KAXE contacted each candidate at least twice to invite them to participate in our Election Guide, using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office.
Candidate responses have not been edited and are published exactly as submitted, including typos and formatting.
As necessary, our news team added contextual information clearly marked with an "editor's note" and in italics. We will make every effort to make note of inaccuracies if they come to our attention.
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KAXE's Election Guide includes contested races in communities with at least 100 people. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else will be on the ballot in November.
About this race
The Minnesota Legislature passes laws and sets the state budget. It is made up of 67 senators and 134 representatives.
State House District 4B includes portions of Becker and Clay counties, and includes some townships around Moorhead as well as the cities of Audubon, Glyndon, Hawley and Detroit Lakes.
Republican Rep. Jim Joy, who is running for reelection, is the vice chair of the House's taxes committee. He was first elected in 2022.
The winner of the election will begin their two-year term in January.
Click the tabs below to learn more about the candidates
Party: DFL
Age on Election Day: 42
Community: Kragnes
Employment: Small business owner
Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.
18 year designer of commerical AG facilities and Safety Director of a general AG contractor.
Why are you running?
To provide the needs of the community and those who live in it.
Why should voters elect you?
I have decades of experience working within budgets our meet current demands and have developed and understand the needs of small businesses and what it takes to help support a community.
What are your top three priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Improve our access to health care and emergency services, provide educational opportunities to meet our growing demands as we also need to focus on rebuilding our infrastructure and build quality homes that our community can invest in.
Name a public leader you admire and explain why.
Paul Wellstone. Simply by his determination and focus to help all of us by ensuring that the needs of all were met. As history has shown, there is a net positive return to our communities when we provide the foundation for any person to grow from.
By providing information and knowledge to those willing to start a different path and to our youth with the introduction of trades in the classroom and other educational opportunities outside of the 9-5, we can create a balance of skill and quality for our future generations to help ensure that, "we all can do better when we all do better."- Wellstone.
What natural resources policies do you support?
I support the conservation efforts to ensure our water ways and aquifers do not become polluted with PFAs or are prone to risk by entities focused on manmade resource gathering over natural resources. I am open to alternative fuel and energy sources that can not only meet the demand of the general public, but can withstand our climates. I will also support the recommendations and experiences of the DNR when it comes to access, limits, and regulations along with the efforts to limit the spread of invasive species and reduce wake boats and regulate the excessive sound so that all, including our wildlife can enjoy the waters of Minnesota.
What policies do you support to address concerns of widespread fraud in state-run programs?
I'm willing to vote for transparency on all aspects of our local and state government as well as third party oversight as we need to reinstitute the purpose of the job. A representative is suppose to show up for all parts and views of their constituents body rather than focus on personal career or portfolio growth. I will also personally dig into existing legislation and the allocations of future expenditures to help shore up any spending that doesn't meet the needs of our communities, today.
What policies would you champion to help alleviate growing property tax burdens on residents at the local government level?
Create sponsorship programs to better educate our workforce to reduce the costly revisits and repairs and reduce the use of materials to get the job done. Work to provide the services our taxes are suppose to cover as we work to reduce our emergency response times being down other monthly expenses such as insurance rates. Create investment opportunities where the more fortunate can use their experience and knowledge to better help those looking to start up and grow the local economy in our communities.
What does representative democracy mean to you?
Representative democracy is the voting process to determine how the voice of the constituents is provided to the a collective of elected representatives that build and determine how we function as a society through laws and the usage of our tax dollars.
I feel this is as strong as those willing to participate in it as an elected representative is responsible to carry the voice of their constituents over their own. I feel it is the representative's duty to provide as many ways as possible to listen to their constituents to better represent and bring their voice to the table.
Still have questions for the candidates? Contact information for all those who've filed to run for office can be found at candidates.sos.state.mn.us.
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Contributed/Book covers—publisher websites; Tracy KampaChildren's librarian Tracy Kampa reviews new books by Sophie Blackall, Chelsea Lin Wallace, Steve Sheinkin and Meaghan McIsaac. -
The retired DNR forester gave a walking tour of his forest property as part of a Cass Soil and Water Conservation District forest management event. -
Plus: Aitkin's 68-year-old water tower is demolished; Demuth, Klobuchar will debate in the Brainerd lakes area; and we're partnered with ICTV to host school board forums.
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Stella Mayerhoff/KAXE / Report for AmericaRetired DNR forester Gary Anderson gave a walking tour of his forest property as part of a Cass Soil and Water Conservation District habitat management event.
