From 1983 until 1995, this member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party served Minnesota's first congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Also a writer, he published The 15 Biggest Lies in Politics, Common Cents, and other works.
After graduating from Winona State University with a political science bachelor's degree, he was elected to the Minnesota State Senate.
In 2002, he transferred his allegiance from the DFL Party to the Independence Party and launched an unsuccessful Minnesota gubernatorial campaign.
He raised his four children in Owatonna and Waseca, Minnesota.
He and fellow DFL Party member Tim Walz both represented Minnesota's 1st district in the United States Congress (Walz began his congressional term in 2007).