Brian Daniels (born October 2, 1958) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2015. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Daniels represents District 19A south of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, including the city of Faribault and portions of Goodhue, Rice, and Waseca Counties.

Early life, education and career

Daniels studied at

Northwest Technical College Northwest Technical College is a public technical college in Bemidji, Minnesota Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 202 ...

, receiving a degree in small business management.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Daniels was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and has been reelected every two years since. He defeated five-term DFL incumbent

Patti Fritz Patti Fritz (born October 20, 1944) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 24B, which included all or por ...

. During the

2016 Republican presidential primary Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

, Daniels joined two dozen state lawmakers in endorsing Senator

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Speaker of the Florida Hous ...

. In 2022, Daniels endorsed former state representative Brad Finstad's campaign for

Minnesota's 1st congressional district Minnesota's 1st congressional district extends across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. It is a primarily rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, though this is changing rapidly d ...

. Daniels serves as the minority lead on the Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee, and also sits on the Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committee. Daniels sits on the Regent Candidate Advisory Council, which oversees the nomination process to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. He has been critical of lobbying efforts by PACs on behalf of candidates. He signed on to a letter calling on the university to stop participating in research on "aborted human fetal organs". Daniels authored bipartisan legislation to increase access to transportation and car payment help for low-income Minnesotans. He opposed efforts to raise the gas tax and increase license tab fees to pay for transportation funding. Daniels has announced he is not seeking reelection in 2024.

Electoral history

Personal life

Daniels and his wife, Elizabeth, have four children and reside in Faribault, Minnesota. Daniels is partially paralyzed due to complications after treatment of a brain tumor. His sister, Marion Rarick, also serves in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Daniels and Rarick are the first brother-sister pair to serve together in the state legislature, and the first sibling pair since the early 1980s.

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Brian 1958 births Living people Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives People from Faribault, Minnesota 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Minnesota politicians