Ron Erhardt (politician)

Ron Erhardt is a State Representative in the Minnesota House of Representatives, serving Edina, in Hennepin County, for 18 years in the Minnesota Legislature. Until July of 2008, Erhardt had been a registered Republican and had always ran as a Republican. For nine terms he has won by landslide victories averaging 60% even in years when other Republicans did poorly. Minnesota District 41A during this time has gone from Republican leaning to DFL (Democratic Party in Minnesota) leaning having supported Democrats John Kerry in the 2004 election and Amy Klobuchar for US Senate in 2006. Traditionally one-third of Erhardt's votes are crossover votes from those who voted for Democrats in other races.

In the Minnesota Legislature, Erhardt serves on these House committees: Transportation Policy (Vice-Chairman), Taxes, Transportation Finance, and Ways and Means.

Republican Endorsed Erhardt was originally elected to the House in 1990, and re-elected in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. In 2008 Rep. Erhardt is running for re-election as a Moderate Independent. The Republican party was upset with Erhardt and five other Republican House members for helping over-ride Governor Pawlenty's veto of the Transportation bill.

* Member: Citizens League Edina Chamber of Commerce
* Board of Management - Southdale YMCA
* Westminister Presbyterian Church - Edina Parish Leader
* National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors
* Society of Financial Service Professionals
* Ducks Unlimited
* University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts Alumni Society (Past Director)
* Edina Rotary

Political views and voting record

Rep. Erhardt has been a moderate Republican, acting as a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. Rep. Erhardt bases his positions and votes on the predominant views of the voters of his district in Edina, Minnesota, as stated on his website. To do this, Erhardt annually knocks on every door in his district and runs a legislative poll of his constituents on major issues. He then sends an annual report of these items to every household. As a leader on various committees and many important House - Senate conference committees, Erhardt negotiates compromises. As a result Erhardt, who will be the most senior member of the Minnesota House, has received countless awards from a wide variety of organizations (see ronerhardt.com website). Erhardt believes that he should concentrate on the effective running of state government and its infrastructure.

In 2008, Erhardt was the subject of the news when he, along with five other Republicans in the Minnesota House of Representatives, voted with House Democrats for a successful override of Governor Tim Pawlenty's veto of a statewide transportation bill. Erhardt had been instrumental in the drafting of the bill. The bill included a graduated increase in the gas tax dedicated to highway and bridge repair and construction. It also gave metro counties the option of increasing by 0.15%the sales tax to fund transit projects, an option later approved in 5 of the 7 metro area counties. The legislature's veto override vote was the first successful veto override of Pawlenty's administration. Supporters of the bill, including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Transportation Alliance, argued that an increase in funding was needed for highways and transit, especially after the nationally mourned Highway 35W bridge collapse. The flat gas tax had not been increased since 1988. Critics of the bill, including Governor Pawlenty, opposed any tax increase and also opposed investment in mass transit.

Erhardt explains his vote to override the veto by pointing out that 61% of his constituents in Edina supported the bill. After the override, an overwheliming number of his constituents thanked him for his action.

The local Republican party failed to endorse him following the transportation vote. He subsequently chose to run as a Moderate Independent in 2008.

On August 1, 2008, Representative Ron Erhardt was featured as part of a one-year Associated Press commerative [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hrWiW0YTdAT40noQHr5F6ypOh34gD929DDHO2 news article section entitled "THE STATE REPRESENTATIVE"] that was published in thousands of publications around the world about the August 1, 2007 collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis Minnesota. An AP reporter familiar with Erhardt from the from the Minnesota State Capitol revealed the publicly unknown story that Erhardt, then chairman of the Minnesota House Transportation Finance Committee under Republican House control, was one of those that had rushed to help when the bridge collapsed.