After earning his Juris Doctor, he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he practiced law for several years. He was then offered a teaching position at the University of Wyoming Law School where he taught for seven years. David Minge then moved to Montevideo, Minnesota where he was part of a country law practice, on the school board, and actively involved in community affairs. During this time he was also a consultant to the House Judiciary Committee.
Minge was sworn into the House in 1993, and he became part of the Blue Dog Coalition consisting of moderate and conservative congressional Democrats. He was a champion of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), a federal-state partnership to improve water quality and protect the environment. Minge narrowly lost his campaign for a fifth term to Mark Kennedy in 2000. After his first election to the house, Minge opened a Congressional Field Office in Windom, Minnesota at which point the Windom City Council declared March 20, 1993 as "Congressman David Minge Day".[4]
State judicial service
In 2002, Governor Jesse Ventura appointed Minge to the Minnesota Court of Appeals from the second congressional district, the same area where he served in Congress. In 2012, he retired from active status.
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1992, write-ins received 414 votes. In 1994, write-ins received 80 votes. In 1996, write-ins received 180 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 385 votes. In 2000, Constitution Party candidate Dennis A. Burda received 1,337 votes.
Papers
David Minge's congressional files are available for research use. They include correspondence, subject files, legislative files, campaign files, press office files, photographs and video and sound recordings.[8]
