Key Facts
Career & Education
About
Kurt Patrick Bills is an American educator, wrestling coach, and former Republican politician from Minnesota. Born in Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin, he has resided in Rosemount, Minnesota, with his family. He owns a licensed home daycare operated by his wife, Cindy. Married to Cindy Bills, with four children: Kyla, Cassandra, Hayden, and Olivia.
Education: B.S. in secondary social studies education, B.A. in U.S. History, and M.A. in education, all from Winona State University.
Professional Career: Secondary social studies teacher at Rosemount High School (teaching AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, and AP U.S. Government and Politics) since 1996; former head coach of the wrestling team at Rosemount High School; contributor to Forbes.com since March 2013; Executive Chairman and Senior Advisor on the board of directors of H&H Partners Consulting Corporation since July 2013; appeared as himself in the 2015 documentary Gray State: The Rise.
Political Activity: Served on the Rosemount City Council (2008-2010). Elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 37B (2011-2013), where he authored bills on early graduation scholarships, legislator pay reductions for unbalanced budgets, and legal tender for gold/silver; served on committees including Capital Investment, Education Finance, and Taxes; declined pay during the 2011 government shutdown; voted for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. In 2012, won the Republican U.S. Senate nomination (defeating challengers including Pete Hegseth) with endorsements from Ron Paul, Rand Paul, and House Speaker Kurt Zellers; lost the general election to incumbent Amy Klobuchar (30.5% to 65%).
Controversies: Drew criticism for a 2012 TV ad accusing Amy Klobuchar of shielding convicted felon Tom Petters; Klobuchar called it a 'desperate attack.'