Senator Mike Wobbema

Michael A. Wobbema is a Republican serving as a member of the North Dakota Senate from the 24th district. He was elected in November 2020 and assumed office on December 1, 2020.

From 1994 to 1998, Wobbema was the CFO of Mail Center Inc., a mail services company. From 1996 to 2001, he served as the branch chief of the National Guard Bureau Counterdrug Directorate. From 2001 to 2008, he served as a commander in the North Dakota Air National Guard. He served as assistant adjunct general of the North Dakota National Guard and director of the North Dakota Flood Recovery Office. Since retiring from the Air Force as a colonel, he has worked as a church administrator and founded a farm services company.

During the 2023 legislative session, Wobbema sponsored bills related to higher education, censorship, transphobia, and sanctuary cities. He faced criticism when Reverend Dr. Leanne Simmons was praying over the Senate on February 8 when Senators Michael Wobbema turned their backs to her while she was saying a prayer. Wobbema said they felt like they were being lectured because of the transgender bills that they would be voting on later this session. He added, “According to God’s word, people who are called to preach God’s word are held to a higher level of accountability.”

Standing in opposition to state-sponsored school lunches for children of low-income families, Wobbema voted against a bill on March 28, 2023, that would sponsor the direct cost of lunches for children whose parents earn an income from 130 to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, stating, “Yes, I can understand children going hungry, but is that really the problem of the school district? Is that the problem of the state of North Dakota? It’s really a problem of parents being negligent with their kids.”