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John Lesch

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John Lesch
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 66A district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 7, 2003
Personal details
Born (1973-01-15) January 15, 1973 (age 51)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Political partyDemocratic Farmer Labor Party
ResidenceSaint Paul, Minnesota
Alma materSaint Louis University
Hamline University
OccupationAttorney

John Lesch (born January 15, 1973) is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and a prosecuting attorney for the city of Saint Paul. He has served as a state representative for District 66A since 2003. The district includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Biography

Lesch attended St. Louis University, graduating with degrees in philosophy and psychology, and later a law degree from Hamline University. Through high school and college, he spent three years at the seminary with the Redemptorists Order of Catholic Priests and Brothers.[citation needed]

Before running for the Minnesota House of Representatives, Lesch interned for former Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) Representative Andy Dawkins in 1997 and 1998. He worked on several campaigns and chaired the Senate District 66 DFL Party from 2000 to 2002. He was also a legislative aid to former St. Paul Council member and now Mayor Chris Coleman. When Representative Tom Osthoff announced his retirement in 2002, he decided to run for the House.[1]

On October 8, 2009, it was reported that Lesch had joined the Minnesota National Guard.[2] He completed his Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, on February 12, 2010, graduating with a 90% rank in physical performance and rifle marksmanship. Lesch was commissioned at Ft. Benning, GA, on Sept. 2, 2010, graduating 7th in a class of over 100. He maintains a rank of 2nd Lieutenant (O-1) and leads a platoon of light infantry soldiers with the 34th Infantry Division, (Red Bulls).

On November 16, 2010, incoming Minority Leader Paul Thissen announced that Lesch will be one of four Minority Whips during the 2011-2012 legislative session.[3]

In March 2011, Lesch announced that he will seek the Minnesota Senate District 66 seat being vacated by Senator Ellen Anderson, who was appointed chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission by Governor Mark Dayton.[4] In the primary Lesch lost to former State Representative Mary Jo McGuire.[5]

Trip to Iraq

In February 2006, Lesch made a personal trip to Iraq at his own expense with the stated intention of learning as much as possible about the conflict in as short a time as possible. His plans to blog the trip soon leaked to the press and the trip became a several day news story. "While it is true that most folks would choose more stable settings for their vacation, I believe the Iraq war is the seminal conflict for our age," Lesch wrote in announcing his departure. "What happens there today will affect many generations of Americans and Iraqis..." Lesch received some praise, but mostly sharp criticism in the local press for making the trip. He said he'd wanted to see firsthand what conditions were like there, and that the trip was the most rewarding he'd ever taken. Despite the substantial criticism the trip had evoked in the press, Lesch said he had no regrets for making it.[6][7][8]

Dangerous dog legislation

In June 2007, Lesch proposed legislation to ban five breeds of dogs identified as especially aggressive by the Center for Disease Control: Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Akitas, Chow Chows, and wolf hybrids. Mixes of these breeds would also have been banned under the bill. A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association in 2000 found that half of the 238 human deaths it identified as dog-related over the preceding 20-year period involved either pit bull-type dogs or Rottweilers.[9][10][11]

A study conducted by epidemiologists from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Injury and Violence Prevention Unit found that hospital-treated dog bites increased by 40 percent over the interval from 1998-2005. In Minnesota 849 people were hospitalized for dog bites and more than 24,000 were treated in emergency rooms during this eight-year interval, according to the study. The highest rate of treatment and hospitalization was for children ages one to four.[10]

Opponents to Lesch's proposal argued that bite statistics are more a factor of the popularity of certain breeds than any predisposition to aggression: The more dogs of a certain type, the greater the number of bite incidents that will occur involving dogs of that type, they said. Opponents also identified owner behavior as being the determining factor in canine aggression, rather than dog breed, and pointed to the difficulty of exactly identifying a dog of mixed breed without genetic testing as a practical barrier to implementation.[9][10][11]

Rumors of U.S. Senate Campaign

In February 2007, Lesch stated he was considering running for the United States Senate seat held by Norm Coleman.[12] No campaign announcement was ever made.

