[1][2] Banaian was first elected to the House in 2010, defeating DFL nominee Carol Lewis by just 13 votes after a recount.
[3] He served on the Capital Investment, the Higher Education Policy and Finance, the Rules and Legislative Administration, and the State Government Finance committees.
[4] In the 2012 election, Banaian was defeated by Democrat Zach Dorholt.
Named after his grandmother, Lena King Cloutman, Banaian attended Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, receiving his M.A.
He was a community board member of the United Way of Central Minnesota.