Tom Rukavina

Thomas "Tom" Rukavina (born August 23, 1950) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he represented District 5A, including the Mesabi Range in St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota. In 2010 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Minnesota, seeking the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nomination. Rukavina was elected a St. Louis County Commissioner in 2014.

Rukavina has served thirteen terms in the Minnesota legislature since 1986. In 2012, he announced he would not seek reelection, citing his frustration with the partisan atmosphere at the state Capitol.

Early life and background

Rukavina was born in Virginia, Minnesota, and graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in political science. He first held elected office in the 1970s on the Virginia School Board and Pike Town Board. Before becoming a full-time legislator, he worked in various positions, including at the Minntac taconite plant, as a logger and a naturalist at the Ironworld Discovery Center in Chisholm, Minnesota, and as an assistant director at Giants Ridge Ski Area.