Aric Putnam

Aric Putnam ( ; born July 7, 1972) is an American politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 14, which includes parts of Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties in central Minnesota.

Early life, education, and career Putnam was born on Andrews Air Force Base while his father fought in the Vietnam War. After returning, his family moved to California, where he grew up. After graduating from high school, Putnam earned his B.A. at San Francisco State University. He later moved to Maine, where he completed his M.A. at the University of Maine. In the late 1990s, Putnam moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he completed his PhD at the University of Minnesota. He has been a professor of communications at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University since 2003.

Minnesota State Senate Putnam was elected in 2020, defeating incumbent Republican Jerry Relph, who died after the election. Putnam was reelected in 2022, beating state representative Tama Theis by roughly 5.5 points.

Putnam lost to Theis in the 2016 and 2018 elections for Minnesota House of Representatives District 14A.

Putnam serves on the following committees:

Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development (chair) Higher Education (vice chair) Housing and Homelessness Prevention Taxes

Electoral history