1. Martin John "Marty" Seifert was born on April 23,1972 and is a former Republican Minority Leader and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
25 Facts About Marty Seifert
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Marty Seifert represented District 21A, a predominantly rural district in southwestern Minnesota that includes portions of Lyon, Redwood and Yellow Medicine counties, and the cities of Marshall and Redwood Falls.
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Marty Seifert served on the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee and was an ex officio member of the House Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.
4.
On June 3,2009, Marty Seifert announced that he was stepping down from his position as minority leader to run for governor of Minnesota.
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On February 2,2010, Marty Seifert won a statewide straw poll of Republican voters attending their precinct caucuses.
6.
On February 18,2010, Marty Seifert announced that Rhonda Sivarajah would be his running mate for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.
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Marty Seifert went into the 2010 State Republican Convention in a close battle with Tom Emmer, but fell behind on the first ballot.
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Marty Seifert kept a low profile for the remainder of the gubernatorial race.
9.
Marty Seifert eventually became the executive director of the Avera Marshall Foundation, raising millions of dollars to construct and equip a new cancer facility for southwest Minnesota.
10.
In 2014 Marty Seifert had indicated that he was not interested in running against incumbent US Senator Al Franken, but did not rule out challenging incumbent Democratic Governor Mark Dayton.
11.
Marty Seifert resisted all calls to re-enter politics until late 2012.
12.
Marty Seifert was not listed among the candidates on either ballot, but a supporter organized a grassroots effort to have delegates write Marty Seifert's name on the gubernatorial ballot.
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Marty Seifert said that he would announce his decision by Thanksgiving.
14.
On 12 November 2013, GOP sources confirmed that Marty Seifert will seek the Republican nomination for governor in the 2014 election.
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Marty Seifert joins a crowded GOP field of several candidates, two of whom have vowed to run in the primary regardless of who receives the endorsement at the state convention.
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Marty Seifert himself has hinted that he plans to enter the primary election with or without the party endorsement.
17.
Marty Seifert made his official campaign announcement on 21 November 2013 and launched his campaign website the previous day.
18.
Marty Seifert emerged as a top tier candidate on the night of the Minnesota Republican precinct caucuses.
19.
At the Minnesota GOP State Convention in Rochester on May 31,2014, Marty Seifert lost the GOP endorsement to Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson.
20.
Marty Seifert attended college at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.
21.
Marty Seifert is a member of the Southwest State University Alumni Association, and a former member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees.
22.
Marty Seifert is married to Traci and has two children.
23.
Marty Seifert is a former government and history teacher at Marshall Senior High School, and admissions counselor at Southwest Minnesota State University.
24.
Marty Seifert worked in real estate, owning Marty Seifert Properties and is the former executive director of the Avera Marshall Foundation.
25.
Marty Seifert continues to own and operate Seifert Properties, LLC and is a member on the board of directors for three different companies.