Jerry Behn

Jerry Behn
Member of the Iowa Senate from the 24th district 40th (1997-2003)
Incumbent
Assumed office January 13, 1997
Preceded by	Albert Sorensen
Personal details
Born	January 31, 1954 (1954-01-31) (age 57) Boone County, Iowa
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Denise
Children	4 children
Residence	Boone, Iowa
Occupation	Farmer/Agribusiness
Website	Behn's website

Jerry Behn (born January 31, 1954) is the Iowa State Senator from the 24th District and Assistant Majority Leader in the Iowa Senate. A Republican, he has served in the Iowa Senate since 1997, and served as a Boone County Supervisor from 1995 to 1996.^[1]

Behn currently serves on several committees in the Iowa Senate - the Appropriations committee; the Commerce committee; the State Government committee; the Environment & Energy Independence committee, where he is the ranking member, and the Ethics committee, where he is the ranking member. He also serves on the Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee.

Behn was last re-elected in 2008 with 22,970 votes (57%), defeating Democratic opponent, former Iowa Senator Albert Sorensen.^[2]

Behn was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 2010 but withdrew, endorsing Terry Branstad.^[3][4] His platform included promoting fiscal restraint, preserving right-to-work, and allowing Iowans to vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. He called for voters to vote against retention for those Iowa Supreme Court justices who decided that Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional in Varnum v. Brien.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Jerry Behn". Iowa Senate Republicans. http://www.iowasenaterepublicans.org/Behn%20Pages/Behn.htm. 
2. ^ "State of Iowa Official Canvass Summary: November 4, 2008 General Election" (PDF). Michael A. Mauro, Iowa Secretary of State. http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/elections/2008/OfficialCanvass2008General.pdf. 
3. ^ http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=52FB7BEF-5056-B82A-37C80A606A0CB6E2
4. ^ http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2009/12/22/behn-out-in-gop-governor-race-backs-branstad/
5. ^ http://www.qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/iowa/article_42cb8120-9193-11de-88e8-001cc4c002e0.html

External links

• Senator Jerry Behn official Iowa Legislature site
• Senator Jerry Behn official Iowa General Assembly site
• Senator Jerry Behn at Iowa Senate Republican Caucus
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics

Iowa Senate
Preceded by Albert Sorensen	40th District January 13, 1997 – January 13, 2003	Succeeded by Richard Drake
Preceded by Richard Drake	24th District January 13, 2003 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Behn, Jerry
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	January 31, 1954
Place of birth	Boone County, Iowa
Date of death
Place of death