It is an honor to serve as County Attorney in the community where I grew up. Washington County is home to people whose values I share—fairness, accountability, and respect for the law. Working together, the County Attorney’s Office has built a strong foundation that delivers real justice in our community by holding offenders accountable and empowering victims.
Accountability, even for “less serious” offenses, is fundamental. We need to continue the leadership that vigorously prosecutes violations of the law. In some cases, while still requiring offenders to answer for their actions, we can offer certain defendants facing non-violent charges a second chance to get on the right track.
I value the close partnership the Office has with our sworn peace officers as we jointly enforce the law and keep our community safe. For over 25 years, I have worked to uphold the law and to help victims of injustice. I’ve shown the character and commitment to do the right thing, the right way. I continue to bring that commitment and energy to the leadership of this office.
Please vote to re-elect me to another four-year term as your County Attorney on November 3rd.
-Kevin Magnuson
PROSECUTE
ADVOCATE
ADVISE
MEET KEVIN
Kevin grew up in Lake Elmo and attended Lake Elmo Elementary School before completing grades 7–12 at Minnehaha Academy. After graduating from high school in 1985, he attended Wheaton College near Chicago on a four-year ROTC scholarship. Following his freshman year, Kevin took a year to study and travel abroad. He studied for a semester at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and, at age 19, embarked on a solo, six-month bicycle journey through Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe.
Kevin returned to Wheaton College after his travels, where in 1990 he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a commission in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Germany. After his military service, he pursued graduate studies in philosophy at Philipps-Universität Marburg in Germany and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, where he earned a master’s degree.
Kevin studied law at the University of Minnesota and again at the University of Leuven. After graduating from the U of M Law School in 1999, he clerked at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition in Brussels.
He then returned to the Twin Cities, where he practiced primarily complex civil litigation at Briggs and Morgan, P.A, and Robins Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, LLP. Kevin later joined Kelley, Wolter & Scott, P.A., where he handled some white-collar criminal defense and federal Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel cases in addition to civil litigation. Throughout his career, he has remained committed to pro bono work serving underserved clients.
After 20 years in private legal practice, Kevin joined the Washington County Attorney’s Office in 2019. He served three years as an Assistant County Attorney and, after a brief period as the appointed County Attorney, was elected to a four-year term in 2023.
The previous County Attorney, Pete Orput, and his wife sat down one night before the 2022 election with Kevin and his wife to convince them that Kevin should run for that office after Pete retired. Pete said, “There is no better place you can be to do profound good in the community.” Kevin has seen how incredibly true that statement is.
Kevin lives in his childhood home in Lake Elmo with his wife, Lindsay, and their two children.