Role Politician Name Abigail Whelan | Religion Christian Occupation legislator | |
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Residence Anoka, Minnesota, United States | ||
Rep. Abigail Whelan (R-Ramsey) on not seeking re-election in 2018
Abigail Whelan (born January 13, 1988) is an American politician from Minnesota and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she represents District 35A, which includes a portion of Anoka County, Minnesota.
Contents
- Rep Abigail Whelan R Ramsey on not seeking re election in 2018
- Education and career
- Elections
- Tenure
- Committee assignments
- Political positions
- Controversies
- References
Education and career
Whelan graduated from Anoka High School in 2006. She attended the University of Minnesota where she majored in political science and history and minored in economics. During her time there, she studied abroad in England and traveled extensively through Europe. She earned her degree in 2010. After working for a time at the Minnesota Legislature, Whelan returned to the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs on a scholarship and earned her master's degree in public policy in 2013. From September 2012 until May 2013, Whelan worked as a Research/Teaching Assistant. Before the 2014 election, Whelan worked locally with a home health care agency in business development.
Elections
Whelan was elected on November 4, 2014 defeating the (DFL) nominee, Peter Perovich, by 20.09% or 2616 votes.
Tenure
Whelan was sworn in on January 6, 2015.
Committee assignments
For the 89th Legislative Session, Backer is a part of:
Political positions
Whelan has declined to participate in Vote Smart.
Controversies
In April 2016, Whelan demonstrated support for North Carolina's controversial bathroom bill, and discusses her opposition to gender fluidity, which she called evil and "one of the biggest problems". The interviewer and her cite a debunked study from the American College of Pediatrics, a socially conservative advocacy group formed in 2002 to opposed gay rights. Whelan states, "Because as you also said, we know that confusing children is a form of child abuse."
In May 2017, fellow representative Paul Thissen asked Whelan whether she believes that it is worth raising taxes on constituents in order to protect Minnesota corporations who use tax havens to avoid paying taxes. She avoided the question, instead discussing "the games that we play here" and then inviting peers and constituents to discuss religion with her.