Terri Bonoff  Terri E. Bonoff (born August 1, 1957) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Minnesota. She is a former member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 44, which included portions of Minnetonka, Plymouth and Woodland in Hennepin County in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district in 2016. She was defeated by incumbent Republican Erik Paulsen in the general election. Bonoff grew up in Edina, Minnesota and later attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, earning a degree in psychology and sociology. She began her business career at Jackson Graves, a family-owned women's specialty store. Bonoff then spent five years in the toy and video game business with Tonka Toys and 13 years as Director of Merchandising for the Computer Products Division of the publicly held, New Hope-based Navarre Corporation. After 18 years in business, Bonoff stepped down from Navarre in 1999 to spend time with her husband and four children. Before being elected to the Senate, Bonoff served on the Minnetonka Planning Commission and as a volunteer for the Hopkins Legislative Action Commission. She eventually became president of the Hopkins Legislative Action Coalition, a guide at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and president of Babe Ruth Baseball in Hopkins/Minnetonka. Bonoff's career as an elected official began when she won a 2005 special election against Plymouth mayor Judy Johnson to fill the Minnesota Senate seat being vacated by David Gaither. She won a second race against Johnson in the 2006 general election. Bonoff's slogan for all her campaigns has been "Uniting the Middle." She was elected to a second term in 2010 and a third in 2012. In 2011, Bonoff was elected Deputy Minority Leader of the DFL Senate caucus. In 2013, Bonoff became the Chair of the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee. In that capacity, she has overseen an investment of more than $400 million over four years in Minnesota's higher education infrastructure, particularly the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) and the University of Minnesota. She also created the MN PIPELINE (Private Investment, Public Education Labor Industry Experience) Project, which has received national and international recognition. On April 16, 2016, Bonoff announced at the Minnesota Senate District 44 Convention that she is leaving the State Legislature to run for U.S. Representative in Minnesota's Third Congressional District.