Todd Lippert (born January 26, 1977) is an American politician and former pastor who served as a member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint ...

from 2019 to 2022. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Repr ...

(DFL), he represented District 20B which includes the city of Northfield and portions of Le Sueur and

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

County in south-central

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Early life and education

Lippert was born in

Larchwood, Iowa Larchwood is a city in Lyon County, Iowa, Lyon County, Iowa, United States. The population was 926 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Larchwood was founded ''circa'' 1872 by a group of McLean County, Illinois land ...

. He attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in music performance. He later attended the

United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (United) is an ecumenical graduate school, historically rooted in the United Church of Christ and located in St. Paul, Minnesota. The school was formed in 1962 with the merger of Mission House Semin ...

, graduating with a Master of Divinity in theology.

Career

Lippert served as a pastor in local churches from 2003 to February 2020. He served as a senior minister at the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W ...

, from 2012 to 2020.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Lippert was elected to the

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, winning the seat left open by former representative David Bly, who announced his retirement in February 2018. Lippert stated that he became active in politics through his work as a pastor, getting involved in faith-based groups such as ISAIAH Minnesota which led to him wanting to run for office. During the 2021–2022 session, Lippert served as an assistant majority leader. In January 2022, Lippert announced he would not seek re-election for a third term, stating that he would like to continue working to help Democrats connect with rural communities. While in the legislature, Lippert authored many bills relating to rural communities, small farmers, soil and water health, and combating climate change. Alongside Republican Mike Goggin, Lippert advocated for a "Farm to School" program to get local produce into school lunches. He proposed a ban on

chlorpyrifos Chlorpyrifos (CPS), also known as Chlorpyrifos ethyl, is an organophosphate pesticide that has been used on crops, animals, and buildings, and in other settings, to kill several pests, including insects and worms. It acts on the nervous systems ...

, the most widely used pesticide for soybean farms in Minnesota, and which can cause brain damage in children. In 2022, he authored a bill creating a carbon trading program alongside Senator

Dave Senjem David Howard Senjem ( ; born December 20, 1942) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. He served as its majority leader from 2011 to 2013. A moderate Republican, Senjem has crossed party lines on many occasions, notably e ...

. Lippert also worked with senate republicans to pass a bill that increased the minimum wage of caregivers employed by the state through

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...

. 2021–2022 committee assignments: * Agriculture Finance and Policy * Climate and Energy Finance and Policy * Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy * Human Services Finance and Policy: Behavioral Health Policy 2019–2020 committee assignments: * Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy * Environment and Natural Resources Policy * Labor * Long Term Care * State Government Finance

Electoral Results

Personal life

Lippert and his wife, Sara, have three children. They reside in Northfield, Minnesota.

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lippert, Todd 1977 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians People from Northfield, Minnesota University of Iowa alumni