Joe McDonald

Joseph P. McDonald (born July 21, 1966) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2011. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, McDonald represents District 29A northwest of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Delano and Rockford and parts of Wright, Meeker, and Hennepin Counties.

Early life, education, and career McDonald was born in Watertown, 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.

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. 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.

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. He authored a bill to fully repeal the estate tax.

McDonald has supported reforms to the Metropolitan 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". 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 stadium and later voted against the final bill.

Electoral history

Personal life McDonald lives in Delano, Minnesota, with his spouse Rachel, and has three children. He is Catholic and attends St. Peter's Catholic Church in Delano.