30 Facts About Michelle Fischbach

Michelle Louise Helene Fischbach is an American attorney and politician who is the US representative from Minnesota's 7th congressional district.

Michelle Fischbach was a member of the Minnesota Senate from 1996 to 2018.

When Dayton appointed Tina Smith to the US Senate after Al Franken's resignation, Michelle Fischbach became the lieutenant governor of Minnesota under the Minnesota Constitution.

Michelle Fischbach served as lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2019.

Michelle Fischbach earned her JD from William Mitchell School of Law in Saint Paul in 2011.

Michelle Fischbach first got involved in politics as an intern to Rudy Boschwitz, the then-incumbent US Senator from Minnesota.

In 1994, Michelle Fischbach became the first woman elected to the Paynesville City Council, where she served until she was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1996.

Michelle Fischbach was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1996 in a special election held after the resignation of DFL Senator Joe Bertram, who had recently pleaded guilty to shoplifting.

Michelle Fischbach was reelected months later in the 1996 general election, and in 2000,2002,2006,2010,2012, and 2016.

Michelle Fischbach served as an assistant minority leader from 2001 to 2002 and from 2007 to 2008, and as a deputy minority leader from 2009 to 2010.

Michelle Fischbach served as the chair of the Senate's higher education committee.

In 2011, after an election in which Senate Republicans won a majority for the first time since party designation, Michelle Fischbach's colleagues elected her the first female president of the Minnesota Senate, a post she held until Republicans lost their majority in 2013.

Per Article V of the Minnesota Constitution, as president of the State Senate, Michelle Fischbach automatically ascended as lieutenant governor.

Michelle Fischbach noted a memo from the Senate's nonpartisan counsel, which cited an 1898 Minnesota Supreme Court decision as legal precedent for her to hold both offices.

Michelle Fischbach said the lieutenant governor's duties are largely ceremonial and she would have no difficulty holding both offices.

Michelle Fischbach declined the lieutenant governor's salary, opting to receive only the pay of a state senator.

An advisory opinion from state attorney general Lori Swanson disputed the legality of Michelle Fischbach's holding both offices at once, citing a 1972 constitutional amendment and other historical precedents.

In December 2017, to avoid a potential tie should Michelle Fischbach resign her Senate seat, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and House Speaker Kurt Daudt sent Dayton a letter requesting a special legislative session to temporarily elect a Democratic president of the Senate.

In January 2018, a constituent and local DFL activist filed suit against Michelle Fischbach, asking a Ramsey County District Court judge to remove her from the state Senate.

On May 25,2018, Michelle Fischbach resigned from the Senate and was sworn in as lieutenant governor.

Pawlenty and Michelle Fischbach were defeated in the Republican primary by Jeff Johnson and Donna Bergstrom.

Michelle Fischbach was succeeded as lieutenant governor by Democrat Peggy Flanagan, running mate of Tim Walz, who was sworn in on January 7,2019.

On September 3,2019, Michelle Fischbach announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination to challenge 30-year incumbent Democrat Collin Peterson in Minnesota's 7th congressional district.

Michelle Fischbach's campaign emphasized her support for farmers and the Second Amendment, opposition to abortion, and support for strengthening the US border.

Michelle Fischbach defeated Peterson by 49,226 votes, the largest margin of any Republican who defeated an incumbent Democrat in 2020.

On January 7,2021, Michelle Fischbach was one of 139 representatives to object to the certification of electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania in the 2020 US presidential election, citing allegations of irregularities and voter fraud.

In September 2021, Michelle Fischbach was among 75 House Republicans to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which contains a provision that would require women to be drafted.

Michelle Fischbach met her husband, Scott, while working on a campaign for former US Senator Rudy Boschwitz.

When Michelle Fischbach ran for Congress she still lived in Paynesville, but she and her family have since moved to Regal.

Michelle Fischbach's husband has served as executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life since 2001.