Ol' Trapper Bob is running again.
This time Bob Lessard, who served 26 years as a DFLer in the Minnesota Senate, is after the attorney general's job. And he filed as a Republican.
It's not about party, Lessard said Friday. It's about enforcing Minnesota's laws.
The International Falls resident operates a fishing camp in Canada and goes by the nickname 'The Ol' Trapper.' The moniker is featured in his campaign announcement, which he sent out Wednesday — a month and a half after he filed to run. So why did the 87-year-old take leave of his post as a special assistant to the commissioner at the Department of Natural Resources to challenge GOP-endorsed candidate Doug Wardlow in the August primary?
"The attorney general's office is not supposed to be used as a political platform to express one's views," Lessard said, and he sees candidates on both sides as pushing extreme agendas. So he jumped in.
His other goal: protecting Legacy Amendment funding for game, fish and wildlife habitat. He fought for the constitutional amendment dedicating sales tax revenue to wildlife conservation, which Minnesotans passed years after he left the Legislature.
Those searching for more information about Lessard can reach him via his campaign e-mail address. It's oltrapperbobforag@gmail.com, of course.
Jessie Van Berkel
