A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented the 23A district, which includes all or portions of Blue Earth, Faribault, Jackson, Martin and Watonwan counties.

He served in the United States Navy until age 26, then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Saint Cloud State University.

Gunther was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives as a Republican in 1995 in a special election held after Representative Gene Hugoson was appointed Minnesota commissioner of agriculture.

He is a member of the Bethel Evangelical Free Church.

[4] He enjoys reading Louis L’Amour and Robert Ludlum.