Pat Shortridge

Pat Shortridge
Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota
In office
December 31, 2011 – April 6, 2013
Preceded by Tony Sutton
Succeeded by Keith Downey
Personal details
Born Winona, Minnesota
Political party Republican Party of Minnesota
Alma mater Macalester College
Occupation lobbyist

Pat Shortridge is a Minnesota lobbyist, former Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota and founder of Conservative Solutions Project.

Early life and education

Shortridge was born in Winona, Minnesota. He attended Macalester College.[1]

Political career

After graduating from Macalester College, Shortridge became an intern, then paid staffer, of Texas Representative Dick Armey,[1] eventually working for him for eleven years.[2] He left Armey's employment in 2001 to become a lobbyist for Enron, a position he held for approximately six months before the company went into bankruptcy as a result of the Enron scandal.[1][3]

After the brief position at Enron, Shortridge returned to Minnesota to work for Representative Mark Kennedy for five years.[2] He ran Kennedy's campaign in the 2006 senate election, which Kennedy lost by over 20 percentage points to DFL candidate Amy Klobuchar.[4]

In 2011, Minnesota Republican chairman Tony Sutton abruptly departed among controversy.[5][6] Shortridge was elected by 350 party delegates at a meeting on December 31 in St. Cloud, Minnesota over two other candidates.[4] The Republican Party of Minnesota faced a debt of over $2 million at the time of Shortridge's election, which he managed to reduce significantly during his first year as chairman.[7] He has insisted that he would only serve out the remainder of Sutton's term which expires on April 6, 2013, when party delegates will select a new chair.[8] He was succeeded by Keith Downey.[9]

Personal life

Shortridge resides in Lino Lakes, Minnesota.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Minnesota's new GOP chair thinks ideas can trump turmoil". StarTribune.com. 2012-01-08. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  2. 1 2 "True North - Pat Shortridge". Looktruenorth.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  3. ↑ The Big E (2011-12-21). "Former Enron lobbyist Pat Shortridge perfect for MN GOP Party Chair". Mnprogressiveproject.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  4. 1 2 "Pat Shortridge elected Minn. GOP Chair after party's tumultuous year | Minnesota Public Radio News". Minnesota.publicradio.org. 2011-12-31. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  5. ↑ http://www.mprnews.org/story/2012/01/19/minnesota-republican-party-finances. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ http://www.startribune.com/gop-activists-are-questioning-state-chairman/121678049/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ "MNGOP debt shrinks, but turmoil persists". Politics in Minnesota. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  8. ↑ Brucato, Cyndy (2013-03-19). "Farewell event for GOP Chair Pat Shortridge is part tribute, part party critique". MinnPost. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  9. ↑ Stassen-Berger, Rachel E. (April 6, 2013). "Minnesota Republican Party elects a new chair". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
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