Dick Cohen
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard J. Cohen (born December 10, 1949) is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 64, which includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County.[1]
Dick Cohen | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 64th district | |
| In office January 6, 1987 – January 5, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Sieloff |
| Succeeded by | Erin Murphy |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 64B district | |
| In office January 4, 1983 – January 5, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | redrawn district |
| Succeeded by | Howard Orenstein |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 63B district | |
| In office January 4, 1977 – January 2, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Sieloff |
| Succeeded by | John Drew |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 10, 1949 |
| Party | Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University William Mitchell College of Law |
| Occupation | attorney, legislator |
Early life and education
Cohen was born in Saint Paul and graduated from Highland Park High School. He earned his B.A. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul.
Minnesota Legislature
Cohen was first elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 1976. He served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 63B and, after redistricting in 1982, for District 64B. He was elected senator for District 64 in 1986, gaining the lone Republican-held Senate seat within the Twin Cities.[2] He was reelected in the 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2016 elections.
Cohen was chair of the Senate Finance Committee from 2003 to 2011 and chair of the Senate State Government Finance Committee from 1997 to 2001.[1]
On November 3, 2009, President Barack Obama announced Cohen's appointment to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Cohen is considered by many to be the leading champion for the arts in the Minnesota Legislature. He led the campaign to include funding for the arts in the Clean Water, Land and Legacy constitutional amendment that Minnesota voters approved in 2008.[3]
In 2019, Erin Murphy announced that she would be running to unseat Cohen in the DFL primary.
On November 17, Cohen announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2020.[4]
Personal life
Cohen serves on the board of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He previously served on the Guthrie Theater board.[5]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen (incumbent) | 33,008 | 69.67 | ||
| Republican | Sharon Anderson | 9,069 | 19.14 | ||
| Independent | Scott Larson | 5,196 | 10.97 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen (incumbent) | 23,854 | 70.74 | −5.74pp | |
| Republican | Tony Hernandez | 9,817 | 29.11 | +5.77pp | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen (incumbent) | 27,427 | 76.48 | +4.65pp | |
| Republican | Christine Van Tassel | 8,369 | 23.34 | −4.61pp | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen (incumbent) | 27,408 | 71.83 | ||
| Republican | Christopher Johnston | 10,664 | 27.95 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen (incumbent) | 26,215 | 72.31 | +11.27pp | |
| Republican | Chris Berg | 10,039 | 27.69 | −6.48pp | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen (incumbent) | 22,539 | 61.04 | −1.40pp | |
| Republican | Joe Zappa | 12,618 | 34.17 | +3.52pp | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen (incumbent) | 25,025 | 62.44 | ||
| Ind.-Republican | Joseph P. McCabe | 12,285 | 30.65 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen (incumbent) | 10,841 | 69.33 | +21.73pp | |
| Ind.-Republican | G. Hess | 3,702 | 23.68 | −19.22pp | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Dick Cohen | 11,499 | 47.6 | ||
| Ind.-Republican | Bill Ridley | 10,408 | 42.9 | ||