John Sterling Persell, Jr. (born 1950) is an

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DFL politician who represented District 5A in northern

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, first winning election in 2008.

Early life, education, and career

Persell majored in biology at

Bemidji State University Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public university in Bemidji, Minnesota, United States. Founded as a preparatory institution for teachers in 1919, it provides higher education to north-central Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Coll ...

, and served in the

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. He was a member of the Beltrami County Soil and Water Conservation Board, and of the Frohn Township Board of Supervisors. Persell is a member of the

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, and has worked as a mentor in the STEM Program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) at Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake. He is also a retired water quality specialist and environmental policy analyst for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Persell was elected in 2008, running after two-term Representative Frank Moe opted not to seek reelection. He was reelected in 2010, 2012, and 2014. In 2016 he lost

reelection The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be a ...

to Republican Matt Bliss. In a rematch in 2018, Persell beat Bliss by just 11 votes. He was chosen to lead the Environment and Natural Resources Policy Committee. In 2020, he was challenged by Bliss again, and defeated by 1,485 vote

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Official campaign website

Project Votesmart - Rep. John Persell Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Persell, John 1950 births Living people People from Beltrami County, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature