Dick Cohen

Richard J. Cohen (born December 10, 1949) is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 64, which includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County.

Early life and education Cohen was born in Saint Paul and graduated from Highland Park High School. He earned his B.A. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul.

Minnesota Legislature Cohen was first elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 1976. He served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 63B and, after redistricting in 1982, for District 64B. He was elected senator for District 64 in 1986, gaining the lone Republican-held Senate seat within the Twin Cities. He was reelected in the 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2016 elections.

Cohen was chair of the Senate Finance Committee from 2003 to 2011 and chair of the Senate State Government Finance Committee from 1997 to 2001.

In 2019, Erin Murphy announced that she would be running to unseat Cohen in the DFL primary.

On November 17, Cohen announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2020.

Personal life Cohen serves on the board of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He previously served on the Guthrie Theater board.

Electoral history