Joe McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Member of theMinnesota House of Representatives from the 29A district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Emmer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1966-07-21)July 21, 1966 (age 58) Watertown, Minnesota |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Rachel |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Delano, Minnesota |
| Education | Hennepin Technical College (A.A.) |
| Occupation | |
| Website | Government websiteCampaign website |
Joseph P. McDonald (born July 21, 1966) is an American politician serving in theMinnesota House of Representatives since 2011. A member of theRepublican Party of Minnesota, McDonald represents District 29A northwest of theTwin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities ofDelano andRockford and parts ofWright,Meeker, andHennepin Counties.[1][2]
McDonald was born inWatertown, Minnesota, to parents of Irish descent. His father,K. J. McDonald, served as a Minnesota state representative from 1977 to 1991, and as Watertown mayor.[1][3][4]
McDonald graduated fromHennepin Technical College with anA.A. in photography. He earned his master's degree in photography in 2003 and his Craftsman's degree in photography in 2008. He is a photographer and business owner.[1]
McDonald served on the Delano city council from 2000 to 2006 and as mayor from 2007 until his election to the state legislature.[1]
McDonald was elected to theMinnesota House of Representatives in2010 and has been reelected every two years since. He first ran after three-term incumbentTom Emmer announced he would not run for reelection in order torun for governor of Minnesota.[1][5] In 2022, Joe Crawford, a member of the right-wing group Action 4 Liberty, challenged McDonald in the Republican primary.[6] McDonald was kicked out of an Action 4 Liberty event, and called the Wright County sheriff about the incident. He criticized the group's methods and defended his conservative voting record.[6] He called the group "frauds" and calledErik Mortensen, a fellow lawmaker associated with the group, "a petulant child".[6] No charges were ultimately filed.[7]
McDonald serves as the minority lead for the Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committee and sits on the Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee.[1]
McDonald opposed legislation that would ban noncompete clauses for many workers, and a bill that would allow a lower minimum wage for tipped employees.[8][9] He authored a bill to fully repeal the estate tax.[10]
McDonald has supported reforms to theMetropolitan Council, a regional transit planning agency, saying, "we'll do everything we can to make sure the Met Council doesn't put its tentacles into our county".[11] He has voted to repeal gun permit laws in Minnesota.[12] He has said he was open to restoring voting rights to felons in 2020, but advocated for a standalone bill vote.[13]
McDonald opposed legislation to allow liquor stores to open on Sundays, saying, "stay home with your family. Value church and family times".[14] He supported a bill to allow bars to stay open till 4 a.m. during the2018 Super Bowl LII week, but later expressed reservations about the proposal.[15][16] McDonald opposed raising taxes to pay for a newMinnesota Vikings stadium and later voted against the final bill.[17][18]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe McDonald | 14,770 | 67.22 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Christine Brazelton | 7,179 | 32.67 | |
| Write-in | 25 | 0.11 | ||
| Total votes | 21,974 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe McDonald (incumbent) | 13,002 | 61.94 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Susann Dye | 7,954 | 37.89 | |
| Write-in | 34 | 0.16 | ||
| Total votes | 20,990 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe McDonald (incumbent) | 11,839 | 96.80 | |
| Write-in | 391 | 3.20 | ||
| Total votes | 12,230 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe McDonald (incumbent) | 14,916 | 69.62 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Cortney Phillips | 6,482 | 30.26 | |
| Write-in | 26 | 0.12 | ||
| Total votes | 21,424 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe McDonald (incumbent) | 13,114 | 67.86 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Renée Cardarelle | 6,193 | 32.05 | |
| Write-in | 18 | 0.09 | ||
| Total votes | 19,325 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe McDonald (incumbent) | 17,823 | 70.29 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Renée Cardarelle | 7,499 | 29.57 | |
| Write-in | 36 | 0.14 | ||
| Total votes | 25,358 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe McDonald (incumbent) | 14,798 | 70.68 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Sherri Leyda | 6,115 | 29.21 | |
| Write-in | 24 | 0.11 | ||
| Total votes | 20,937 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
McDonald lives inDelano, Minnesota, with his spouse Rachel, and has three children.[1] He isCatholic and attends St. Peter's Catholic Church in Delano.[1]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Minnesota House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theMinnesota House of Representatives from the 19B district 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theMinnesota House of Representatives from the 29A district 2013–present | Incumbent |
