Biography:

Vernon J. Ehlers was born in Pipestone, Minn., and lives in Grand Rapids, Mich. He received an undergraduate degree in physics in 1956 and a doctorate in nuclear physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1960.

He was a researcher at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, where he was a NATO Post-Doctoral Research Fellow. He taught physics at Calvin College, 1966-83, and during that time, he became chairman of the department. He was elected a Kent County commissioner in 1975.

In 1983 he was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives and became Republican floor leader. He was later elected to the state senate, where he served as president pro tempore. He was elected to the U.S. House in a special election in December 1993 and was sworn in January 25, 1994.

Ehlers and his wife, Johanna, have four children.

Past Campaigns:

Vernon Ehlers was elected to the U.S. House in a 1993 special election with 67 percent of the vote; Democrat Dale Sprik, a lawyer, had 23 percent and independent lawyer Dawn Krupp had 10 percent.

He was elected to a full term in the 1994 general election with 74 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Betsy Flory. He was re-elected in 1996, winning 69 percent of the vote against Flory. Ehlers won another term in 1998, defeating Democrat John Ferguson with 73 percent of the vote. He was re-elected over Tim Steele in 2000 with 65 percent of the vote.

In 2002, he won re-election with 70 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Kate Lynnes.

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