Bobby Joe Champion

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Bobby Joe Champion
Image of Bobby Joe Champion

Democratic Party

Minnesota State Senate District 59
Tenure

2013 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

11

Prior offices
Minnesota House of Representatives District 58B

Compensation

Base salary

$51,750/year

Per diem

$86/day

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Macalester College

Law

William Mitchell College of Law

Personal
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook 

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Bobby Joe Champion (Democratic Party) is a member of the Minnesota State Senate, representing District 59. He assumed office on January 8, 2013. His current term ends on January 5, 2027.

Champion (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Minnesota State Senate to represent District 59. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Champion began serving as Senate president in January 2023.[1]

Champion was a 2018 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota. He suspended his campaign on June 11, 2018. Champion's name still appeared on the ballot.[2]

Champion served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 58B from 2009 to 2013.

Biography

Champion earned his B.A. in political science from Macalester College, and his J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law. His professional experience includes working as a practicing attorney, Assistant Attorney General, and attorney for the Legal Rights Center; and in the music industry for Flyte Tyme Productions.[3]

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Champion was assigned to the following committees:

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2021-2022

Champion was assigned to the following committees:

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2019-2020

Champion was assigned to the following committees:

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2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Minnesota committee assignments, 2017
• Capital Investment
• Commerce and Consumer Protection
• Finance
• Jobs and Economic Growth

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Champion served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Champion served on the following committees:

Minnesota committee assignments, 2013
• Capital Investment
• Finance, Vice chair
• Transportation and Public Safety

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Champion served on the following committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Champion served on the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2022

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Minnesota State Senate District 59

Incumbent Bobby Joe Champion won election in the general election for Minnesota State Senate District 59 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bobby Joe Champion
Bobby Joe Champion (D)
 
98.3
 
22,806
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.7
 
399

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 23,205
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Bobby Joe Champion advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 59.

Campaign finance

2020

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Minnesota State Senate District 59

Incumbent Bobby Joe Champion defeated Paul Anderson in the general election for Minnesota State Senate District 59 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bobby Joe Champion
Bobby Joe Champion (D)
 
82.1
 
33,810
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Paul Anderson (R)
 
17.7
 
7,300
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
91

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 41,201
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 59

Incumbent Bobby Joe Champion defeated Suleiman Isse in the Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 59 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bobby Joe Champion
Bobby Joe Champion
 
77.1
 
11,639
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Suleiman Isse
 
22.9
 
3,463

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 15,102
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 59

Paul Anderson advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 59 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Paul Anderson
 
100.0
 
841

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 841
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance

2018

See also: Minnesota's 5th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 5

Ilhan Omar defeated Jennifer Zielinski in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar (D)
 
78.0
 
267,703
Image of Jennifer Zielinski
Jennifer Zielinski (R)
 
21.7
 
74,440
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
1,215

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 343,358
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar
 
48.2
 
65,237
Image of Margaret Kelliher
Margaret Kelliher
 
30.4
 
41,156
Image of Patricia Torres Ray
Patricia Torres Ray
 
13.0
 
17,629
Image of Jamal Abdulahi
Jamal Abdulahi
 
3.7
 
4,984
Image of Bobby Joe Champion
Bobby Joe Champion
 
2.8
 
3,831
Image of Frank Nelson Drake
Frank Nelson Drake Candidate Connection
 
1.8
 
2,480

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 135,317
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5

Jennifer Zielinski defeated Christopher Chamberlin and Bob Carney Jr. in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jennifer Zielinski
Jennifer Zielinski
 
56.5
 
8,680
Image of Christopher Chamberlin
Christopher Chamberlin
 
32.5
 
4,999
Image of Bob Carney Jr.
Bob Carney Jr.
 
11.0
 
1,688

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 15,367
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Minnesota State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016.

Incumbent Bobby Joe Champion defeated Jennifer Carnahan in the Minnesota State Senate District 59 general election.[4][5]

Minnesota State Senate, District 59 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Bobby Joe Champion Incumbent 77.90% 27,541
     Republican Jennifer Carnahan 22.10% 7,814
Total Votes 35,355
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State


Incumbent Bobby Joe Champion defeated Patwin Lawrence in the Minnesota State Senate District 59 Democratic primary.[6][7]

Minnesota State Senate, District 59 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Bobby Joe Champion Incumbent 81.99% 4,020
     Democratic Patwin Lawrence 18.01% 883
Total Votes 4,903


Jennifer Carnahan ran unopposed in the Minnesota State Senate District 59 Republican primary.[6][7]

Minnesota State Senate, District 59 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Jennifer Carnahan  (unopposed)

2012

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2012

In November 2011, Champion announced he would run for state Senate District 58 in 2012. Current DFL incumbent Linda Higgins announced she would not seek re-election. Champion was unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 14 and defeated Jim Lilly (R) in the general election on November 6.[8][9]

