Background
Cohen was born in Saint Paul and graduated from Highland Park High School.
Cohen was born in Saint Paul and graduated from Highland Park High School.
Northwestern University.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and his Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul. Cohen was first elected to the in 1976. He was elected senator for District 64 in 1986, gaining the lone Republican-held Senate seat within the Twin Cities.
He was re-elected in the 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2012 elections.
He was chair of the Senate Finance Committee from 2003 to 2011, and chair of the Senate State Government Finance Committee from 1997 to 2001. On November 3, 2009, President Barack Obama announced Cohen"s appointment to the President"s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
He led the campaign to include funding for the arts in the Clean Water, Land and Legacy constitutional amendment that Minnesota voters approved in 2008. Cohen currently serves on the board of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
He previously served on the Guthrie Theater board.
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Democratic Party.
A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 64, which includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County. He served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 63B and, after redistricting in 1982, for District 64B.