Mae A. Schunk (née Gasparac; born May 21, 1934) is an American politician and educator from
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 ...
who served as the
45th lieutenant governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. Elected on the same ticket as
Jesse Ventura in the historic upset election of
1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election
The 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura defeated Republican Party challenger Norm Coleman and Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party challenger Hubert H. "Skip" Humphr ...
, she became the first
Reform Party member elected as lieutenant governor of any state.
Biography
Prior to her tenure as lieutenant governor, she was a teacher for 37 years. In his memoir, Ventura mentioned that he chose her to "balance out all the testosterone." During her term in office, she visited schools throughout the state and frequently read to students as part of her efforts to encourage literacy and appreciation for reading among young people.
In the
2000 presidential campaign, as polls showed Texas Governor
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and U.S. Vice President
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
tied in Minnesota within 2 weeks of Election Day, Schunk endorsed Gore at a rally held on
Nicollet Avenue
Nicollet Avenue is a major street in Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington, and Burnsville in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It passes through a number of locally well-known neighborhoods and districts, notably Eat Street in south Minneapolis an ...
in downtown Minneapolis while Ventura committed himself to a third-party candidate,
John Hagelin. Later, in an interview with CNN, Ventura commented that Schunk had asked him before making the endorsement and that he had consented to her decision.
Born to Croatian parents, Schunk lives with her husband, William Schunk in
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota; they have a son, Benjamin Schunk. Schunk was educated at the
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Electoral history
*1998 Race for Governor/Lieutenant Governor
**
Ventura/Schunk (Ref.), 37%
**
Coleman/Olson (R), 34%
**
Humphrey
Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid.
Notable people with the name include:
People with the given name Medieval period
:''Ordered chronologically''
*Hunfrid of P ...
/
Moe
Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Characters
* Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons''
* Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard
* Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...
(DFL), 28%
See also
*
List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
References
External links
Minnesota Historical Society
1934 births
Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota
Living people
People from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
People from Greenwood, Wisconsin
American people of Croatian descent
Women in Minnesota politics
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni
Reform Party of the United States of America politicians
Independence Party of Minnesota politicians
Schoolteachers from Minnesota
American women educators
21st-century American women
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