John Lesch


John Lesch is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, he represents 66B, which includes portions of the city of Saint Paul in Ramsey County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. He is a prosecuting attorney for the city of Saint Paul.

Early life, education, and career

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.
Before running for the Minnesota House of Representatives, Lesch interned for former Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party 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 aide 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.

Political career

Minnesota House of Representatives

Lesch was first elected in 2002 and has been reelected every two years since.
On November 16, 2010, incoming Minority Leader Paul Thissen announced that Lesch would be one of four Minority Whips during the 2011–12 legislative session.
Lesch has served on several committees including:
Dangerous dogs
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 were also banned under the bill. A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical 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.
Opponents to Lesch's proposal argued that bite statistics are a consequence more of the popularity of certain breeds than of any predisposition to aggression. Opponents also identified owner behavior as the determining factor in canine aggression and pointed to the difficulty of identifying a dog of mixed breed without genetic testing.
Lesch's proposed legislation did not make it out of committee.
Dog/Cat Breeder Bill
This was passed in 2014 and creates a system of licensing and inspection for commercial breeders through the Board of Animal Health. The bill is intended to reduce the number of kitten and puppy mills in the state and mandate the proper treatment of animals.
Beagle Freedom Bill
On May 21, 2014, Minnesota became the first state to pass the "Beagle Freedom Bill". Included in the omnibus supplemental budget bill, authors Sen. Scott Dibble and Rep. John Lesch link taxpayer-funded laboratories and educational institutions that use dogs and cats for research with nonprofit animal rescues. The animals can be placed for adoption when they are no longer needed for research.

Trip to Iraq and other international travel

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.
In August 2007, Lesch participated in a Legislative Exchange sponsored through the State Department to study diplomacy among emerging leaders in the Philippines. During this trip, Lesch spent time in Manila and Cebu.
In September 2009 Lesch joined by state legislators from around the country went to New Zealand. This trip was sponsored through the American Council of Young Political Leaders and focused on Energy Development and Healthcare.

Campaign Funds Violation

On August 1, 2017, the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board ruled that Lesch and his campaign committee made a series of improper money transfers between 2010 and 2013 and failed to keep adequate records. The Board fined Lesch's campaign committee $5,000 and Lesch personally $15,000.
The amount of the fine is one of the larger — if not the largest — civil penalties levied against a lawmaker for campaign violations in the state, according to the board's executive director, Jeff Sigurdson. Although the board often levies penalties against lawmakers for incorrect bookkeeping or other matters, it rarely finds cases of officials using campaign money for their own benefit. The board concluded that Lesch transferred $11,000 in campaign contributions from his campaign account to his personal account at times when there otherwise would have been "insufficient funds". Lesch has repaid just over $2,000.
Lesch denied he did anything improper. "The board's conclusion that funds were converted to personal use is unfounded", Lesch said. "It remains based solely on the absence of receipts. I deny using any campaign funds for personal purposes."

Runs for other offices

United States Senate

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

Minnesota 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 was scheduled for two weeks later, April 12, 2011.
Since the district leans heavily towards the DFL, the key election was the March 29, 2011 DFL primary. During the primary campaign, Rep. Alice Hausman announced that she was backing McGuire. Lesch subsequently lost the DFL primary to McGuire by 54% to 36%. McGuire went on to win in the general election.

Minnesota Attorney General

On April 4, 2017, Lesch announced that he would run for Minnesota Attorney General if the current Attorney General, Lori Swanson, decided to run for Governor. On September 15, 2017, six weeks after agreeing to pay $20,000 in fines to the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board for misusing campaign funds, Lesch announced that he was withdrawing from the race. He said the allegations by the Campaign Finance Board had nothing to do with his withdrawal from the race, but that the time was not right for him personally, or politically, to run for higher office, especially since it was unknown whether Swanson would vie for reelection.

Electoral history

Personal life

In late December 2011, Lesch proposed to Melissa Reed, a lobbyist for the City of Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Holidazzle Parade, in the presence of Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and a crowd of others. They married in September 2012. Lesch has been married previously and has a child by that previous marriage.

Enlistment in National Guard

On October 8, 2009, it was reported that Lesch had joined the Minnesota National Guard as an infantry officer. As a practicing attorney, Lesch would normally join the military as a member of JAG or Judge Advocate General's Corps. 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 September 2, 2010, graduating 7th in a class of over 100. He maintains a rank of 2nd Lieutenant and leads a platoon of light infantry soldiers with the 34th Infantry Division.
While attending Officer Candidate School, Lesch commenced his re-election 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.