John Lesch
John Lesch (Democratic Party) was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 66B. He assumed office in 2003. He left office on January 5, 2021.
Lesch (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives to represent District 66B. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 11, 2020.
Biography
Lesch earned his B.A. in philosophy and psychology from Saint Louis University and J.D. from the Hamline University School of Law. His professional experience includes working as an assistant city attorney for the city of St. Paul, a legislative intern for Representative Andy Dawkins, and an aide to St. Paul Councilman Chris Coleman.[1]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Lesch was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Civil Law and Data Practices |
| • Rules and Legislative Administration |
| • Taxes |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Lesch served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Civil Law and Data Practices, DFL Lead |
| • Taxes |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Lesch served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Civil Law, Chair |
| • Judiciary Finance and Policy |
| • Public Safety Finance and Policy |
| • Rules and Legislative Administration |
| • Taxes |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Lesch served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Civil Law |
| • Judiciary Policy and Finance |
| • Taxes |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Lesch served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Public Safety Policy and Oversight |
| • Taxes |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2020
See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B
Athena Hollins defeated Mikki Murray in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Athena Hollins (D)  | 78.6 | 12,871 |
| Mikki Murray (R) | 21.1 | 3,449 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 57 | ||
| Total votes: 16,377 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B
Athena Hollins defeated incumbent John Lesch in the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Athena Hollins | 60.7 | 2,974 |
 | John Lesch | 39.3 | 1,923 | |
| Total votes: 4,897 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B
Mikki Murray advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mikki Murray | 100.0 | 470 | |
| Total votes: 470 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B
Incumbent John Lesch defeated David Richard in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Lesch (D) | 83.5 | 11,486 |
| David Richard (R) | 16.2 | 2,227 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 50 | ||
| Total votes: 13,763 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B
Incumbent John Lesch defeated Trahern Jeen Crews in the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Lesch | 75.1 | 3,287 |
 | Trahern Jeen Crews | 24.9 | 1,087 | |
| Total votes: 4,374 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B
David Richard advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Richard | 100.0 | 519 | |
| Total votes: 519 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016.
Incumbent John Lesch defeated William Brownell in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B general election.[2][3]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 66B General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  John Lesch Incumbent |
80.10% | 11,687 | |
| Republican | William Brownell | 19.90% | 2,903 | |
| Total Votes | 14,590 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent John Lesch ran unopposed in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 66B Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | John Lesch Incumbent (unopposed) | |
William Brownell ran unopposed in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B Republican primary.[4][5]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 66B Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | William Brownell (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 12, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Incumbent John Lesch was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Lizz Paulson was unopposed in the Republican primary. Lesch defeated Paulson in the general election.[6][7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Lesch Incumbent |
76.4% | 7,047 | |
| Republican | Lizz Paulson | 23.1% | 2,127 | |
| Write-in | Write-in | 0.5% | 49 | |
| Total Votes | 9,223 | |||
2012
Lesch won re-election in the 2012 election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 14 and defeated Ben Blomgren (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Lesch Incumbent |
79.6% | 11,504 | |
| Republican | Ben Blomgren | 20.4% | 2,951 | |
| Total Votes | 14,455 | |||
2010
Lesch won re-election to the District 66A seat in 2010. He had no primary opposition. He defeated Chris Conner (R) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[10]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 66A (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| John Lesch (DFL)
|
4,894 | 71.2% | ||
| Chris Conner (R) | 1,952 | 28.40% | ||
| Write-In | 28 | 0.41% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Lesch won election to the District 66A Seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, defeating Gilbert Higuera. [11]
Lesch raised $19,628 for his campaign.[12]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 66A (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| John Lesch (DFL)
|
9,001 | 76.77% | ||
| Gilbert Higuera (R) | 2,665 | 22.73% | ||
| Write-In | 59 | 0.50% | ||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Lesch did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2020.
- Action 4 Liberty — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- Minnesota AFL-CIO — Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues.
- Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2019.
- Action 4 Liberty — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2018.
- Action 4 Liberty — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2017.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- MinnCAN — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Minnesota AFL-CIO — Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues.
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2016.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- MinnCAN — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Minnesota Family Council — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Voices for Racial Justice — Legislators are scored by the organization on "their support for legislation forwarding an equitable and inclusive Minnesota."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2015.
- Clean Water Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business-related bills.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2014.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on if they supported or opposed AFSCME's position.
- Americans for Prosperity - Minnesota — Legislators are scored based on votes on economic issues.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- Liberty Minnesota — Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization advocating "limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty."
- MinnCAN — Legislators are scored based on bills related to education.
- Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business-related bills.
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Minnesota Nurses Association — Legislators are scored based on issues affecting nurses, healthcare, and working families.
- Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animals.
- NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Voices for Racial Justice — Legislators are scored by the organization on "their support for legislation forwarding an equitable and inclusive Minnesota."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2013.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on if they supported or opposed AFSCME's position.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- MinnCAN — Legislators are scored based on bills related to education.
- Minnesota AFL-CIO — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business-related bills.
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Minnesota Family Council — Legislators are scored by the organization on their votes on bills that affect Minnesota families.
- Minnesota Majority — Legislators are scored by the organization on "a wide range of issues including taxes, government spending, elections, childcare unionization, property rights and energy policy."
- Minnesota Nurses Association — Legislators are scored based on issues affecting nurses, patients, and working families.
- Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animals.
- NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Voices for Racial Justice — Legislators are scored by the organization on "their support for legislation forwarding an equitable and inclusive Minnesota."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2012.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2011.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Lesch is divorced with one child. He has been a member of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local #3757, a delegate for the Saint Paul Trades and Labor Assembly, and a founding member of the South Como Block Club.[1]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002
- John Lesch on Facebook
- John Lesch on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Project Vote Smart - Rep. Lesch
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Primary: Tuesday, August 9, 2016," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "State Canvassing Board Report," August 19, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed July 25, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 Election Results," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2012 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed June 18, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2010 Election Results," accessed March 9, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "All Races by Legislative District," accessed April 23, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money's report on Lesch's 2008 campaign contributions
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alice Hausman (DFL) |
Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B 2013-2021 |
Succeeded by Athena Hollins (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Minnesota House of Representatives District 66A 2003–2013 |
Succeeded by Alice Hausman (DFL) |
