Steve Drazkowski
Steve Drazkowski | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 21B district 28B (2007–2013) | |
| Assumed office August 16, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Sviggum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 27, 1964 Winona, Minnesota |
| Political party | Republican Party of Minnesota |
| Residence | Mazeppa, Minnesota |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin, River Falls University of Minnesota |
| Occupation | Businessman, legislator |
Steve Drazkowski (born November 27, 1964) is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represents District 21B, which includes portions of Dodge, Goodhue, Wabasha and Winona counties in the southeastern part of the state.
Early life, education, and career
Drazkowski was born in Winona, Minnesota, and grew up on a farm in Bluff Siding, Wisconsin. He graduated from Cochrane-Fountain City High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1989 from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. In 1994, he earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Minnesota.
Drazkowski is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Firearms Safety Instructor, Wabasha County 4-H volunteer, and past president of the Minnesota Forage and Grassland Council.
Political career
In 2006, Drazkowski ran unsuccessfully for the District 28 seat in the Minnesota Senate. He subsequently ran for and was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in the August 7, 2007 special election held after Rep. Steve Sviggum resigned to become Minnesota's Commissioner of Labor and Industry. He was re-elected in 2008, 2010, and 2012.[1]
In May 2010, Drazokowski introduced legislation in the Minnesota House modeled after Arizona's controversial immigration law.[2]
In 2012, Drazkowski and radio host Dave Thompson proposed an Employee Freedom Constitutional Amendment which would require a statewide referendum on amending the Minnesota Constitution to include a right-to-work clause weakening unions.[3][4]
In early 2019, Drazkowski referred Ilhan Omar, who currently serves as the representative of Minnesota's 5th congressional district, to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.[5] The Board enforces Minnesota election ethics rules.[6]
On December 7, 2018, Drazkowski along with three other Republican members of the Minnesota House left the GOP House Caucus in order to form the New Republican House Caucus.[7] Drazkowski said “It doesn’t change the fact we’re still Republican. As a matter of fact, our caucus of four is very committed to Republican ideals and values,” he said. “We’ll be working very hard to strengthen our party throughout Minnesota, strengthen party units and conservative organizations throughout the state so that we can win the election in two years instead of continuing on a course that could be very similar to the one (in November’s election) that really just took 25 percent of our Republican membership in the House.” The four members were assigned seats together on the house floor and hired three staff members shortly before the 2019 session began. During the session, they announced several bills that featured their strong interest in constitutional issues and also presented their own budget proposal.[8]
Electoral history
- 2018 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 21B
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 63.4% (11,511 votes)
- Jonathan Isenor (DFL), 36.5% (6,619 votes)
- Write-in, 0.1% (17 votes)
- 2016 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 21B
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 65.31% (13,688 votes)
- Elise Diesslin (DFL), 34.69% (7,270 votes)
- 2014 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 21B
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 63.3% (9,075 votes)
- M.A. Schneider (DFL), 36.4% (5,213 votes)
- Write-in, 0.3% (41 votes)
- 2012 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 21B
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 58% (11,759 votes)
- Bruce Montplaisir (DFL), 42% (8,511 votes)
- 2010 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 28B
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 65.15% (9,669 votes)
- Mark Schneider (DFL), 34.77% (5,160 votes)
- Write-in, 0.08% (12 votes)
- 2008 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 28B
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 54.75% (10,980 votes)
- Linda Pfeilsticker (DFL), 45.13% (9,050 votes)
- Write-in, 0.12% (24 votes)
- 2007 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 28B Special Election
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 52.89% (3,762 votes)
- Linda Pfeilsticker (DFL), 46.86% (3,333 votes)
- Write-in, 0.25% (18 votes)
- 2006 Race for Minnesota Senate — District 28
- Steve Murphy (DFL), 54.26% (17,511 votes)
- Steve Drazkowski(R), 45.33% (14,627 votes)
- Steve Wilson (Write-In), 0.20% (64 votes)
- Write-In 0.21% (68 votes)
Personal life
Steve is a member of the National Rifle Association, Whitetails Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, and both the Lake City and Frontenac Sportsmens Clubs. Drazkowski is divorced; he and his ex-wife, Laura, have one child, a daughter named Kinsey. In 2006, before he was elected as a Minnesota state representative, Drazkowski was arrested and charged with assaulting his then-14-year-old daughter. Drazkowski was acquitted, but at the request of his ex-wife, the judge issued a temporary restraining order against him.[9] He co-owns an online retail business, a shoe store in Winona and resides in Mazeppa.
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Hoppin, Jason. Potent reaction to Minnesota immigration bill. St. Paul Pioneer Press. May 7, 2010.
- ^ Kleefeld, Eric (February 2, 2012). "Minnesota GOP Legislators Eye 'Right-To-Work' Constitutional Amendment". Talking Points Memo.
- ^ Ragsdale, Jim (February 2, 2012). "State Republicans launch right-to-work amendment drive". Star Tribune.
- ^ Rosen, James (April 1, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Omar Facing Campaign Finance Probe". WJLA. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. "Mission and Goals" (PDF). Minnesota. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ https://blogs.mprnews.org/capitol-view/2018/12/renegade-house-members-split-from-gop-caucus/
- ^ https://www.newhousegop.com
- ^ https://www.winonadailynews.com/news/drazkowski-cleared-of-assault-charge/article_07970ae0-252c-5c53-83e4-05c81bf634a7.html