Dan Wolgamott Explained

Dan Wolgamott
Office:Speaker pro tempore of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Term Start:January 3, 2023
Predecessor:Liz Olson
State House1:Minnesota
District1:14B
Term Start1:January 8, 2019
Predecessor1:Jim Knoblach
Birth Name:Daniel Kirk Wolgamott
Birth Date:24 October 1990
Party:Democratic
Children:2

Daniel Kirk Wolgamott (born October 24, 1990)[1] is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Wolgamott represents District 14B in central Minnesota, which includes the city of St. Cloud and parts of Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns Counties.

Early life, education, and career

Wolgamott was raised in the Elkhorn neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated from Elkhorn High School.[2] [3] He attended Saint John's University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. In 2011, he was an intern in U.S. Representative Tim Walz's office.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Wolgamott ran for Minnesota House in District 14A in 2014, losing to Republican Tama Theis.[4] He then ran for the Minnesota Senate in District 14 in 2016, losing to Republican Jerry Relph by 141 votes.[5] He was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018 and has been reelected every two years since.

In the 2021–22 legislative session, Wolgamott was an assistant majority leader for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party House Caucus. He was sworn in as speaker pro tempore of the House on January 3, 2023. Wolgamott is the vice chair of the Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee and sits on the Capital Investment, Labor and Industry Finance and Policy, and Rules and Legislative Administration Committees.

Personal life

Wolgamott has two children. He resides in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Legal issues

On January 9, 2021, Wolgamott's vehicle was found abandoned in a yard in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Police investigated, noted the roads were icy at the time, and cited Wolgamott with a misdemeanor for abandoning his vehicle on private property without the property owner's consent.[6] [7]

On July 7, 2023, Wolgamott was arrested in Kanabec County, Minnesota, for driving while intoxicated.[8] Two weeks later, surveillance video from a liquor store showed Wolgamott drinking from a bottle of alcohol in the parking lot before getting in his car and driving away. After blood test results showed a blood alcohol content of 0.09, above Minnesota's legal limit of 0.08, he was charged with two counts of driving while intoxicated on August 7, 2023.[9] He pleaded guilty in September 2023 and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wolgamott, Dan . Minnesota Legislative Reference Library . November 8, 2018 . en.
  2. Web site: From private colleges to state capitol . 2023-08-08 . www.mnprivatecolleges.org . en-US.
  3. Web site: Dan Wolgamott - Football . 2023-08-08 . Saint John's University Athletics . en.
  4. Web site: State & Federal Results in Legislative District 14A . Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State . 11 July 2023 . 28 January 2015.
  5. Web site: 2016-12-07 . District 14 recount confirms Relph as winner, GOP to have Senate majority . 2023-02-16 . FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul . en-US.
  6. Web site: Gockowski . Anthony . 2023-07-14 . Wolgamott cited in 2021 for abandoning vehicle after crash . 2023-08-08 . Alpha News . en-US.
  7. Web site: Tribune . Ryan Faircloth Star . 'I take full responsibility': DFL state Rep. Dan Wolgamott apologizes for recent DWI arrest . 2023-08-08 . Star Tribune.
  8. Web site: State Representative Dan Wolgamott Arrested for DWI. 10 July 2023. 10 July 2023. MPR News.
  9. Web site: Tribune . Rochelle Olson Star . DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott charged with drunken driving . 2023-08-08 . Star Tribune.
  10. Web site: Altmann . Erik . 2023-09-14 . DFL Rep. Wolgamott sentenced for DWI . 2024-07-06 . KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News . en-US.