Jenifer W. Loon (born September 17, 1963) is an American politician who was a 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 ...

from 2009 to 2019. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, she represented District 48B, which was primarily in

Eden Prairie Eden Prairie is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of th ...

, located in southwestern

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneapo ...

in 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 sta ...

metropolitan area. Loon is also a legislative policy consultant.

Early life, education, and career

Loon grew up 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 th ...

in rural

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

. While in high school, she was a page in the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided into ...

, where her uncle was a member. Loon graduated from Augustana College in

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

in 1985, earning her BA in Government and International Affairs. After graduating from college, Loon became active in government at the national level. She was a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator

Larry Pressler Larry Lee Pressler (born March 29, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician from South Dakota who served in the United States House of Representatives (1975–1979) and United States Senate (1979–1997) as a Republican. He remained active in ...

from 1986 to 1988, and a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

and legislative representative for

Associated Builders and Contractors Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national U.S. trade association representing the non-union construction industry. ABC is an association of 69 chapters with more than 22,000 commercial contractors and construction-related firms am ...

, a national

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association partic ...

representing

Merit Shop A merit shop is term which refers to a firm or organization that pays certain employees by merit (experience/worth to company). Contrary to popular belief, a merit shop can be non-union or union shop. Management retains the right to perform hiring ...

construction companies, from 1988 to 1990. She worked in several staff positions for the U.S. House of Representatives from 1990 to 1997, including legislative director, minority policy director, minority staff director, and staff director for the House Committee on Small Business (1995–1997), where she worked directly with the committee chair, Congresswoman Jan Meyers of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. From 2003 to 2007, she was director of government affairs, lead federal lobbyist and legislative strategist for ACA International, a national trade association representing the credit and collection industry.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Loon was first elected in 2008, running after seven-term Representative

Erik Paulsen Erik Philip Paulsen (born May 14, 1965) is an American businessman and politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Minnesota House of Representati ...

opted not to seek reelection in order to run for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. Loon was one of only four Republican representatives to vote in favor of the same-sex marriage bill passed by the House on May 9, 2013. In 2018, Loon was defeated for reelection by DFL challenger Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn.

References

External links

Project Votesmart – Rep. Jenifer Loon Profile

Session Weekly 1/23/2009: "Passionate about business: Loon calls for economic recovery through job creation"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loon, Jenifer Living people 1963 births People from Eden Prairie, Minnesota Augustana University alumni Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Women state legislators in Minnesota American Lutherans 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians