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Jim Abeler

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jim Abeler
Member of theMinnesota Senate
from the35thdistrict
Assumed office
February 22, 2016
Preceded byBranden Petersen
Member of theMinnesota House of Representatives
from the35Adistrict
48B (2003-2013),49A (1999-2003)
In office
January 5, 1999 – January 5, 2015
Preceded byCharlie Weaver
Succeeded byAbigail Whelan
Personal details
Born(1954-05-18)May 18, 1954(age 70)
Minneapolis,Minnesota,U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBarb
Children6
Residence(s)Anoka, Minnesota,U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota
Hamline University
Northwestern College of Chiropractic
OccupationChiropractor

James J. Abeler II(/ˈblər/AY-blər;[1]born May 18, 1954) is aMinnesotapolitician and member of theMinnesota Senate.A member of theRepublican Party of Minnesota,he represents District 35 in the northernTwin Citiesmetropolitan area. He formerly represented District 35A in theMinnesota House of Representatives.

Early life and education

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Abeler was born inMinneapolis.He graduated fromAnoka High SchoolinAnoka,then attended theUniversity of MinnesotaandHamline UniversityinSaint Paul.[2]He earned hisD.C.fromNorthwestern College of ChiropracticinBloomingtonin 1979. In the late 1990s, he founded PACT Charter School in Anoka.[3]

Minnesota Legislature

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Minnesota House of Representatives

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Abeler was first elected to theMinnesota House of Representativesin 1998 and was reelected every two years until 2014, when he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Before the 2002 legislativeredistricting,he represented the old District 49A. He chaired the Health Policy and Finance Subcommittee for the Health Care Cost Containment Division during the 2005-06 biennium.[4]

Minnesota Senate

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Abeler won election to theMinnesota Senatein aspecial electionon February 9, 2016 and took office on February 22.[4]In 2022, he gained notoriety for unwittingly approving a DFL-sponsored bill thatlegalized THC edibles derived from hemp.[5][6][7][8]

2014 U.S. Senate campaign

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Abeler was a candidate in the 2014U.S. Senateelection in Minnesota.[9]He lost the Republican nomination toMike McFadden.

Political stances

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Abeler formed the MN Autism Council in 2018. He was subsequently criticized for appointing Wayne Rohde, cofounder of the Vaccine Safety Council of Minnesota, to the council in 2019. Rohde is a prominent vaccine skeptic and an executive for Health Choice, which advocates for health conditions in children "caused by side effects of vaccine choices."[10]

During theCOVID-19 pandemic,in November 2020, Abeler opened a bar called Nucky's Speakeasy as a co-owner. He had owned theAnokabuilding in which it opened since 1994. The bar was named afterAtlantic Cityracketeer Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson.[11]

Personal life

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Abeler is married to Barb and they have six children. He is aBaptistand achiropractor.[4]

References

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  1. ^"Senate Members' Pronunciation".Minnesota Legislature.RetrievedAugust 23,2024.
  2. ^Anoka Lawmaker Hoping For A Successful Rookie YearMinnesota Legislative Reference Library Session Weekly, January 15, 1999
  3. ^Belden, Doug -Anoka Republican Jim Abeler wades into Senate race.TwinCities Pioneer Press, June 17, 2013
  4. ^abc"Abeler, Jim".Legislators Past & Present.Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.RetrievedFebruary 22,2016.
  5. ^Faircloth, Ryan -Edibles, beverages infused with cannabis ingredient THC become legal Friday in Minnesota.Star Tribune, June 30, 2022
  6. ^Faircloth, Ryan -New edible cannabis law catches some Minnesota regulators, lawmakers by surprise.Star Tribune, July 1, 2022
  7. ^Derosier, Alex -Cannabis edibles containing psychoactive THC now legal in MinnesotaTwinCities Pioneer Press, June 30, 2022
  8. ^Bornhoft, William -Did Minnesota Just Accidentally Legalize THC-Laced Edibles?.MSN Patch, July 1, 2022
  9. ^Pugmire, Tim and Tom Scheck (June 18, 2013)."State Rep. Abeler running for US Senate".Minnesota Public Radio.RetrievedJune 18,2013.
  10. ^Mole, Beth (January 25, 2019)."Anti-vaccine advocates appointed to Minnesota autism council after measles outbreak".Ars Technica.RetrievedOctober 29,2022.
  11. ^Hyatt, Kim (December 10, 2020)."Republican legislator opened speakeasy days before shutdown".Star Tribune.RetrievedOctober 29,2022.
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