Shane Mekeland
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Shane Mekeland | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 27A district | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Newberger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 28, 1969 |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Angela |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | |
| Website | Government website Campaign website |
Shane Mekeland (/ˈmɛk.lənd/);[1] born July 28, 1969)[2] is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Mekeland represents District 27A in central Minnesota, which includes the cities of Big Lake, Becker, and surrounding areas of Sherburne County.[3][4]
Mekeland was a convenience store manager and owner for 20 years.[5] He is a general contractor.[6]
Minnesota House of Representatives
Mekeland was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018 and has been reelected every two years since. He first ran after three-term incumbent Jim Newberger announced he would not seek reelection in order to run in the 2018 U.S. Senate election.
Mekeland serves on the Climate and Energy Finance and Policy and Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committees.[3]
Political positions
Mekeland has called for an audit of the 2020 election.[7] On December 10, 2022, he signed on to a letter calling on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to include Minnesota in his unsuccessful lawsuit to invalidate election results in other states, citing "illegal voting practices" in the state.[8]
In 2020, Mekeland wrote a letter to the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners asking it to designate the county a "Second Amendment sanctuary".[9][10]
Mekeland opposed bipartisan legislation to increase worker protection laws for meatpacking workers, saying that existing laws were adequate to deal with injuries and other issues and additional regulations would lead to increased consolidation.[11][12] He criticized cities for charging high fees on building permits to pay for other government services.[13]
In 2025, Mekeland led sponsorship of a bill to designate messenger RNA (mRNA) treatments, which include several COVID-19 vaccines, "weapons of mass destruction", and make possessing or administering them a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The bill was drafted by a Florida-based hypnotist and conspiracy theorist who believes that mRNA treatments are "nanoparticle injections" that amount to "biological and technological weapons of mass destruction".[14][15]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Shane Mekeland | 10,699 | 59.41 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Karla Scapanski | 6,161 | 34.21 | |
| Independent | Myron Arthur Wilson | 1,137 | 6.31 | |
| Write-in | 11 | 0.06 | ||
| Total votes | 18,008 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Shane Mekeland (incumbent) | 17,616 | 70.55 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ron Thiessen | 5,898 | 23.62 | |
| Veterans Party - Minnesota | Myron Arthur Wilson | 1,425 | 5.71 | |
| Write-in | 32 | 0.13 | ||
| Total votes | 24,971 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Shane Mekeland (incumbent) | 14,798 | 70.68 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Sherri Leyda | 6,115 | 29.21 | |
| Write-in | 24 | 0.11 | ||
| Total votes | 20,937 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||