MN-HD11A: DFL leaders call for Rep. Jeff Dotseth (R) to end re-election campaign after abuse allegations surface
Top Democrats called for GOP state Rep. Jeff Dotseth to end his re-election campaign on Tuesday in response to a Star Tribune report that detailed past allegations of domestic abuse.
They also called on House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, to expel Dotseth from the House GOP Caucus.
Dotseth, a first-term lawmaker from Kettle River, was arrested in 2008 after his then-wife called police to report he’d assaulted her, according to court documents first reported by the Star Tribune on Monday. He was initially charged with misdemeanor domestic assault but pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct several months later. A judge granted a yearlong order for protection barring Dotseth from contacting his then-wife and using or possessing firearms, and he was only allowed to have supervised visits with the 9-year-old daughter they shared.
“What we’ve learned about Rep. Dotseth’s past is beyond concerning,” House Majority Leader Jamie Long, DFL-Minneapolis, said at a news conference at the State Capitol. “Dotseth’s behavior, whether it was yesterday or years ago, is unacceptable and not fitting for an elected representative of our state.”
https://www.startribune.com/dfl-leaders-call-for-rep-jeff-dotseth-to-end-re-election-campaign-after-abuse-allegations-surface/601146483
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