Harry Niska

Harry Niska is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Niska represents District 31A in the north Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Ramsey and Andover in Anoka County, Minnesota.

Early life, education and career

Birth and education Niska grew up in Andover, Minnesota, and graduated from Anoka High School. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from Concordia College, Moorhead, and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.

In 2015, Niska brought a complaint against a Republican activist who he claimed misled voters by making false claims of endorsement in a judicial race for the Minnesota Supreme Court. The claim was upheld and the activist was fined $600. Niska said, "fraud, meaning lies that are actually meant to induce people to do something, are not protected by the First Amendment in the same way [as] even innocent or even white lies". He signed up to volunteer for independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin, saying that he believed that Trump had "abused every lever of power that’s been available to him".

2018 attorney general campaign Niska ran in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Minnesota in 2018, saying he would focus on consumer protection and criticizing incumbent Lori Swanson for signing onto a lawsuit challenging Trump's travel ban from some Muslim-majority countries. In 2012, Niska urged the Minnesota attorney general to join a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act. He withdrew from the primary in November 2017, citing family considerations.

Minnesota House of Representatives Niska was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. He first ran after legislative redistricting and after three-term Republican incumbent Cal Bahr announced he would not seek reelection and would run for a seat in the Minnesota Senate.

Political positions Niska has said that many laws the DFL majority passed in 2023 are unconstitutional, resulting in multiple legal challenges. He opposed legislation that prohibited post-secondary institutions participating in PSEO from requiring faith statements, saying it infringed on religious liberties.

In 2023, he introduced legislation to address water contamination issues in the city of Andover and a bill that would prevent nonprofits from paying people's bail. Niska supported legislation that would repeal fees for those seeking copies of civil and criminal court documents.

Abortion Niska is anti-abortion, and called DFL abortion-rights legislation passed in 2023 "the most extreme abortion policy possible".

Voting rights Niska opposed legislation restoring voting rights to felons on parole, saying voting was a sacred right that should be taken away if people violate certain laws. He has long supported requiring voters to present a valid government-issued photo ID when voting.

LGTBQ+ legislation Niska opposed legislation banning the practice of conversion therapy, saying there were "free speech violations" in the bill. He proposed removing sections of the bill that categorize advertising for the procedure's efficacy or "representing homosexuality as a mental disease, disorder, or illness", as consumer fraud.

Niska criticized a bill that both removed language within state law associating sexual orientation with pedophilia and also added gender identity as a protected class in Minnesota's human rights statute. He said some may now "interpret the HRA to deem pedophilia as a protected class in Minnesota"; legal experts dismissed this because pedophilia is already against Minnesota law.

Personal life Niska lives in Ramsey, Minnesota with his wife, Jen, and has three children.