Roger Chamberlain

Roger Chamberlain
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 38th district
53rd district (2011–2013)
In office
January 4, 2011 – January 3, 2023
Preceded bySandy Rummel
Succeeded byHeather Gustafson
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAnnette
Children2
Residence(s)Lino Lakes, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma materNormandale Community College, Metropolitan State University

Roger C. Chamberlain (born January 14, 1963)[1][2] is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served four terms in the Minnesota Senate, representing District 53 from 2011 to 2013 and District 38 from 2014 to 2023.

Early life, education, and career[edit]

Chamberlain attended Normandale Community College in Bloomington, receiving his A.A.S. in law enforcement. He later earned a B.S. in accounting from Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul. He also served in the United States Navy and in the United States Army National Guard.[2][3]

Minnesota Senate[edit]

Chamberlain was first elected in 2010 from District 53,[2] defeating one-term DFL senator Sandy Rummel.[4] In 2012, 2016, and 2020, he was reelected,[5] representing District 38.[2] In his third term, he chaired the Senate Committee on Taxes.[2] In his fourth term, he chaired the Education Committee and was assistant majority leader.[6] In 2022, he lost reelection to Democratic nominee Heather Gustafson.[7][8]

Political positions[edit]

Abortion[edit]

Chamberlain opposes abortion. In 2016, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life gave him a 100% voting record.[9]

Social media[edit]

In 2020, Chamberlain drew attention to what he termed the addictive nature of social media, proposing a bill to require registration and annual fees for large social media companies to operate in Minnesota, and the creation of a social media impact fund.[10]

The Minnesota Reformer has criticized Chamberlain's own social media use, in 2020 for following and interacting with Bronze Age Pervert on Twitter and "liking" tweets about the book Bronze Age Mindset, which "argues that equality and human rights are unnatural",[11][12][13] and in 2021 for "liking" a tweet by radio host and conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson that read, "Retweet if you're pureblood." The Reformer wrote, "It's not clear whether Chamberlain liked the post because he's into pure bloodlines, or because he's an anti-vaxxer".[14]

Personal life[edit]

Chamberlain and his wife Annette live in Lino Lakes and have two children.[1][3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Senator Roger C. Chamberlain". Minnesota State Senate. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Chamberlain, Roger C." Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "MN State Senator Roger Chamberlain". Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Dohman, Chris (November 4, 2010). "Chamberlain and Runbeck bring change to SD53 & HD53A". Shoreview Post. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
  5. ^ "Chamberlain, Roger C." Minnesota Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  6. ^ Meitrodt, Jeffrey (April 4, 2022). "Minnesota education commissioner defends oversight of federal meals program". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Orenstein, Walker (November 18, 2022). "What 4 incoming majority-maker Senate DFLers are pushing at the Legislature". MinnPost. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  8. ^ Callaghan, Peter; Kaul, Greta (February 2, 2023). "Of 11 expensive campaigns for Legislature, DFL candidates won 9 with help from independent expenditures". MinnPost. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "2016 Legislative Accountability Rating by MCCL - 2016 Senate Votes". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016.
  10. ^ Nelson, Cody (February 13, 2020). "Minnesota lawmaker: Charge Facebook, Twitter for mental health impacts". Minnesota Public Radio.
  11. ^ Carroll, Logan (August 24, 2020). "A fascist manifesto is gaining fans on the right, including state Sen. Roger Chamberlain". Minnesota Reformer.
  12. ^ Carroll, Logan (January 4, 2022). "Minnesota lawmaker retweeted Denver shooter's promotion of neo-fascist book". Minnesota Reformer.
  13. ^ "Republicans Embrace Fascist and Antisemitic 'Alt-Right' Manifesto, Bronze Age Mindset". How to Fight Antisemitism. September 11, 2020.
  14. ^ Winter, Deena (November 24, 2021). "Sen. Chamberlain 'likes' tweet saying 'retweet if you're pureblood'". Minnesota Reformer.

External links[edit]