Michelle Fischbach

Michelle Fischbach
Born	Michelle Louise Helene St. Martin 3 11, 1965
Birthplace	Woodbury, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, attorney
Known for	49th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota; U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 7th congressional district
Education	St. Cloud State University (BA) William Mitchell College of Law (JD)
Spouse(s)	Scott Fischbach
Children	2
Website	[Official website Official site]

Michelle Louise Helene Fischbach (Template:IPAc-en; née St. Martin; born November 3, 1965) is an American politician and attorney who has served since 2021 as the U.S. representative from Minnesota's 7th congressional district, the state's largest by area, covering most of western Minnesota. A member of the Republican Party, Fischbach previously served over two decades in the Minnesota Senate, including two terms as president of that body, and briefly served as the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota from 2018 to 2019. Her path to the lieutenant governorship was unusual: she ascended to the position automatically under the Minnesota Constitution when Governor Mark Dayton appointed then–Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith to the United States Senate following the resignation of Al Franken in late 2017. The constitutional implications of her dual status as both a state senator and lieutenant governor generated significant legal and political controversy in Minnesota. In the 2020 U.S. House elections, Fischbach defeated longtime DFL incumbent Collin Peterson, who had represented the 7th district for 30 years. As of 2026, Fischbach is the last Republican to have held statewide office in Minnesota.

Early Life

Michelle Louise Helene St. Martin was born on November 3, 1965, in Woodbury, Minnesota. She grew up in Minnesota and later settled in the Paynesville area in central Minnesota. She married Scott Fischbach, and the couple had two children. Scott Fischbach became known in Minnesota political circles as the longtime executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, a prominent anti-abortion organization in the state.

Fischbach's early involvement in public life was rooted in the rural communities of central Minnesota, a region characterized by agriculture and small-town civic engagement. Her background as an attorney and her connections to the area's conservative political culture helped shape her entry into elected office in the mid-1990s.

Education

Fischbach attended the College of Saint Benedict before transferring to St. Cloud State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently earned her Juris Doctor degree from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her legal education provided the foundation for a career that would combine law and public policy throughout her time in the Minnesota Legislature and beyond.

Career

Minnesota Senate (1996–2018)

Fischbach entered the Minnesota Senate on February 12, 1996, winning a special election to represent the 14th district, succeeding Joe Bertram. She would go on to serve in the state Senate for more than two decades, establishing herself as one of the chamber's most prominent Republican members. Following redistricting in 2012, she transitioned to representing the 13th district, succeeding Joseph Gimse.

Fischbach was re-elected multiple times throughout her tenure. In November 2012, she secured her seventh term in the Minnesota Senate, representing the newly drawn 13th district in the Paynesville and St. Cloud area.

President of the Minnesota Senate

In 2010, following Republican gains in the Minnesota Senate, Fischbach was elected president of the body, serving in that capacity from January 4, 2011, to January 7, 2013. She succeeded Jim Metzen in the role. The position of president of the Minnesota Senate is constitutionally significant: under the Minnesota Constitution, the Senate president is first in the line of succession to the lieutenant governorship.

After the DFL regained control of the chamber in the 2012 elections, Fischbach was succeeded as president by Sandy Pappas. However, when Republicans retook the majority following the 2016 elections, Fischbach was once again elected president of the Senate, beginning her second stint in the role on January 3, 2017. Republican colleague Paul Gazelka was selected as the new Senate Majority Leader, while Fischbach resumed the presidency.

Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota (2018–2019)

Constitutional Succession Controversy

The most constitutionally unusual chapter of Fischbach's political career began in December 2017. On December 13, 2017, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith to the United States Senate to replace Al Franken, who had resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Under the Minnesota Constitution, when the office of lieutenant governor becomes vacant, the president of the Senate assumes the role. As the sitting president of the Minnesota Senate, Fischbach was therefore in line to become lieutenant governor.

This succession raised immediate and complex constitutional questions. The central issue was whether Fischbach could simultaneously hold both offices — president of the Minnesota Senate and lieutenant governor — or whether she would be required to resign her Senate seat to assume the executive branch position. The matter carried significant political implications: at the time, Republicans held a narrow 34–33 majority in the Minnesota Senate, and Fischbach's departure from the chamber could have tipped control to the DFL.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson issued an opinion on December 21, 2017, stating that Fischbach should resign her Senate seat in order to become lieutenant governor, arguing that the state constitution's separation of powers clause prevented her from serving in both the legislative and executive branches simultaneously. Fischbach and Senate Republican leaders disputed this interpretation, arguing that there was no legal requirement for her to give up her Senate seat.

The controversy drew national attention and prompted comparisons to an 1898 Minnesota Supreme Court case that had addressed a similar question about the balance of power between branches of government. Legal scholars and political commentators debated the implications of the situation, and some legislators called for a special session to resolve the matter. Senate Republican leaders initially raised the prospect of a special session but ultimately concluded that no such session was necessary.

