Moravchik endorsed for MN House 20B seat

Joe Moravchik of Lonsdale has been busy as he has been running a campaign for the Minnesota House 20B seat. On the evening of Thursday, May 21, the first time candidate was endorsed by the Republican Party for Minnesota House District 20B, which includes Le Sueur and Rice counties. He received 87 percent on the first ballot, easily surpassing the 60 percent threshold needed for endorsement.
“It was a good night for our campaign team. I’m grateful to the Republican delegates for their trust and support, and I look forward to a positive, issue-driven campaign against Rep. Todd Lippert,” said Moravchik in a press release.
Rep. Lippert, DFL-Northfield, was elected to the seat in 2018. The district includes the southern half of New Prague, and the communities of Lonsdale, Montgomery, Heidelberg, Webster Township and the majority of Northfield.
He and his wife Chris have been married for 27 years and their two daughters are active student athletes with the New Prague High School girls hockey team. Moravchik also sits on the board of New Prague’s girls hockey team’s booster club and its Youth Hockey Association. He has worked as a coach in several sports. Chris works at Allina District One Hospital in Faribault.
Moravchik has been active in many fields as he was a high school history, geography and economics teacher in New Mexico and Wisconsin. He was also a police officer in Wisconsin, spending a decade with the Racine Police Department, retiring early after a severe injury in an auto accident. After his family settled in Lonsdale in 2007, he began studying law at William Mitchell College of Law and earned his degree in 2011. During law school, he interned with the Minnesota Legislature’s Public Safety Committee as well as the Rice County Attorney’s Office.
Moravchik decided to run for the MN House 20B seat to continue his contribution to society in public service. “I have successful broad based work experiences that translate well to leading in the legislature,” he said. “For example, I went into high school teaching to lead and be a role model and it was this great collaborative experience with students that was about teaching, shared learning, problem solving and creating solutions to improve outcomes. When I transitioned into police work I wanted to protect people that have a hard time protecting themselves, and I wanted to bring justice and closure to crime victims. A big part of being effective as a police officer in a large city is problem solving. As a coach I ran all aspects of a program, taught team concepts, skill development, and game planned. And I tried to inspire athletes to achieve more than they thought they were capable of. In studying law, for me, it was about committing to making a difference for people that need a legal voice to guide and protect them, such as victims of crime or accidents and those that have been unfairly taken advantage of.”
He said his goal is to help people and get them in positions where they can succeed.
“I think that lots of people in our area and everywhere are tired of bitter partisanship and the inability of the parties to work together even on things that serve all of our interests,” said Moravchik. “I think people are tired of self-serving politicians. I am an alternative to that. I will be a good listener, thoroughly prepared, a problem solver, and an independent voice of reason that will always put Minnesotans in the best position to succeed.”
One thing that has made his candidacy unique is it being held during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moravchik said his top priority is helping families and businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have always had a professional interest in putting people in the best position to succeed-it is a strong component of coaching, teaching, and leading youth sports programs,” said Moravchik. Due to the devastation of the pandemic, smart, practical, efficient leadership is now imperative. I have acquired a skill-set that can be effective here and I want to be a part of the leadership that plans and implements our state’s recovery effort.”
“COVID-19 has obviously limited face-to-face contact with delegates, caucus supporters and voters most interested in learning about candidates and platforms early in a race. So, our campaign has been making calls and sending emails,” said Moravchik. “And my teen-age daughters introduced me to Zoom meetings, which are becoming more prevalent each week.”
The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.