John Kline ( politician ) John Paul Kline ( born September 6 , 1947 ) is an American politician who has served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from since 2003 . The district includes most of the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities , including Apple Valley , Inver Grove Heights , Burnsville and Eagan . A member of the Republican Party , Kline serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce . Kline is known as one of the most conservative Congressman in the 109th Congress . Early life , education and career . Kline was born in Allentown , Pennsylvania . He is a graduate of W . B . Ray High School in Corpus Christi , Texas ( 1965 ) and was educated at Rice University ( 1969 ) and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ( 1988 ) . Before his election to , Kline was a 25 - year veteran of the United States Marine Corps , where he was a senior military aide to Presidents Carter and Reagan and was responsible for carrying the President ' s " Football " . During his military career , Kline served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam , commanded all Marine aviation forces in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia , flew " Marine One , " the Presidential helicopter , and served as Program Development Officer at Headquarters Marine Corps . He received numerous medals and commendations , including Four Legions of Merit , the Meritorious Service Medal , the Defense Superior Service Medal , the Vietnam Service Medal ( awarded 3 times ) , the Vietnam Campaign Medal , a Presidential Service Badge , and the Navy Commendation Medal . Kline retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel . Kline and his wife , Vicky , live in Lakeville . They have two children and four grandchildren . U . S . House of Representatives . Political positions . Kline introduced legislation in 2005 to place Ronald Reagan on the $ 50 bill . While the bill has a dozen Congressional cosponsors , it has not made legislative progress . Kline received $ 30 , 000 in campaign contributions from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay ' s political action committee ARMPAC . Following DeLay ' s indictment on charges of money laundering ( Tom DeLay campaign finance investigation ) , Democrats criticized Kline for failing to return DeLay ' s contributions or to donate them to charity . Kline also accepted $ 11 , 000 in political contributions from former congressman Randy " Duke " Cunningham ' s PAC . After Cunningham ’ s indictment on fraud charges , Kline donated the money to charity . Kline was considered the most conservative member of the Minnesota delegation in the 109th Congress , scoring 2 . 8 % progressive on a range of issues and 88 % conservative based on 2006 House votes . Kline supported President Bush ' s plan to increase troop levels in Iraq in January , 2007 , and against most of the Democrats ' “ 100 - Hour Plan ” legislative agenda . During Kline ' s 2008 bid for reelection he discussed his opposition to earmarks and his refusal to request them for his district . In 2006 , Kline voted to maintain the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman . He voted against a bill prohibiting employers from discriminating based on sexual orientation . The Human Rights Campaign , the largest LGBT equality organization in the country , has repeatedly given Kline low ratings . Kline has largely opposed restrictions on gun ownership , receiving high ratings from such organizations as Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association . He voted to repeal parts of the firearms ban for Washington , D . C . He has described himself as " a collector of antique guns and a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment " . Kline has stated , " Job creation is our nation ' s no . 1 challenge and Congress must make it our no . 1 priority . " Kline has spoken in support of education reform designed to encourage parent involvement and teacher accountability . He is opposed to any tax increases and has stated that such strategies must be taken " off the table . " In remarks made to fellow representatives , Kline said , " we are watching a massive growth of government power , size , and spending , and I deem that unacceptable . " In his time in office , Kline has sponsored eight bills , on such diverse topics as Veterans ' Day and tribal lands . Only one has made it out of the House , and none have been passed into law . Kline has generally supported raising interest rates on student loans as a way of reducing the budget deficit . In 2013 Kline proposed a bill that , among other adjustments , changed the rate on subsidized Stafford loans from 3 . 4 % to 5 . 9 % . The bill linked the rate of interest to the rate of US borrowing . Political campaigns . Kline made his first run for office in 1998 , when he challenged 6th District Democratic incumbent Bill Luther and lost , taking 46 % of the vote . He sought a rematch in 2000 and lost by only 5 , 400 votes , while George W . Bush narrowly carried the district . After the 2000 census , Minnesota ' s congressional map was radically altered , though the number of districts was unchanged . The old 28 - county 2nd District was dismantled , and a new 2nd District was created in the Twin Cities ' southern suburbs . At the same time , the 6th District was pushed slightly north and made significantly more Republican than its predecessor . The remapping left the home of the 2nd District ' s freshman incumbent , Republican Mark Kennedy , just inside the reconfigured 6th District . Realizing this , Kline immediately filed for the Republican nomination in the new 2nd District ; his home had been drawn into this district . After some consideration , Luther opted to run in the 2nd as well , even though it was thought to lean slightly Republican . During the campaign , Luther came under fire when one of his supporters , Sam Garst , filed for the race under the banner of the " No New Taxes Party . " This was done in retaliation for an ad the National Republican Congressional Committee ran in support of Kline that accused Luther of being soft on crime . Luther subsequently admitted that his campaign knew about Garst ' s false flag campaign . Kline gained considerable momentum from this , and ultimately won handily , taking 53 % of the vote to Luther ' s 42 % . Kline then defeated Democratic Burnsville City Councilwoman Teresa Daly to win a second term in 2004 and former Special agent and whistleblower Coleen Rowley , one of " Time magazine ' s " " Persons of the Year " , with 56 % of the vote in 2006 . In 2008 Kline defeated former Watertown mayor Steve Sarvi and increased his margin of victory to over 57 % of the vote . In both 2006 and 2008 , Kline was one of the few bright spots in disastrous years for Republicans . Kline ' s reelection in 2012 made him the 40th U . S . Representative from Minnesota to win six House terms . Electoral history . 2012 . In the 2012 US House elections , Kline defeated Democrat Mike Obermueller by 8 % .