Paul Utke ( ; born December 3, 1956) is an American politician and member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are h ...

. 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 ...

, he represents District 2 in northwestern

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 ...

Early life and career

Utke was born on December 3, 1956, and raised in

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

. He is an insurance broker and was elected to the Park Rapids City Council in 2008. He was chaired the Hubbard County Republicans and has served on boards of several local organizations. He owned a hardware store in Park Rapids for 16 years.

Minnesota Senate

Utke was first elected to the

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Personal life

Utke and his wife, Nancy, have two children and reside in Park Rapids.

References

External links

Official Senate website

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Utke, Paul 1956 births Living people Republican Party Minnesota state senators Minnesota city council members 21st-century American legislators People from Park Rapids, Minnesota 21st-century Minnesota politicians