The constitutional impasse was widely covered by Minnesota media. MinnPost described the situation as a "constitutional mess" created by Tina Smith's appointment to the U.S. Senate. Fox 9 News reported that it was unclear whether Fischbach could legally keep her Senate seat while serving as lieutenant governor.

Tenure as Lieutenant Governor

Fischbach officially became the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on January 3, 2018, upon Tina Smith's departure to the U.S. Senate. She served alongside Governor Mark Dayton, a Democrat, creating an unusual bipartisan executive pairing. The Star Tribune reported on the preparations for Fischbach's "unusual partnership" with the governor.

Fischbach ultimately resigned her Minnesota Senate seat on May 25, 2018, resolving the months-long constitutional dispute. She was succeeded as senator for the 13th district by Jeff Howe and as president of the Minnesota Senate by Warren Limmer in an acting capacity.

2018 Gubernatorial Campaign

While serving as lieutenant governor, Fischbach was selected as the running mate of former Governor Tim Pawlenty in the 2018 Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary. Pawlenty, who had served as governor from 2003 to 2011, was seeking to return to the office. However, the Pawlenty-Fischbach ticket lost the Republican primary to Jeff Johnson, a result that was considered a significant upset in Minnesota politics. Fischbach's tenure as lieutenant governor ended on January 7, 2019, when she was succeeded by Peggy Flanagan, the lieutenant governor elected alongside DFL Governor Tim Walz.

U.S. House of Representatives (2021–present)

2020 Election

In 2020, Fischbach ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Minnesota's 7th congressional district, challenging longtime DFL incumbent Collin Peterson. The 7th district, Minnesota's largest by area, encompasses most of the western part of the state and is heavily rural, with agriculture serving as the dominant economic sector. Peterson had represented the district since 1991, making him one of the longest-serving members of Congress from Minnesota.

The political landscape of the 7th district had shifted significantly in the years preceding the 2020 election. The district, once a reliably Democratic stronghold due to its populist agricultural traditions, had trended increasingly Republican, particularly in the 2016 presidential election. Fischbach defeated Peterson in November 2020, ending his 30-year tenure in Congress and flipping the seat to Republican control.

Congressional Tenure

Fischbach took office on January 3, 2021, succeeding Peterson as the representative for Minnesota's 7th district. In Congress, she has focused on issues relevant to her rural, agricultural constituency.

In November 2025, Fischbach participated in a roundtable discussion on tax reform hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, reflecting her engagement with economic policy matters affecting businesses in her district.

Fischbach has worked with Minnesota's Republican congressional delegation on various legislative matters. In November 2025, she joined Congressmen Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, and Brad Finstad in resuming a nominations committee to consider applicants for a federal district judge position in Minnesota. In January 2026, she joined her Minnesota Republican colleagues in marking the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Laken Riley Act.

Fischbach was also among the Republican members of Congress who signed a letter to President Donald Trump regarding reports of potential beef imports from Argentina, a matter of concern to cattle producers in her district.

Public Engagement and Criticism

Fischbach's approach to constituent engagement has drawn both support and criticism. In February 2026, union workers and community members rallied outside her Moorhead office, reflecting tensions between the congresswoman and organized labor in her district. A letter to the editor published in the West Central Tribune in February 2026 criticized Fischbach for not holding in-person town halls in the 7th district.

Fischbach has also faced criticism from agricultural interests within her district regarding the impact of tariff policies. In February 2026, farmers from across southern Minnesota gathered to express concerns about the effects of tariffs on their operations, with some calling out Fischbach and other Minnesota Republican representatives by name.

Personal Life

Michelle Fischbach is married to Scott Fischbach, and the couple has two children. The family has been based in the Paynesville area of central Minnesota. Scott Fischbach has been publicly identified as the former executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, a major anti-abortion advocacy organization in the state. Fischbach's anti-abortion stance has been a consistent element of her political career, dating back to her earliest years in the Minnesota Senate.

Recognition

As the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, Fischbach holds the distinction of being, as of 2026, the last Republican to have held statewide office in the state. Her election to Congress in 2020, defeating a 30-year incumbent, was considered one of the more notable results in Minnesota's congressional races that year.

Fischbach is listed among the elected and appointed officials who are alumni of William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law).

Legacy

Fischbach's career reflects the broader political realignment that has occurred in rural Minnesota and across the Upper Midwest. Her two-decade tenure in the Minnesota Senate, service as president of that body, and unusual elevation to the lieutenant governorship represent a political trajectory closely tied to the state's constitutional framework and its evolving partisan dynamics. The constitutional controversy surrounding her simultaneous service as a state senator and lieutenant governor in 2017–2018 prompted renewed discussion about Minnesota's succession provisions and the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches.

Her defeat of Collin Peterson in 2020 symbolized the culmination of a decades-long political shift in Minnesota's 7th congressional district from its historically Democratic-Farmer-Labor roots toward the Republican Party. Peterson, who had been one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress and had chaired the House Agriculture Committee, had survived numerous competitive elections, but the district's increasingly Republican lean ultimately proved insurmountable in the 2020 cycle. Fischbach's victory was part of a broader national pattern of Republican gains in rural congressional districts.