and 2014, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Minnesota.
First elected in 1996, Seifert served as House Majority Whip from 1999-2006. When the Republicans lost control of the House after the 2006 election, he took over leadership of the party in the House from former Speaker Steve Sviggum.
Seifert served on the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee and was an ex officio member of the House Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.
On June 3, 2009, Seifert announced that he was stepping down from his position as minority leader to run for governor of Minnesota. On October 15, 2009, he also announced that he would not seek re-election to the House, but would concentrate his efforts on the 2010 governor's race.
At the Republican Party of Minnesota's off-year state convention held on October 3, 2009, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Seifert was the first place winner of a non-binding straw poll, receiving 37% of the vote. He was followed by state representative Tom Emmer with 23% of the vote and former state auditor Patricia Anderson with 14% of the vote.