Jim Knoblach
Jim Knoblach is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 14B in central Minnesota.
Early life and education
Knoblach was born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He attended local public schools and graduated from Apollo High School in 1976. He attended St. Cloud State University and Saint John's University, graduating in 1979 with a B.S. in economics and business administration. He also obtained a Certified Public Accountant license in 1979. He was then accepted at Harvard Business School, where he graduated with a M.B.A. in 1981. He later attended Georgetown University, graduating with a M.A. in American government in 1987, and also interned with U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger.Minnesota House of Representatives
Knoblach was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1994 and served until early 2007 after declining to run in the 2006 election. During his years in office Knoblach chaired the House Capital Investment Committee for two terms and the House Ways and Means Committee for two terms. Knoblach also chaired the House Republican Election Committee from 1997 to 2001. Knoblach was also an Assistant Majority Leader from 1998 to 2002.In 2006, Knoblach ran for the Republican nomination for Minnesota's 6th congressional district and sought the party endorsement, but came in second of four to Michele Bachmann, who was then elected to Congress later that year. In 2014, Knoblach ran for State Representative in a different, more Democratic-leaning district, and narrowly defeated incumbent Zach Dorholt of District 14B, in what was then the most expensive State Representative race in Minnesota history. Knoblach was then named to again chair the House Ways and Means Committee.