Gil Gutknecht

Gilbert William "Gil" Gutknecht, Jr. was a Republican member of the U. S. House of Representatives representing Minnesota's First Congressional District from 1995 to 2007. He was defeated in the 2006 congressional elections by Democrat Timothy Walz.

Bio
Gutknecht was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa on March 20, 1951. He graduated with a degree in business from the University of Northern Iowa. He was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1982 to 1994 before entering Congress. He has announced plans to run for re-election in 2006, despite a vow when first elected that he would never serve more than twelve years.

Iraq War
Gutknecht voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

2006 elections
In 2006, Democrats nominated Timothy Walz to face Gutknecht in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Walz defeated Gutknecht 53% to 47% to take possession of the seat. 

Controversy
Gutknecht pledged to serve no more than six terms in Congress during his initial campaign in 1994. He broke the pledge, however, when he opted to seek a seventh term in 2006. 

(See Congresspedia page on term limits in Congress)

Committees in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs
 * Subcommittee on Department Operations Oversight Dairy Nutrition and Forestry - Chair
 * House Committee on Government Reform
 * Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Drug Policy and Human Resources
 * Subcommittee on Government Management Finance and Accountability
 * House Committee on Science
 * Subcommittee on Research
 * Subcommittee on Environment Technology and Standards

Resources

 * Official website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Articles

 * Jonathan Weisman and Anushka Asthana, "GOP Lawmakers Edge Away From Optimism on Iraq," Washington Post, July 20, 2006.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Bluestem Prairie: News from Minnesota's First Congressional district
 * Centrisity
 * Inside Minnesota Politics
 * Minnesota Campaign Report
 * MN Publius.com

Contact
DC Office: 425 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2301 Phone: 202-225-2472 Fax: 202-225-3246 Email: gil AT mail.house.gov Web Email Website

District Office - Fairmont: 109 East Second Street Fairmont, MN 56031 Phone: 507-238-2835 Fax: 507-238-1405

District Office - Rochester: 1530 Greenview Drive Southwest, Suite 108 Rochester, MN 55902 Phone: 507-252-9841 TollFree: 800-862-8632 Fax: 507-252-9915