Joseph P. McDonald (born July 21, 1966) is an American politician serving in 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 ...

since 2011. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, McDonald represents District 29A northwest of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

metropolitan area, which includes the cities of

Delano Delano or DeLano may refer to: Places in the United States * Delano, California * Delano, Wichita, Kansas, a neighborhood in Wichita and former community before merging with Wichita * Delano, Minnesota * Delano, Nevada * Delano, Pennsylvania * De ...

and Rockford and parts of

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...

, Meeker, and Hennepin Counties.

Early life, education, and career

McDonald was born in

Watertown, Minnesota Watertown is a small city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States, along the South Fork of the Crow River, on the outskirts of the Twin Cities metro area. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 census. History Watertown was platted in 1858, ...

, to parents of Irish descent. His father, K. J. McDonald, served as a Minnesota state representative from 1977 to 1991, and as Watertown mayor. McDonald graduated from Hennepin Technical College with an A.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. McDonald was a member of the

School Board and served on the city council from 2000 to 2006 and as mayor from 2007 until his election to the state legislature.

Minnesota House of Representatives

McDonald was elected to the

in 2010 and has been reelected every two years since. He first ran after three-term incumbent

Tom Emmer Thomas Earl Emmer Jr.Helgeson, Baird, ''Star Tribune'', July 11, 2010. (born March 3, 1961) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. representative for since 2015. The district includes most of the Twin Cities' far northern ...

announced he would not run for reelection in order to run for governor of Minnesota. In 2022, Joe Crawford, a member of the right-wing group Action 4 Liberty, challenged McDonald in the Republican primary. 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. He called the group "frauds" and called Erik Mortensen, a fellow lawmaker associated with the group, "a petulant child". No charges were ultimately filed. 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. McDonald opposed legislation that would ban noncompete clauses for many workers, and a bill that would allow a lower minimum wage for tipped employees. He authored a bill to fully repeal the estate tax. McDonald has supported reforms to the

Metropolitan Council The Metropolitan Council, commonly abbreviated Met Council or Metro Council, is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area, accounting for over 55 pe ...

, 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". He has voted to repeal gun permit laws in Minnesota. He has said he was open to restoring voting rights to felons in 2020, but advocated for a standalone bill vote. McDonald opposed legislation to allow liquor stores to open on Sundays, saying, "stay home with your family. Value church and family times". He supported a bill to allow bars to stay open till 4 a.m. during the 2018 Super Bowl LII week, but later expressed reservations about the proposal. McDonald opposed raising taxes to pay for a new

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

stadium and later voted against the final bill.

Electoral history

Personal life

McDonald lives in

Delano, Minnesota Delano is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,464 at the 2010 census. The city is known for its small-town feel. It is in the outskirts of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Delano was pl ...

, with his spouse Rachel, and has three children. He is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and attends St. Peter's Catholic Church in Delano.

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcdonald, Joe 1966 births Living people People from Wright County, Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives American photographers 21st-century American politicians People from Watertown, Minnesota Catholics from Minnesota