Enlistment in National Guard

In 2009, Lesch enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard and completed Basic Combat Training. While most lawyers who join the military select the Judge Advocate General's (or JAG) Corps, Lesch opted to join the Infantry. In 2010, Lesch completed Officer Candidate School (OCS) training at Fort Benning, Georgia and accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant. While attending OCS, Lesch commenced his reelection campaign for his seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives via FaceBook and Twitter. Minnesota's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board determined there are no restrictions on running for office while in the military, and no complaint was brought against Lesch. The military's own rules about political activity are complicated, however. Although neither the Army nor Minnesota National Guard has issued a formal statement regarding Lesch's campaign activities and no complaints have been made, unintentional violations of those rules can easily occur.[13]

Run for State Senate

In March 2011, newly elected Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton appointed District 66 State Senator Ellen Anderson as chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. After she announced her resignation from the Senate, effective March 21, 2011, a number of individuals announced that they would run for the seat, including former DFL State Rep. Mary Jo McGuire, DFL Attorney Steve Marchese, Republican Greg Copeland and Lesch. The primary election was scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, 2011, and the general election is scheduled for April 12, 2011.[14][15]

Since the district leans heavily Democrat, the key election was the March 29, 2011, DFL Primary. Many election observers presume the winner of the DFL Primary will win the Senate seat. During the primary campaign, current District 66B Rep. Alice Hausman announced that she was backing McGuire.[16] Lesch subsequently lost the DFL Primary to McGuire by 54% to 36%.[17]

Electoral history

Minnesota Legislature - Senate District 66 - 2011 Special Election - DFL Primary [5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Mary Jo McGuire 2,006 54.07
Democratic (DFL) John Lesch 1,350 36.39
Democratic (DFL) Steven Marchese 354 9.54
2010 Minnesota Legislature - House District 66A[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) John Lesch 4,894 71.2
Republican Chris Conner 1,952 28.4
2008 Minnesota Legislature - House District 66A[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) John Lesch 9,001 76.8
Republican Gilbert A. Higuera 2,665 22.7
2006 Minnesota Legislature - House District 66A[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) John Lesch 6,007 77.5
Republican David R. Buehler 1,712 22.1
2004 Minnesota Legislature - House District 66A[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) John Lesch 8,850 74.6
Republican Greg Copeland 1,712 22.1
2002 Minnesota Legislature - House District 66A[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) John Lesch 6,489 71.5
Republican Greg Copeland 2,550 28.1

References

  1. ^ John Lesch. "John Lesch for State Representative". Retrieved 25 March 2009. [dead link‍]
  2. ^ Hoppin, Jason (October 9, 2009) [http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_13529216 "Joining National Guard fulfills a dream for Lesch" Saint Paul Pioneer Press
  3. ^ http://politicsinminnesota.com/blog/2010/11/thissen-names-house-dfl-leadership-team/
  4. ^ http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2011/03/10/26499/dflers_already_weighing_run_for_andersons_vacated_senate_seat
  5. ^ a b http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/elections/results2011.htm
  6. ^ Demko, Paul (31 January 2006). "John Lesch's Iraq adventure - Minneapolis / St. Paul News - The Blotter". Blogs.citypages.com. Retrieved March 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ Tom Crann (1 March 2006). "Rep. Lesch unapologetic about his trip to Iraq". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved March 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Bob Collins (17 February 2006). "An alternative to watching figure skating". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved March 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ a b Budig, T.W. (18 June 2007). "St. Paul legislator proposes outlawing ownership of 5 breeds of dogs deemed vicious". HometownSource.com. ECM Publishers. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  10. ^ a b c Budig, T.W. (11 December 2007). "Number of dog bites in Minnesota has increased in recent years". HometownSource.com. ECM Publishers. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  11. ^ a b Budig, T.W. (11 December 2007). "Opposition shown to legislation proposed against 5 different breeds of dogs said to be dangerous". HometownSource.com. ECM Publishers. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Lesch weighs bid for Coleman's Senate seat: DFL lawmaker elected in St. Paul in 2002" (intro/reprint). Saint Paul Pioneer Press. St. Paul, MN. 2007-02-23. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  13. ^ [1]
  14. ^ http://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/pressreleasedetail.jsp?id=10094
  15. ^ http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/elections/State_Legislative_Offices.htm
  16. ^ Hausman backs McGuire in SD66 contest
  17. ^ http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/elections/results2011.htm Primary Election Results
  18. ^ http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/20101102/ElecRslts.asp?M=LG&R=ALL&LD=66A
  19. ^ "2008 Election Results". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  20. ^ "2006 Election Results". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  21. ^ "2004 Election Results". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  22. ^ Minnesota Secretary of State. "Election Reporting". Retrieved 25 March 2009.


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