Michelle Fischbach | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's7th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Collin Peterson |
| 49thLieutenant Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office January 3, 2018[a] – January 7, 2019 | |
| Governor | Mark Dayton |
| Preceded by | Tina Smith |
| Succeeded by | Peggy Flanagan |
| President of the Minnesota Senate | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – May 25, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Sandy Pappas |
| Succeeded by | Warren Limmer (acting) |
| In office January 4, 2011 – January 7, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Metzen |
| Succeeded by | Sandy Pappas |
| Member of theMinnesota Senate | |
| In office February 12, 1996 – May 25, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Bertram |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Howe |
| Constituency | 14th district (1996–2013) 13th district (2013–2018) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michelle Louise Helene St. Martin (1965-11-03)November 3, 1965 (age 60) Woodbury, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Scott Fischbach |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | College of Saint Benedict St. Cloud State University (BA) William Mitchell College of Law (JD) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Michelle Louise Helene Fischbach (/ˈfɪʃbɑːk/FISH-bahk;née St. Martin; born November 3, 1965) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2021 as theU.S. representative fromMinnesota's 7th congressional district. The district, which is heavily rural, is Minnesota's largest by area and includes most of the western part of the state. ARepublican, Fischbach served from 2018 to 2019 as the 49thlieutenant governor of Minnesota. As of 2025, she is the last Republican to have held statewide office in Minnesota.[b]
Fischbach was a member of theMinnesota Senate from 1996 to 2018,[1] serving as president of that body from 2011 to 2013 and from 2017 to 2018. WhenGovernor Mark Dayton appointedTina Smith to theU.S. Senate followingAl Franken’s resignation, Fischbach was elevated to the office of lieutenant governor, as required by theMinnesota Constitution.[2]
While serving as the incumbent lieutenant governor of Minnesota, Fischbach was former GovernorTim Pawlenty's nominee for lieutenant governor in theMinnesota Republican Party primary during the2018 Minnesota gubernatorial election.[3] Pawlenty and Fischbach lost the primary election toJeff Johnson.[4]
In the2020 U.S. House elections, Fischbach defeated 30-yearDFL incumbentCollin Peterson.[5]
Fischbach grew up inWoodbury, Minnesota. After graduating fromWoodbury High School, she attended theCollege of St. Benedict inSt. Joseph from 1984 to 1986; she later transferred toSt. Cloud State University, where she graduated with aBachelor of Arts degree inpolitical science and economics in 1989.[6] Fischbach earned herJuris Doctor fromWilliam Mitchell School of Law inSaint Paul in 2011.[7]
She first got involved in politics as an intern toRudy Boschwitz, then a U.S. senator for Minnesota.[8]
In 1994, Fischbach became the first woman elected to thePaynesville City Council, where she served until she was elected to theMinnesota Senate in 1996.[9]
Fischbach was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1996 in a special election held after the resignation ofDFL SenatorJoe Bertram, who had recently pleaded guilty toshoplifting.[6] Fischbach was reelected months later in the1996 general election, and in2000,2002,2006,2010,2012, and2016.[10] She served as an assistantminority leader from 2001 to 2002 and from 2007 to 2008, and as a deputy minority leader from 2009 to 2010.[11] Fischbach also served as the chair of the Senate'shigher education committee.[11]
In 2011, after anelection in which Senate Republicans won a majority for the first time sinceparty designation, Fischbach's colleagues elected her the first femalepresident of the Minnesota Senate, a post she held until Republicans lost their majority in 2013.[12] After Republicans regained a majority following the2016 election, Fischbach was again elected Senate president on January 3, 2017.[13]
On December 13, 2017, GovernorMark Dayton appointed hislieutenant governor,Tina Smith, to the U.S. Senate seat vacated byAl Franken, who resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct. Smith resigned to accept the appointment on January 2, 2018. Per Article V of theMinnesota Constitution, as president of the State Senate, Fischbach automatically ascended as lieutenant governor.[14][c]
Fischbach acknowledged that she had become lieutenant governor, but maintained she would retain her senate seat, calling herself "acting lieutenant governor".[16] The constitutionality of holding two offices at once was disputed.[17][18] Fischbach noted a memo from the senate's nonpartisan counsel, which cited an 1898Minnesota Supreme Court decision as legal precedent for her to hold both offices.[19] She also said the lieutenant governor's duties are largely ceremonial and she would have no difficulty holding both offices.[20] She declined the lieutenant governor's salary, opting to receive only the pay of a state senator.[21] Anadvisory opinion fromstate attorney generalLori Swanson disputed the legality of Fischbach's holding both offices at once, citing aconstitutional amendment passed in 1972 and other historical precedents.[22][23][d]
The potential outcomes were seen as having potentially significant ramifications forMinnesota politics, asRepublicans held only a one-vote majority in the state senate.[25] In December 2017, to avoid a potential tie should Fischbach resign her senate seat,Senate Majority LeaderPaul Gazelka andHouse SpeakerKurt Daudt sent Dayton a letter requesting aspecial legislative session to temporarily elect aDemocratic president of the Senate.[25][26] Dayton and legislative Democrats immediately rejected the idea, withSenate Minority LeaderTom Bakk indicating he would sue to attempt to force Fischbach out of the Senate should she attempt to serve in both offices, saying the senate's "balance of power [...] will be up for grabs".[27][28]
In January 2018, a constituent and localDFL activist sued Fischbach, asking aRamsey CountyDistrict Court judge to remove her from the state senate.[29] In February 2018, a judge dismissed the suit, ruling it had been prematurely filed.[30]
On May 25, 2018, Fischbach resigned from the senate and was sworn in as lieutenant governor.[31]
In May 2018, formerRepublicanGovernorTim Pawlenty announced Fischbach as his running mate in his bid for a third term.[32] Pawlenty and Fischbach lost the Republican primary toJeff Johnson and Donna Bergstrom.[33]
Fischbach was succeeded as lieutenant governor byDemocratic State RepresentativePeggy Flanagan, who ran on a ticket withTim Walz. Fischbach left office on January 7, 2019, after Walz and Flanagan were sworn in.[34]
On September 3, 2019, Fischbach announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination to challenge 30-year incumbent DemocratCollin Peterson in Minnesota's 7th congressional district.[35] She won the five-way Republican primary election.[36] Despite Peterson's incumbency, the 7th had been trending Republican for some time. The Republican presidential nominee had carried the district by double-digit margins in three of the previous five elections, including2016, whenDonald Trump carried it with 62% of the vote, his best showing in Minnesota and one of his best showings in any district held by a Democrat.
