Steve Drazkowski
Encyclopedia
Steve Drazkowski is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
representing District 28B, which includes portions of Goodhue
, Wabasha
and Winona
counties in the southeastern part of the state. A Republican
, he was first elected in an August 7, 2007 special election. The seat had been vacated by former Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum
, who resigned to become Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry.
, 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 degree 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. Steve is a member of the National Rifle Association
, Whitetails Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited
, and both the Lake City and Frontenac Sportsmens Clubs. He is married to Laura and has one daughter, Kinsey. He resides in Wabasha, Minnesota
, where he co-owns an online retail business and attends St. Felix Parish Church.
. He subsequently ran for and was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives
in the 2007 special election held after Rep. Steve Sviggum
resigned to become Minnesota's Commissioner of Labor and Industry. He was re-elected in 2008 and 2010.
In May 2010, Drazokowski introduced legislation in the Minnesota House modeled after Arizona's controversial immigration law
.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
representing District 28B, which includes portions of Goodhue
Goodhue County, Minnesota
Goodhue County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 46,183. Its county seat is Red Wing. Nearly all of Prairie Island Indian Community is within the county.-History:...
, Wabasha
Wabasha County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,610 people, 8,277 households, and 5,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile . There were 9,066 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
and Winona
Winona County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,985 people, 18,744 households, and 11,696 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 19,551 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
counties in the southeastern part of the state. A Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, he was first elected in an August 7, 2007 special election. The seat had been vacated by former Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum
Steve Sviggum
Steven A. "Steve" Sviggum is a Minnesota politician, a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, and a former Speaker and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Republican, he represented District 28B in the southeastern part of the state...
, who resigned to become Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry.
Background
Drazkowski was born in Winona, MinnesotaWinona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
, and grew up on a farm in Bluff Siding, Wisconsin
Bluff Siding, Wisconsin
Bluff Siding is an unincorporated community located in the town of Buffalo, in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States.-Notes:...
. He graduated from Cochrane-Fountain City High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree in 1989 from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
The University of Wisconsin–River Falls is a liberal arts undergraduate and graduate university and a member of the University of Wisconsin System. UW–River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin on the famed trout fishing Kinnickinnic River. The campus consists of 32 major buildings, ten of...
. In 1994, he earned a Master of Education
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
degree from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
Drazkowski is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recreational trails, and recreation areas as well as managing minerals,...
Firearms Safety Instructor, Wabasha County 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
volunteer, and past president of the Minnesota Forage and Grassland Council. Steve is a member of the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
, Whitetails Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It currently has approximately 780,000 members, mostly in the United States and Canada.-Introduction:Ducks Unlimited was...
, and both the Lake City and Frontenac Sportsmens Clubs. He is married to Laura and has one daughter, Kinsey. He resides in Wabasha, Minnesota
Wabasha, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,599 people, 1,062 households, and 665 families residing in the city. The population density was 318.4 people per square mile . There were 1,166 housing units at an average density of 142.9 per square mile...
, where he co-owns an online retail business and attends St. Felix Parish Church.
Career in politics
In 2006, Drazkowski ran unsuccessfully for the District 28 seat in the Minnesota SenateMinnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
. He subsequently ran for and was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
in the 2007 special election held after Rep. Steve Sviggum
Steve Sviggum
Steven A. "Steve" Sviggum is a Minnesota politician, a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, and a former Speaker and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Republican, he represented District 28B in the southeastern part of the state...
resigned to become Minnesota's Commissioner of Labor and Industry. He was re-elected in 2008 and 2010.
In May 2010, Drazokowski introduced legislation in the Minnesota House modeled after Arizona's controversial immigration law
Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act
The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act is a legislative Act in the U.S. state of Arizona that at the time of passage was the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in recent U.S. history...
.
Electoral history
- 2010 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 28B
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 65.15% (9669 votes)
- Mark Schneider (DFL), 34.77% (5160 votes)
- Write-in, 0.08% (12 votes)
- 2008 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 28B
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 54.75% (10980 votes)
- Linda Pfeilsticker (DFL), 45.13% (9050 votes)
- Write-in, 0.12% (24 votes)
- 2007 Race for Minnesota House of Representatives — District 28B Special Election
- Steve Drazkowski (R) 52.89% (3762 votes)
- Linda Pfeilsticker (DFL), 46.86% (3333 votes)
- Write-in, 0.25% (18 votes)
- 2006 Race for Minnesota Senate — District 28
- Steve Murphy (DFL), 54.26% (17511 votes)
- Steve Drazkowski(R), 45.33% (14627 votes)
- Steve Wilson (Write-In), 0.20% (64 votes)
- Write-In 0.21% (68 votes)