Minnesota State Senate, District 59, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBobby Champion 82.4% 28,411
     Republican Jim Lilly 17.6% 6,082
Total Votes 34,493

2010

See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2010

Champion won re-election to the District 58B seat in 2010. He had no primary opposition. He defeated Gary Mazzotta (R) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[10]

Minnesota House of Representatives, District 58B (2010)
Candidates Votes Percent
Green check mark transparent.png Bobby Joe Champion (DFL) 6,990 80.79%
Gary Mazzotta (R) 1,636 18.91%
Write-In 26 0.3%

2008

On November 4, 2008, Champion won election to the District 58B Seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, defeating Yoman Brunson, Roger Smithrud, and Ken Lawrence. [11]

Champion raised $19,919 for his campaign.[12]

Minnesota House of Representatives, District 58B (2008)
Candidates Votes Percent
Green check mark transparent.png Bobby Joe Champion (DFL) 11,960 80.36%
Yoman Brunson (R) 1,912 12.85%
Roger Smithrud (I) 939 6.31%
Write-In 70 0.47%
Ken Lawrence 2 0.01%

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bobby Joe Champion did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Bobby Joe Champion did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2012

Champion's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[13]

Jobs

  • Excerpt: "Boby (sic) Joe Champion is proud of his 96% lifetime voting record with the Minnesota AFL-CIO and is a strong voice for working families in the Minnesota legislature. Creating good jobs in our community is Bobby Joe Champion's top priority."

Education

  • Excerpt: "Quality public schools form the backbone of our community. The Minneapolis public schools continue to face challenges, many of them forced onto us by the state's unwillingness to properly fund our schools. Bobby Joe Champion is an advocate for early childhood education programs, keeping our North Minneapolis schools open, closing the achievement gap, lowering class sizes, and ensuring teachers have the resources they need to educate the diverse student population of our district."

Healthcare

  • Excerpt: "The federal health care law has made many important improvements in our health care system. Here in Minnesota, it has allowed us to insure 95,000 more Minnesotans. However, there are still more than 46 million Americans without health care insurance, and roughly 500,000 just in Minnesota."

Housing

  • Excerpt: "Home foreclosures continue to rip apart our neighborhoods in North Minneapolis. This is an issue that has affected everyone in North Minneapolis, whether you were foreclosed on, or if you have seen boarded up houses depress the value of your home. "

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Bobby Joe Champion campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2022Minnesota State Senate District 59Won general$20,600 $25,418
2020Minnesota State Senate District 59Won general$65,090 N/A**
2018U.S. House Minnesota District 5Lost primary$0 N/A**
2016Minnesota State Senate, District 59Won $79,342 N/A**
2012Minnesota Senate, District 59Won $37,034 N/A**
2010Massachusetts House, District 58BWon $16,994 N/A**
2008Massachusetts House, District 58BWon $19,919 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Minnesota

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Minnesota scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].


2023


2022


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012


2011

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Champion is married with three children. He has been the Director of Excelsior Choir (which he co-founded), Executive Director of the Midwest Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors, and Program Director of Social Spaces with Stairstep Initiative.

See also

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Candidate

Minnesota State Senate District 59

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Mshale, "Bobby Joe Champion becomes first Black president of the Minnesota Senate," November 14, 2022
    2. ↑ Star Tribune, "State Sen. Bobby Joe Champion suspends campaign for Ellison's congressional seat," June 11, 2018
    3. ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Champion
    4. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
    5. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 19, 2016
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings," accessed June 3, 2016
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Primary: Tuesday, August 9, 2016," accessed August 9, 2016
    8. ↑ Twin Cities Daily Planet, "Sen. Higgins won't run after 2012, Champion will," November 27, 2011
    9. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Canvassing Report - State Primary - Tuesday, August 14, 2012," accessed April 23, 2014
    10. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2010 Election Results," accessed March 9, 2014
    11. ↑ 2008 General Election Results
    12. ↑ Follow the Money's report on Joe Champion's 2008 campaign contributions
    13. ↑ "champion4change," Official Campaign Website

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    -     		Minnesota State Senate District 59
    2013-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -     		Minnesota House of Representatives District 58B
    2009-2013    		 Succeeded by
    -


    Current members of the Minnesota State Senate
    Leadership
    Senate President:Bobby Champion
    Majority Leader:Erin Murphy
    Minority Leader:Mark Johnson
    Senators
    District 1
    District 2
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    District 4
    Rob Kupec (D)
    District 5
    Paul Utke (R)
    District 6
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    District 11
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    District 13
    Jeff Howe (R)
    District 14
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    District 38
    Susan Pha (D)
    District 39
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    Ann Rest (D)
    District 44
    Tou Xiong (D)
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    Ron Latz (D)
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