Michael Edward Obermueller (born April 21, 1973) 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 ...

lawyer and politician, a former member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

. He represented District 38B in the southeastern

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 from 2009 to 2011. In 2012 and 2014 Obermueller was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

in the second congressional district, challenging incumbent John Kline.

Early life, education and career

Raised on a

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

near Glenwood City, Wisconsin, Obermueller attended

Loras College Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree ...

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

, graduating

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

in 1996 with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in Media and Public Address, with a Political Science emphasis. He went on to the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or U ...

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

, earning his J.D. With High Distinction in 2001. Between college and law school, he worked as Director of Campus Dining Services for Aramark Corporation at

Mount Marty College Mount Marty University is a private Benedictine university in Yankton, South Dakota. Athletics The Mount Marty athletic teams are called the Lancers. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), pr ...

Yankton, South Dakota Yankton is a city in and the county seat of Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,411 at the 2020 census, and it is the principal city of the Yankton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entirety of Y ...

. Obermueller is an attorney for the

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

law firm of Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., where he focuses on commercial litigation and construction law.

Political career

Obermueller was first elected in 2008, succeeding three-term incumbent Rep. Lynn Wardlow. He was unseated by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Doug Wardlow Douglas G. Wardlow (born July 3, 1978) is an American attorney and politician who served as a Minnesota state representative from District 38B. Wardlow was the unsuccessful Republican nominee in the 2018 Minnesota Attorney General election. E ...

in the 2010 general election. He was a member of the House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee, and also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division, of which he was vice chair, the Energy Finance and Policy Division, and the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division.

2012 U.S. House campaign

In 2012 Obermueller won the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party for

Minnesota's 2nd congressional district Minnesota's 2nd congressional district (current) covers the south Twin Cities metro area and contains all of Scott, Dakota, Goodhue, and Wabasha counties. It also contains part of northern and eastern Rice County including the city of Nort ...

, challenging five-term incumbent John Kline. He was unsuccessful, garnering 46% of the vote to Kline's 54%.

2014 U.S. House campaign

In 2014 Obermueller again was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for

. This time incumbent John Kline defeated Obermuller by a 17-point margin.

Personal life

Participating in his local community, Obermueller is a member of the Dakota County Regional

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

and the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

, a board member for the Eagan Art Festival, and a volunteer coach for the Eagan Athletic Association.

References

External links

Rep. Mike Obermueller
official Minnesota Legislature site
Mike Obermueller for U.S. Congress
official campaign site *
Session Weekly Working to unite: Obermueller hopes to represent by connecting
Minnesota Legislature, January 23, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Obermueller, Mike 1973 births Living people People from Eagan, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Minnesota lawyers Loras College alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2012 United States elections Candidates in the 2014 United States elections People from St. Croix County, Wisconsin