Pam Altendorf | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 20A district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 17, 1972 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kevin |
| Children | 5 |
| Residence | Red Wing, Minnesota |
| Education | University of Minnesota |
| Occupation |
|
| Website | Government website Campaign website |
Pam Altendorf (born November 17, 1972) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Altendorf represents District 20A in southeastern Minnesota, which includes the cities of Red Wing, Lake City and Cannon Falls, and parts of Dakota, Goodhue, and Wabasha Counties.[1][2]
Altendorf was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. She first ran after legislative redistricting.[1] Altendorf defeated Jesse Johnson in a contested Republican primary. She was characterized as the anti-establishment candidate due to business groups' support of Johnson.[3][4] Altendorf was endorsed by far-right representative Steve Drazkowski, who ran for the district's seat in the Minnesota Senate.[3][4][5]
Altendorf serves on the Climate and Energy Finance and Policy, Education Finance, and Elections Finance and Policy Committees.[1]
Altendorf said her top issues while running were medical freedom and election integrity. She has spoken at local anti-vaccine groups' rallies.[6][7] She is pro-life and has said that legislation the Minnesota House passed to codify the right to an abortion would make Minnesota "the most extreme state on abortion laws".[8]
Altendorf has opposed legislation that would create a paid family and medical leave program that would provide partial pay to workers for up to 20 weeks as well as a law that ensured all workers would earn one hour of time off for every 30 hours worked, which she said is "vilifying small businesses... and killing our economy".[9][10] She opposed legislation requiring Minnesota high schools to offer an ethnic studies course, saying it would further divide the country.[11]
Altendorf has claimed that energy and elections bills the Minnesota Legislature passed in 2023 were "truly unconstitutional" and would lead to lawsuits, including a law requiring financial disclosure by groups involved in campaigning.[12] She opposed legislation that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, saying it would open up elections to "more questioning, more scrutiny, and people feeling like this is not secure".[13] She opposed legislation requiring the state's utilities to move to carbon-free electricity by 2040.[14]
Altendorf supported legislation that would crack down on the use of deepfakes, audio and videos created by artificial intelligence, when they are used to influence elections or used to distribute fake sexual images of someone without their consent.[15]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pam Altendorf | 2,898 | 51.81 | |
| Republican | Jesse Johnson | 2,695 | 48.19 | |
| Total votes | 5,593 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pam Altendorf | 10,607 | 51.79 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Laurel Stinson | 7,698 | 37.59 | |
| Minnesota Independent Party | Roger Kittelson | 2,158 | 10.54 | |
| Write-in | 18 | 0.09 | ||
| Total votes | 20,481 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Altendorf lives in Red Wing, Minnesota, with her husband, Kevin, and has five children. Her second cousin is Brian Pfarr, who has served in the Minnesota House since 2021.[1]