KAXE contacted every candidate twice using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office to invite them to participate in our Election Guide.
Candidate responses have not been edited and are published as submitted.
As necessary, our news team added contextual information clearly marked with an "editor's note" and in italics, though responses have not been uniformly fact-checked. With our small team of three, we are unable to proactively fact check every statement made by candidates. But we will make every effort to make note of inaccuracies if they come to our attention.
Please contact our news team at news@kaxe.org with questions or comments or to report any errors.
KAXE's Election Guide only includes candidates in contested races. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else is on the ballot.
John Burkel
Incumbent: Yes
Age on Election Day: 57
City/township of residence: Badger/Skagen Township
Party: Republican
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Self employed - Agriculture
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I am a fourth generation turkey producer and served for 20 years on the board of directors at Northern Pride, Inc., our turkey processing and marketing cooperative based in Thief River Falls. I served as chairman of the board from 2016 through 2020. I have also been active in the turkey industry serving on the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association board of directors from 1999-2009, and was chairman of that organization in 2005. I was also a member of the executive committee of the National Turkey Federation from 2007-2017 and was chairman in 2013. Locally, my wife Joni and I have been active members of St. Mary’s church in Badger, serving on the church council, teaching religious education and we are active in music ministry as well. We were also chosen to be ambassadors representing Roseau County in 2007 to the Red River Valley Emerging Leaders program. I am now in my fourth year in the legislature and currently serve on the Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources and Property Tax committees.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
Bringing the concerns and addressing the issues of constituents in District 1A to the Capitol in St. Paul, with special emphasis on the education of our young people and infrastructure needs in our rural towns.
Why are you running for office?
My task and mission is to represent the culture and values of the people of northwest Minnesota, specifically those I represent in Kittson, Marshall, Pennington and Roseau counties.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Regulatory reform, specifically the need to streamline and provide certainty to the permitting process. Tax relief, with a full social security tax exemption for our seniors and substantial, permanent property tax relief. Minnesota needs a reliable, affordable, and safe energy supply. Overemphasis on unreliable, intermittent sources of energy risks blackout and will drive up energy costs, which is a hidden tax on nearly every segment of our economy. I will support policy that results in an energy supply that is reliable; affordable; and safe.
Across the region, renters and owners are struggling to afford housing. If elected, what would you do to address the issues of availability and affordability for your constituents?
We need to expand affordable housing through public-private partnerships and incentives for developers to build more entry-level homes while removing costly mandates along with reducing regulatory barriers that drive up housing costs, such as streamlining the permitting process and zoning reform. We also need to strengthen economic opportunities for individuals and families by supporting job growth, a strong economy, tax cuts, and workforce development programs to ensure they can afford stable housing. · I would support initiatives that focus on transitional housing programs, combined with job training and mental health services, to help unhoused individuals secure and keep stable housing. Creating more partnerships with quality, vetted non-profit organizations with proper oversight to provide long-term support for people facing housing insecurity would also be a priority.
What effective policies will you support that will prepare your district now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
There can be no serious conversation around reductions in carbon emissions and energy grid stability without a full embrace of nuclear power. I would fully support an end to the nuclear moratorium in Minnesota and the expansion of nuclear in a balanced energy portfolio. Implementation of solar and wind, without a strong commitment to our mining industry here in the state, is rash and hasty. We have the means to build the infrastructure, transmission lines and battery storage necessary to move farther along the renewable path, but we must have the willingness to support a mining industry essential to extract those materials.
High taxation is a concern for many Northern Minnesotans. Please share any specific opinions you hold related to taxation, and how you plan to ensure tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively.
In the upcoming session, the focus of the legislature will be to create a budget that effectively meets the needs of all Minnesotans. Last year, Democrats spent the entire $18 billion surplus, increased taxes and fees on Minnesotans by $10 billion, increasing government spending by nearly 40%. During the 2024 session, they decided to further increase taxes and spending, pushing through nearly a billion dollars in tax increases and starting construction on a $730 million State Office Building. As per the state forecast, the DFL's excessive spending has put us on track to face a fiscal deficit in the years 2026-27. To balance the budget, Minnesota must either raise revenue or cut $1.5 billion—a result of the DFL trifecta's misuse of a record surplus and tax hikes. Minnesota urgently needs balance in the legislature. I will continue to emphasize the need for substantial and meaningful tax relief for working-class Minnesotans. Our plan will concentrate on prioritizing family budgets, maintaining a business-friendly environment in Minnesota, and ensuring that Minnesotans can afford to remain in their homes.
DFL policies continue to drive up the cost of living and strain our families' budgets. It is crucial to make family life more affordable by prioritizing tax relief for Minnesota families who were overlooked in the last fiscal period. This can be achieved by expanding both the Child Tax Credit and Dependent Care Tax Credit to include higher income levels. We need to come up with solutions to ensure that living in this state and staying in your home is affordable from a tax and cost-of-living perspective. One such solution would be to impose a cap on annual property tax increases. Furthermore, we could help lower the cost of building new homes by eliminating the sales tax on construction materials used for those homes.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
Democrats have proven they are not serious about controlling fraud — we’ve seen report after report from the non-partisan Legislative Auditor detailing failures by several agencies to stop fraud and wasteful spending. A stringent review of non-profits and their funding mechanisms must take place. The unfolding Feeding Our Future scandal in Minnesota serves as a stark reminder of the prevalent waste, fraud, and abuse, deeply concerning to overtaxed citizens. Families grappling with the increased costs for gas, groceries and electricity deserve nothing less than a thorough and immediate rectification of these issues.
Republicans will stop the fraud and hold both agencies and the criminals responsible accountable.
James Sceville
Incumbent: No
Party: DFL
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
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.
-
Plus: what happens now that Burl Ives was reelected to Itasca County Board after his death.
-
State House results show Northern Minnesota leans red, but precinct-level data reveal a mix of red, blue and purple, offering a fuller picture of the region's politics.
-
The new memorandum of understanding between the USDA and Leech Lake Band bulids on a 2019 agreement for co-managing the national forest in Minnesota.
-
Aoife O'Donovan’s new album "All My Friends" reflects on women’s generational struggles for rights, emphasizing the importance of civic duty, voting and historical awareness.