# Steve Drazkowski *American politician; member of the Minnesota Senate from District 20* Steve Drazkowski (born November 27, 1964) is a Republican member of the [[Minnesota Senate]] and holds the District 20 seat. The district takes in the whole of Wabasha County, much of Olmsted, Goodhue and Winona counties, and a smaller portion of Dakota County. Before entering the Senate he sat in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]].[^1][^2] He first won his House seat in a special election on August 7, 2007, and was returned at each general election from 2008 through 2020. He represented District 28B through the 2010 election and District 21B from 2012.[^2][^3] His House record includes a 2010 immigration bill, a 2012 right-to-work constitutional amendment proposal, his December 2018 departure from the House Republican caucus, and a 2019 referral of a member of Congress to the state's campaign finance board.[^2] ## Early life and education Drazkowski was born in [[Winona, Minnesota]], and raised on a farm in Bluff Siding, Wisconsin. After finishing at Cochrane-Fountain City High School, he completed an agriculture B.S. at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1989. He added a Master of Education from the [[University of Minnesota]] in 1994.[^4] ## Career Outside the legislature, he has been a firearms safety instructor for the [[Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]] and a 4-H volunteer in Wabasha County. He is also a former president of the Minnesota Forage and Grassland Council.[^2] His first run for the legislature, for the District 28 seat in the Minnesota Senate in 2006, was unsuccessful. When Representative [[Steve Sviggum]] left the House to become Minnesota's Commissioner of Labor and Industry, Drazkowski won the resulting special election on August 7, 2007.[^2][^3] In 2010 he introduced a bill in the Minnesota House modeled on Arizona's immigration law.[^2] In 2012 he and radio host [[Dave Thompson (Minnesota politician)]] proposed an Employee Freedom Constitutional Amendment. The proposal would have put to a statewide referendum the question of adding a right-to-work clause to the [[Minnesota Constitution]].[^2] On December 7, 2018, he and three other Republican state representatives quit the GOP House Caucus and formed the New Republican House Caucus. Drazkowski said, "It doesn’t change the fact we’re still Republican," and described the group as "very committed to Republican ideals and values."[^2] In early 2019 he filed a referral concerning U.S. Representative [[Ilhan Omar]] with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, the body that enforces the state's election ethics rules.[^2] ## Electoral history Returns for Drazkowski's legislative races:[^3] - 2020, House District 21B: Drazkowski (R) 66.6% (15,647 votes); Elise Diesslin (DFL) 33.3% (7,831); write-in 0.1% (24). - 2018, House District 21B: Drazkowski (R) 63.4% (11,511); Jonathan Isenor (DFL) 36.5% (6,619); write-in 0.1% (17). - 2016, House District 21B: Drazkowski (R) 65.31% (13,688); Elise Diesslin (DFL) 34.69% (7,270). - 2014, House District 21B: Drazkowski (R) 63.3% (9,075); M.A. Schneider (DFL) 36.4% (5,213); write-in 0.3% (41). - 2012, House District 21B: Drazkowski (R) 58% (11,759); Bruce Montplaisir (DFL) 42% (8,511). - 2010, House District 28B: Drazkowski (R) 65.15% (9,669); Mark Schneider (DFL) 34.77% (5,160); write-in 0.08% (12). - 2008, House District 28B: Drazkowski (R) 54.75% (10,980); Linda Pfeilsticker (DFL) 45.13% (9,050); write-in 0.12% (24). - 2007, House District 28B special election: Drazkowski (R) 52.89% (3,762); Linda Pfeilsticker (DFL) 46.86% (3,333); write-in 0.25% (18). - 2006, Senate District 28: [[Steve Murphy (politician)]] (DFL) 54.26% (17,511); Drazkowski (R) 45.33% (14,627); Steve Wilson (write-in) 0.20% (64); other write-ins 0.21% (68). ## Personal life Drazkowski belongs to the National Rifle Association of America, Whitetails Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, and the Lake City and Frontenac Sportsmens Clubs. He is divorced and has one child with his former wife. He co-owns an online retail business and a shoe store in Winona, and lives in Mazeppa.[^5] The Wikipedia article reports that in 2006, before his election to the legislature, he was arrested and charged with assaulting his daughter, then 14. It reports that he was acquitted and that, at his former wife's request, the judge issued a temporary restraining order against him.[^5] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Steve Drazkowski* (revision 1366322563, retrieved 2026-10-26), lead section — birth date, Senate District 20 seat and its counties, prior House service. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Drazkowski [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Steve Drazkowski* (revision 1366322563, retrieved 2026-10-26), "Career" — 2006 Senate run, 2007 special election, reelections, 2010 bill, 2012 amendment proposal, 2018 caucus split, 2019 referral. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Drazkowski [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Steve Drazkowski* (revision 1366322563, retrieved 2026-10-26), "Electoral history" — vote counts and percentages, 2006–2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Drazkowski [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Steve Drazkowski* (revision 1366322563, retrieved 2026-10-26), "Early life and education" — birthplace, schooling, degrees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Drazkowski [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Steve Drazkowski* (revision 1366322563, retrieved 2026-10-26), "Personal life" — memberships, business, residence, 2006 charge and acquittal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Drazkowski