In 2006, Drazkowski ran unsuccessfully for the District 28 seat in the Minnesota Senate. He subsequently ran for and was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in the August 7, 2007 special election held after Representative Steve Sviggum resigned to become Minnesota's Commissioner of Labor and Industry. He was reelected in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020.[1]
In 2012, Drazkowski and radio host Dave Thompson proposed an Employee Freedom Constitutional Amendment, which would require a statewide referendum on amending the Minnesota Constitution to include a right-to-work clause weakening unions.[3][4]
In early 2019, Drazkowski referred U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board,[5] which enforces Minnesota election ethics rules.[6]
On December 7, 2018, Drazkowski and three other Republican state representatives left the GOP House Caucus to form the New Republican House Caucus.[7] Drazkowski said, "It doesn’t change the fact we’re still Republican. As a matter of fact, our caucus of four is very committed to Republican ideals and values ... We’ll be working very hard to strengthen our party throughout Minnesota, strengthen party units and conservative organizations throughout the state so that we can win the election in two years instead of continuing on a course that could be very similar to the one [November 2018] that really just took 25 percent of our Republican membership in the House." The four members were assigned seats together on the House floor and hired three staff members shortly before the 2019 session began. During the session, they announced several bills that featured their strong interest in constitutional issues and also presented their own budget proposal.[8]
While arguing against a 2023 bill providing Minnesota students with free breakfast and lunch, Drazkowski said he had "yet to meet a person in Minnesota that is hungry", had "yet to meet a person in Minnesota that says they don't have access to enough food to eat", and that "hunger is a relative term".[9] A video of Drazkowski making the comments went viral on Twitter and led to national coverage. The bill's sponsor, State Senator Heather Gustafson, tweeted that "1 in 5 students in Sen. Drazkowski's district qualifies for free and reduced lunch".[10][11]
Drazkowski is a member of the National Rifle Association of America, Whitetails Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, and both the Lake City and Frontenac Sportsmens Clubs.[citation needed] He is Catholic, attending the St. Peter and Paul Church in Mazeppa.[citation needed] He is divorced; he and his ex-wife, Laura, have one child.[12] In 2006, before he was elected to the legislature, Drazkowski was arrested and charged with assaulting his then 14-year-old daughter.[13] He was acquitted, but at Laura's request, the judge issued a temporary restraining order against him.[14] He co-owns an online retail business and a shoe store in Winona and resides in Mazeppa.
