Senator Torrey Westrom

Born on March 27, 1973, Torrey Westrom is an American businessman, attorney, and politician. He is a member of the Republican party and represents District 12 in the Minnesota Senate. District 12 includes all or parts of Big Stone, Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stearns, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin Counties.

Westrom is known for being the first blind person to be elected to the Minnesota Legislature. His political career has been marked by his service on several legislative commissions, including the Rural Health Care Advisory Task Force, the Secretary of State’s voting equipment task force, and the Minnesota Legislative Audit Commission. In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed him to a four-year term on a federal advisory panel called the Ticket to Work. The panel advised Congress and the White House on return-to-work programs for people with disabilities.

Before his tenure in the Senate, Westrom was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 11A. He was first elected in 1996 and was reelected every two years until he ran for the Minnesota Senate. Before the 2002 legislative redistricting, he represented the old District 13A.

As a senator, Westrom has promoted affordable, reliable energy for Minnesota and supported investments in clean energy, such as research into “green ammonia” at the University of Minnesota-Morris and other carbon-free gas energy solutions.

In December 2013, less than a year into his Senate term, Westrom announced that he would challenge incumbent Collin Peterson in Minnesota’s 7th congressional district in 2014. He kicked off his campaign with events in Elbow Lake and Moorhead. In the November general election, he won 46% of the vote, the highest Republican tally against Peterson since 1990.

Outside of his political career, Westrom and his wife own TSI Real Estate, based in Elbow Lake, with properties in Hutchinson, Saint Paul, Madelia, and elsewhere. He is a small business owner and an attorney by profession. He received his B.A. from Bemidji State University and his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.