During her campaign, Fischbach pledged to back Trump on trade, make the2017 tax cuts permanent, and support workforce education and additional relief for rural and agricultural businesses affected byCOVID-19.[37][38] Her campaign emphasized her support for farmers and theSecond Amendment, opposition toabortion, and support for strengthening the U.S. border.[39][40]
Fischbach defeated Peterson by 49,226 votes, the largest margin of any Republican who defeated an incumbent Democrat in 2020.[41] In the same election, Trump carried the 7th district with 64% of the vote, his best showing in the state.[42] Fischbach andMariannette Miller-Meeks are the only Republican members of Congress to flip Democratic House districts that were not held by Republicans before2018.
On January 7, 2021, Fischbach was one of 139 representatives to object to the certification ofelectoral votes fromArizona andPennsylvania in the2020 U.S. presidential election, citing allegations of irregularities andvoter fraud.[43] On January 13, 2021, she voted against thesecond impeachment of Trump.[44]
For the118th Congress:[45]
For the119th Congress:Committee on Rules•Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House (Chair)Committee on Ways and Means•Subcommittee on Oversight•Subcommittee on Trade
Source:[46]
Fischbach has historically opposedabortion and has repeatedly introduced legislation to limit access to abortion.[48][49][50]
Fischbach has been a staunch proponent of theSecond Amendment to the U.S. Constitution andgun rights.[51][52]
Fischbach voted to provide Israel with support following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[53][54]
On November 8, 2023, Fischbach joined 100 other Republicans voting in favor of an amendment to a large appropriations bill that would prohibit funding for the Office of Vice PresidentKamala Harris.[55][56]
Fischbach isRoman Catholic.[11] She met her husband, Scott, while working on a campaign for formerU.S. SenatorRudy Boschwitz. They started dating while she was attending St. Cloud State University and eventually moved to nearbyPaynesville.[20] When Fischbach ran for Congress she still lived in Paynesville, in the far southern corner of the congressional district. She and her family have since moved toRegal, nearWillmar. They have two children and several grandchildren.[57][58]
Scott Fischbach has served as executive director ofMinnesota Citizens Concerned for Life since 2001.[59]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michelle Fischbach | 26,359 | 58.8 | |
| Republican | Dave Hughes | 9,948 | 22.2 | |
| Republican | Noel Collis | 6,747 | 15.1 | |
| Republican | William Louwagie | 989 | 2.2 | |
| Republican | Jayesun Sherman | 757 | 1.7 | |
| Total votes | 44,800 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michelle Fischbach | 188,994 | 53.8 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Collin Peterson (incumbent) | 139,071 | 39.6 | |
| Total votes | 351,227 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic (DFL) | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michelle Fischbach (incumbent) | 204,766 | 66.9 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Jill Abahsain | 84,455 | 27.6 | |
| Legal Marijuana Now | Travis Johnson | 16,421 | 5.4 | |
| Write-in | 224 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 305,866 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michelle Fischbach (incumbent) | 275,098 | 70.5 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | John Peters | 114,979 | 29.4 | |
| Write-in | 433 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 390,510 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Republican Sen. Michelle Fischbach of Paynesville will be the first woman in state history to preside as president of the Senate.
Senate Republicans also announced the selection of Sen. Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, as Senate president.
Minnesota's succession plan calls for the state Senate president to become Lieutenant Governor, so as Smith moves to the U.S. Senate, state Sen. Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, will move into Smith's position.
Fischbach hedged her new title, calling herself "acting lieutenant governor"—a phrase that does not appear anywhere in the Minnesota Constitution.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Minnesota Senate 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Sandy Pappas | President of the Minnesota Senate 2017–2018 | Succeeded by Warren Limmer Acting |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota 2018–2019 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's 7th congressional district 2021–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 253rd | Succeeded by |
| Lt. Governor (1858–1973) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Senate-elected (1973–present) | ||
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
