Gutknecht lost his 2006 reelection bid to DFL candidate Tim Walz, and his term ended in January 2007.

The couple has three grown children and has lived in Rochester, Minnesota for more than 30 years, where they are members of Pax Christi Catholic Church.

Gutknecht was elected to the U.S. House in 1994, running for a seat left open when six-term Representative Tim Penny (DFL) retired.

"[citation needed] In August 2002, Gutknecht voiced his support for expansion plans by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, despite opposition from many constituents in Mankato and Rochester who were concerned about noise and traffic problems.

He cited the sugar beet growers in his district as one reason to oppose the trade bill, which ultimately passed by a vote of 217–215.

He said Republicans needed to win back the trust of the American people in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal.

In mid-2006, after returning from Iraq, Gutknecht said that the U.S. should partially withdraw troops from that country, again deviating from the Republican administration's stance.

During the 1994 campaign, he had signed the Contract with America, which called for a Constitutional Amendment to limit congressional terms to 12 years.

[7] In March 1995 he drafted a bill that would bar House members from accruing additional pension benefits after they have served for six terms.

[11] The state Supreme Court heard the case on August 22, 2006, and denied the attempt to disqualify Gutknecht the same day.

[12] On August 17, 2006, WCCO-TV News in Minneapolis reported that members of Gutknecht's campaign made edits to his Wikipedia article.