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Mary Kiffmeyer

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Mary Kiffmeyer
20th Secretary of State of Minnesota
In office
January 4, 1999 – January 1, 2007
GovernorJesse Ventura
Tim Pawlenty
Preceded byJoan Growe
Succeeded byMark Ritchie
President pro tempore of the Minnesota Senate
In office
January 7, 2019 – January 5, 2021
Preceded byWarren Limmer
Succeeded byDavid Tomassoni
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 30th district
In office
January 8, 2013 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byRedistricted
Succeeded byRedistricted
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 16B district
In office
January 6, 2009 – January 7, 2013
Preceded byMark Olson
Succeeded byRedistricted
Personal details
Born (1946-12-29) December 29, 1946 (age 77)
Rugby, North Dakota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseRalph Kiffmeyer
EducationSt. Gabriel's School of Nursing

Mary Kiffmeyer (born December 29, 1946) is an American politician. She served as Minnesota Secretary of State from 1999 to 2007 and went on to serve in the Minnesota legislature. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she previously represented District 30, which included parts of Hennepin, Sherburne, and Wright counties.

Early life

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The oldest of 14 children, Kiffmeyer was raised in Pierz, Minnesota.

Minnesota Secretary of State

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Kiffmeyer was elected secretary of state in November 1998, and was sworn into office on January 4, 1999. She was re-elected in November 2002. She was defeated for re-election in November 2006 by Mark Ritchie.

During Kiffmeyer's tenure, Minnesota was the highest voter turnout state for all 8 years as determined by Curtis Ganz of the Center for Democracy. In 2004, Minnesota had 77.7% voter turnout, the highest in the state since 1960. She transformed the Secretary of State website allowing users to find and get directions to their local precincts, and see who their local candidates are in the upcoming election through the "My Ballot" feature.[citation needed].

During Kiffmeyer's tenure, she convinced the legislature to establish the Safe At Home Program for victims of domestic violence who wanted to register to vote and keep their address private.

Minnesota Legislature

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Kiffmeyer was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2008 and re-elected in 2010, representing District 16B. In 2012, she was elected to the Minnesota Senate, representing District 30.[1] Kiffmeyer served as the President Pro Tem of the Minnesota Senate for two years.[2]

Electoral history

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  • Minnesota Senate 30th district election, 2020
    • Mary Kiffmeyer (Republican), 34714 (67.3%)
    • Diane Nguyen (DFL), 16861 (32.7%)
    • Write-in, 45 (0.1%)
  • Minnesota Senate 30th district election, 2016
    • Mary Kiffmeyer (Republican), 30484 (71.7%)
    • P.J. LaCroix (DFL), 11979 (28.2%)
    • Write-in, 49 (0.1%)
  • Minnesota Senate 30th district election, 2012[3]
    • Mary Kiffmeyer (Republican), 25205 (62.4%)
    • Paul Perovich (DFL), 15125 (37.5%)
    • Write-in, 58 (0.1%)
  • Minnesota House of Representatives 16B district election, 2010[4]
    • Mary Kiffmeyer (Republican), 13,254 (70.4%)
    • Tom Heyd (DFL), 5,563 (29.5%)
    • Write-in, 18 (0.1%)
  • Minnesota House of Representatives 16B district election, 2008[5]
    • Mary Kiffmeyer (Republican), 15,863 (63.5%)
    • Steve Andrews (DFL), 8,996 (36.0%)
    • Write-in, 114 (0.5%)
  • Minnesota secretary of state election, 2006[6]
    • Mark Ritchie (DFL), 1,049,432 (49.1%)
    • Mary Kiffmeyer (Republican), 943,989 (44.2%)
    • Bruce Kennedy (For Independent Voters), 78,522 (3.7%)
    • Joel Spoonheim (Independence), 64,489 (3.0%)
    • Write-in, 1,211 (0.1%)
  • Minnesota secretary of state election, 2002[7]
    • Mary Kiffmeyer (Republican), 1,040,739 (47.6%)
    • Buck Humphrey (DFL), 974,045 (44.5%)
    • Dean Alger (Independence), 104,799 (4.8%)
    • Andrew Koebrick (Green), 67,404 (3.1%)
    • Write-in, 1,253 (0.1%)
  • Minnesota secretary of state election, 1998[8]
    • Mary Kiffmeyer (Republican), 928,576 (46.8%)
    • Edwina Garcia (DFL), 818,236 (41.2%)
    • Alan Shilepsky (Reform), 192,997 (9.7%)
    • Kenneth Iverson (Libertarian), 44,663 (2.2%)
    • Write-in, 1,742 (0.1%)

Personal life

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Kiffmeyer lives near Big Lake, Minnesota with her husband, Ralph Kiffmeyer, a nurse anesthetist who served one term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. They have four children and 14 grandchildren.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record – Kiffmeyer, Mary". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  2. ^ "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  3. ^ "Results for State Senator District 30". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 24, 2013.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ "State Representative District: 16B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  5. ^ "All Races by Legislative District – Representative District: 16B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  6. ^ "Statewide Results for Secretary of State". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  7. ^ "Statewide Results for Secretary of State". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  8. ^ "Constitutional Offices and Constitutional Amendments". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  9. ^ "Mary Kiffmeyer". Minnesota Legislators Past and Present. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
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Party political offices
Preceded by
Richard Kimbler
 Republican nominee for Minnesota Secretary of State
1998, 2002, 2006 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Minnesota
1999–2007 		Succeeded by
Minnesota House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 16B district
2009–2013 		Redistricted
Minnesota Senate
Redistricted Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 30th district
2013–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by President pro tempore of the Minnesota Senate
2019–2021 		Succeeded by
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