Paul Gazelka

Paul E. Gazelka ( ; born October 1, 1959) is an American politician and small business owner from Minnesota. A Republican, Gazelka was a member of the Minnesota Senate and was previously a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. In the state senate, Gazelka served as majority leader from 2017 to 2021.

Born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Gazelka spent his later formative years in Minnesota's Iron Range region. He lives near Gull Lake in Cass County, Minnesota. He represented Senate District 9, which included parts of Cass, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena Counties in the north central part of the state.

Early life, education, and career Gazelka was born on October 1, 1959, He lived in St. Paul until age 15, when his family moved to Virginia, Minnesota, a city on the state's Mesabi Iron Range. He owns and operates an insurance agency in Baxter.

Minnesota House of Representatives After settling in the Nisswa, Minnesota, area, Gazelka became involved in local politics. and the Democratic nominee in the November general election. He was the senator from District 12 (covering Crow Wing and Morrison counties) from 2011 to 2012, and then District 9 (covering Cass, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties) from 2013 onward. Republicans lost control of the Minnesota Senate in 2012. His 2010 primary victory over Koering, Minnesota's only openly gay Republican legislator, was partially credited to the criticism Koering received for going to dinner with an adult film star, and Gazelka's subsequent legislative career has included efforts to oppose same-sex marriage and government funding of abortion.

Economic issues In 2017, soon after he became majority leader, Gazelka brokered deals with Democrats for state/federal tax code reconciliation and short-term relief for individuals with high health insurance premiums. He also pressed for expedited budget committee deadlines, expressing a desire to avoid a repeat of the 2011 Minnesota state government shutdown. Gazelka and his wife once sent their child to an anti-same-sex relationship psychologist who has been characterized as a conversion therapist. The department said that the bill, if enacted, would likely be blocked by the courts given a 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court decision that struck down a similar measure. In 2019, Gazelka sponsored legislation to ban abortion in Minnesota 20 weeks after fertilization; the proposal did not advance.

Marijuana

Gazelka staunchly opposes legalization of recreational adult-use marijuana in Minnesota. In 2021, after the state House passed a legalization bill on a 72–61 vote, Gazelka blocked it from being taken up by the state Senate.

Police reform In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests, Gazelka and Minnesota Senate Republicans blocked most police reform proposals put forth by Governor Tim Walz and the Democratic-majority state House. Gazelka specifically opposed changes to qualified immunity. A compromise reform package was agreed upon in a subsequent special session; the compromise bill banned police chokeholds in most situations, prohibited "warrior cop" training that promoted aggression, and mandated that officers intervene when another officer uses excessive force. In 2021, Gazelka opposed a bill, supported by Walz and passed by the state House, that would ban no-knock search warrants, require police departments to timely release body camera footage of death in custody to decedents' families; authorize local governments to establish civilian police oversight boards; and bar police officers from belonging to white supremacist organizations. He said the Senate would not take up the House proposals because he was satisfied with the reforms that passed the preceding year.

COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 policy

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gazelka was one of the most outspoken opponents of public health mandates (such as business closures and requirements to wear face coverings in indoor public places) imposed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Gazelka led Republicans in blocking a Democratic proposal to require face coverings in public areas of the State Capitol.

In October 2020, Gazelka and Minnesota Republican leaders launched a campaign (with the theme "Contract to Open Up Minnesota") that called for an end to state-mandated COVID-safety protocols such as wearing masks and limited restaurant capacities and called for returning more children to in-person learning. Gazelka and Minnesota Republicans praised the Dakotas for having few COVID-19 related restrictions, although the Dakotas had the highest case rates in the nation at the time. Gazelka opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates and criticized Walz for requiring state employees to be either vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive weekly testing for COVID-19.

Superspreader event On November 5, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gazelka attended a Republican Party event at a catering hall to celebrate the party's victories in the 2020 elections. At the superspreader event, which included more than 100 people, many attendees did not wear protective face masks, contrary to public health recommendations, and at least four Republican state senators (including Gazelka) tested positive for COVID-19 in the subsequent days. He experienced symptoms.

Gazelka notified the host venue of the outbreak 10 days after it occurred. Republican State Senator Jerry Relph, one of the attendees of the post-election event, died from complications due to COVID-19 on December 18. Through a spokeswoman, Gazelka declined to say if he bore any responsibility for Relph's death. After President Donald Trump lost the presidential election, Gazelka (as well as the Republican leader in the State House, Minority Leader Kurt Daudt) refused to denounce Trump's attempts to overturn the election result or to contradict Trump's false claims of election fraud. Gazelka's and Daudt's refusal to acknowledge that Trump lost the election fairly was criticized by Democratic Governor Tim Walz as "some pretty epic gaslighting."

The Republican primary election was scheduled for August 2022, but Gazelka (like other Republican candidates) pledged to honor the endorsement of the state Republican Party. At the May 2022 state Republican convention, Scott Jensen won the party endorsement, defeating four other candidates: Gazelka, Lexington Mayor Mike Murphy, businessman Kendall Qualls, and dermatologist Neil Shah.

Personal life Gazelka and his family formerly lived in Brainerd and then Nisswa. Amid a subsequent Minnesota Senate debate over a proposal to ban conversion therapy, Gazelka's child (now an adult) described the practice as a form of psychological "harassment" she called "tantamount to torture."