Matt Bliss is an American politician who has been serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2021. He also served from 2017 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party of Minnesota and represents District 2A in northern Minnesota, which includes parts of Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca, and Mahnomen Counties.1
Bliss was raised on a farm and is one of ten siblings. After high school, he joined the Navy and was trained in communications and electronics. He owns Bliss Point Resort along Cass Lake and worked as an IT director for the Red Lake Nation. He was the president of the Pennington Resort Association. Bliss ran unsuccessfully for the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners in 2014.
In 2016, Bliss was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, defeating four-term DFL incumbent John Persell. In 2018, Bliss lost to Persell by 11 votes. A state-mandated recount confirmed Persell’s victory. In 2020, Bliss once again defeated Persell, and was reelected in 2022. Bliss criticized Persell for his co-authorship of a red-flag gun control proposal and Democrats for defunding the police, though Persell stated he advocated for more public safety funding.
Bliss serves as the minority lead on the Veteran and Military Affairs Committee and also sits on the Children and Families Finance and Policy and the Elections Finance and Policy Committees.
Bliss lives in Pennington, Minnesota. He served in the U.S. Navy and his career experience includes owning a business. He has served as the president of the Pennington Resort Association.
