Peggy Bennett (born July 3, 1958) is an American politician serving in 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 ...

since 2015. 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 ...

, Bennett represents District 23A in southern

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 ...

, which includes the city of

Albert Lea Albert Lea may refer to: *Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S. * Albert Lea Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Miller Lea Albert Miller Lea (July 23, 1808 – January 16, 1891) was an American engineer, soldier, and topographer with th ...

and parts of Faribault,

Freeborn "Freeborn" is a term associated with political agitator John Lilburne (1614–1657), a member of the Levellers, a 17th-century English political party. As a word, "freeborn" means born free, rather than in slavery or bondage or vassalage. Lilbu ...

Steele Steele may refer to: Places America * Steele, Alabama, a town * Steele, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Steele, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Steele, Missouri, a city * Lonetree, Montana, a ghost town originally called Steele ...

and Waseca Counties.

Early life, education, and career

Bennett grew up in

White Bear Lake, Minnesota White Bear Lake is a city in Ramsey County in the state of Minnesota, United States. A small portion of the city also extends into Washington County. The population was 23,769 at the 2010 census. The city is located on White Bear Lake, one o ...

. She graduated from Mound Westonka High School in

Mound, Minnesota Mound is a city in western Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,052 at the 2010 census. Mound was the birthplace of the Tonka truck that is named after Lake Minnetonka, which the eastern part of town sits on. Mound i ...

, from Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, with a B.A. in education, and from St. Cloud State University in 1981 with a M.A. in special education. Bennett got her first teaching job in special education in Albert Lea in 1981. She taught her third year in Wells after a round of cuts, then returned to Albert Lea to teach in a K-1 transition room for special ed and regular ed students for seven years before becoming a first-grade teacher. In 2011, Bennett was named the Albert Lea Area Teacher of the Year. She taught for 33 years before being elected to the Minnesota legislature. She is now retired from teaching.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Bennett was elected to the

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 ...

, defeating incumbent Shannon Savick, and has been reelected every two years since. During her campaign, Bennett prioritized education, agriculture, and the economy. Her campaign slogan was "People Before Politics". In 2015-16, Bennett served as vice chair of the Education Innovation Policy Committee. She was an assistant minority leader from 2019 to 2022. Bennett is the minority lead on the Education Policy Committee and serves on the Education Finance and Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committees.

Electoral history

Personal life

Bennett is single, but considers her more than 750 students her "kids." She resides in

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea is a city in Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of ...

and is active in the community and her church. She served as a volunteer working with struggling, disadvantaged, and troubled youth for many years. She is a member of the NRA and a gun owner. She is also active in the International Shiloh Shepherd Dog Club. She has a dog, Colter, who helped teach her first-grade students to read. Colter was featured on

Fox & Friends ''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos- ...

in June 2014. Bennett also has two cats, Kelchi and Mingo.

Early life, education, and career

Minnesota House of Representatives

Electoral history

Personal life

References

External links