Steve Drazkowski

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Steve Drazkowski
SteveDrazkowski2009.JPG
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Assumed office
August 16, 2007
Preceded bySteve Sviggum
Constituency28B (2007–2013)
21B (2013–present)
Personal details
Born (1964-11-27) November 27, 1964 (age 57)
Winona, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican Party of Minnesota
ResidenceMazeppa, Minnesota, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin, River Falls (BS)
University of Minnesota (MEd)

Steve Drazkowski (born November 27, 1964) is an American politician serving as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 21B, which includes parts of Dodge, Goodhue, Wabasha and Winona counties in the southeastern part of the state.

Early life and education[]

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.

Career[]

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.

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 Representative Steve Sviggum resigned to become Minnesota's Commissioner of Labor and Industry. He was reelected in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020.[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 U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board,[5] which enforces Minnesota election ethics rules.[6]

On December 7, 2018, Drazkowski and three other Republican state representatives left the GOP House Caucus 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 ... 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 [November 2018] 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[]

  • 2020 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 21B
    • Steve Drazkowski (R) 66.6% (15,647 votes)
    • Elise Diesslin (DFL), 33.3% (7,831 votes)
    • Write-in, 0.1% (24 votes)
  • 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[]

Drazkowski is a member of the National Rifle Association, Whitetails Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, and both the Lake City and Frontenac Sportsmens Clubs. He is divorced; he and his ex-wife, Laura, have one child. In 2006, before he was elected to the legislature, Drazkowski was arrested and charged with assaulting his then-14-year-old daughter. He was acquitted, but at Laura's request, the judge issued a temporary restraining order against him.[9] He co-owns an online retail business and a shoe store in Winona and resides in Mazeppa.

References[]

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Hoppin, Jason. Potent reaction to Minnesota immigration bill. St. Paul Pioneer Press. May 7, 2010.
  3. ^ Kleefeld, Eric (February 2, 2012). "Minnesota GOP Legislators Eye 'Right-To-Work' Constitutional Amendment". Talking Points Memo.
  4. ^ Ragsdale, Jim (February 2, 2012). "State Republicans launch right-to-work amendment drive". Star Tribune.
  5. ^ Rosen, James (April 1, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Omar Facing Campaign Finance Probe". WJLA. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  6. ^ Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. "Mission and Goals" (PDF). Minnesota. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  7. ^ "Renegade House members split from GOP caucus".
  8. ^ https://www.newhousegop.com
  9. ^ "Drazkowski cleared of assault charge".

External links[]

Minnesota House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the House of Representatives
from the 21B district
28B (2007–2013)
2007–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""