Denise R. Dittrich (pronounced DEE-trick) (born August 6, 1957) is a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2005 to 2012, representing District 47A, which included portions of the cities of Coon Rapids and Champlin in Anoka and Hennepin counties, which are part of 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 statu ...

metropolitan area. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Dittrich was a member of the House's K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee and Taxes Committee, and also served on the Finance Subcommittee for the K-12 Education Finance Division and the Taxes Subcommittee for the Property and Local Sales Tax Division. Dittrich unseated incumbent Bill Haas, a Republican, in the 2004 general election. Her margin of victory was 52%-48%. Her platform consisted primarily of increasing education funding and development of the Northstar Commuter Rail Line. On May 21, 2011, she joined the House Republican Majority in voting for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and woman. In 2006, Dittrich defeated her Republican challenger, John Tomczak, 54%-46%. In 2008, she defeated her Republican challenger, Troy Buchholz, 59%-40%. In 2010, she defeated her Republican challenger, Cameron Roberson, 50.9% to 49%. Representative Dittrich opposes

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

and in 2011 voted to amend the Minnesota Constitution to ban recognition and protection of same-gender families.

References

External links

Rep. Dittrich's Web Page

Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Rep. Denise Dittrich

Project Votesmart: Rep. Denise Dittrich Profile

Rep. Dittrich's Campaign Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dittrich, Denise 1957 births Living people University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni People from Champlin, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Women state legislators in Minnesota American Lutherans 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians