Minnesota House of Representatives

Lesch was first elected in 2002 and has been reelected every two years since.

On November 16, 2010, incoming Minority Leader Paul Thissen announced that Lesch would be one of four minority whips during the 2011–12 legislative session.^[2]

Lesch has served on several committees including:

• Crime Victims Sub Committee 2007-2009^[3]
• Saint Paul Delegation 2007^[4]
• Crime Victims and Criminal Records Division 2009-11^[5]
• Chair of Civil Law 2013-15^[6]

Campaign funds violation

On August 1, 2017, the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board ruled that Lesch and his campaign committee made a series of improper money transfers between 2010 and 2013 and failed to keep adequate records. The Board fined Lesch's campaign committee $5,000 and Lesch personally $15,000.^[23][24][25]

The amount of the fine is one of the larger civil penalties levied against a lawmaker for campaign violations in the state, according to the board's executive director, Jeff Sigurdson. The board often levies penalties against lawmakers for incorrect bookkeeping or other matters, but rarely finds cases of officials using campaign money for their own benefit. The board concluded that Lesch transferred $11,000 in campaign contributions from his campaign account to his personal account at times when there otherwise would have been "insufficient funds". Lesch has repaid just over $2,000.

Lesch denied he did anything improper. "The board's conclusion that funds were converted to personal use is unfounded", he said. "It remains based solely on the absence of receipts. I deny using any campaign funds for personal purposes."^[23]

Defamatory letter lawsuit

On January 3, 2018, Lesch sent recently inaugurated Saint Paul mayor Melvin Carter a letter, written on his Minnesota House of Representatives letterhead, in which he wrote that Carter's recently appointed City Attorney, Lyndsey Olson, had a "track record of integrity questions and management problems". Lesch said he was "surprised" by Carter's "choice for City Attorney." Lesch's inquiries were corroborated by a defamation suit Olson brought in which she admitted to multiple investigations of her management for workplace violations, but claimed that these investigations did not confirm her accusers' accounts. Because of his letter, Olson sued Lesch for defamation. Stating that he wrote the letter as part of his duties as a representative, Lesch claimed legislative immunity under the Speech or Debate Clause of the Minnesota Constitution and filed a motion to dismiss the suit. The Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed the decisions of the lower courts holding that Lesch was not acting in his official capacity at the time, and that legislative immunity did not attach, denying his motion to dismiss the suit.^[26] Another City Attorney's office employee later alleged behavior by Olson similar to that raised by Lesch's letter.^[27]

United States Senate

In February 2007, Lesch said he was considering running for the United States Senate seat held by Norm Coleman.^[28] No campaign announcement was ever made.

Minnesota Senate

In March 2011, newly elected Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton appointed District 66 State Senator Ellen Anderson chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. After she announced her resignation from the Senate, effective March 21, 2011, a number of people announced their campaigns for the seat, including Lesch, former DFL State Representative Mary Jo McGuire, DFL Attorney Steve Marchese, and Republican Greg Copeland. The primary election was on March 29, 2011, and the general election on April 12.^[29][30]

Since the district leans heavily towards the DFL, the key election was the DFL primary. During the primary campaign, Representative Alice Hausman endorsed McGuire.^[31] Lesch lost the primary to McGuire, 54% to 36%.^[32] McGuire won the general election.

Minnesota Attorney General

On April 4, 2017, Lesch announced that he would run for Minnesota Attorney General if the current Attorney General, Lori Swanson, decided to run for governor.^[33] On September 15, 2017, six weeks after agreeing to pay $20,000 in fines to the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board for misusing campaign funds, he announced that he was withdrawing from the race. He said the Campaign Finance Board allegations had nothing to do with his withdrawal, but that the time was not right for him personally or politically to run for higher office, especially since it was unknown whether Swanson would run for reelection.^[34]

Enlistment in National Guard

On October 8, 2009, it was reported that Lesch had joined the Minnesota National Guard as an infantry officer.^[42] As a practicing attorney, Lesch would normally join the military as a member of JAG or Judge Advocate General's Corps. He completed his Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, on February 12, 2010, graduating with a 90% rank in physical performance and rifle marksmanship. Lesch was commissioned at Ft. Benning on September 2, 2010, graduating 7th in a class of over 100. He maintains a rank of 2nd Lieutenant (O-1) and leads a platoon of light infantry soldiers with the 34th Infantry Division (Red Bulls).

While attending Officer Candidate School, Lesch commenced his reelection campaign for the Minnesota House of Representatives via Facebook and Twitter. Minnesota's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board determined there are no restrictions on running for office while in the military, and no complaint was brought against Lesch. The military's own rules about political activity are complicated, however. Although neither the Army nor Minnesota National Guard has issued a formal statement regarding Lesch's campaign activities and no complaints have been made, unintentional violations of those rules can easily occur.^[43]