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.
Harley Droba
Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 46
City/township of residence: International Falls
Party: DFL
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Mayor of International Falls and Business Owner
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I am mayor of International Falls and have been working with the legislature on many issues. My community is growing but like so many communities we struggle to find our ambulances. I have solutions to help other communities grow but it starts with housing, healthcare, and education.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
Representing all people of the district. Where ever you are, whoever you are, you deserve to have your voice heard and amplified in St. Paul.
Why are you running for office?
We need a champion for rural healthcare and funding our ambulances.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Funding rural ambulances because it is the lifeline to next level services that saves lives. Also, work to provide additional services in healthcare to the folks in district 3A.
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?
Yes, housing, healthcare and education.
From our audience: What effective policies will you support that will prepare your district now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
I will continue to push a Green initiative focusing on solar, wind and batteries. It is a trade off but that involves responsible mining here in Northern Minnesota.
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.
Taxing the wealthiest their fair share and holding everyone accountable to pay their taxes.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
I believe the government is transparent but folks don’t want to take the time to understand all that is involved. It’s sad but unless people become active and engaged their will not be added trust in government.
Roger J. Skraba
Incumbent: Yes
Age on Election Day: (Field left blank)
City/township of residence: Ely
Party: Republican
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
State Representative
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
Two years as State Rep., eight years as Mayor of Ely, nine years as Ely City Councilor and twelve years as a St. Louis County Planning Commissioner.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
To represent the constituents of district 3A at the state legislature. To meet with as many constituents as possible and to be available to respond to constituents correspondence.
Why are you running for office?
To represent all the people of District 3A. Greater Minnesota has different needs then the Metro and I can communicate those needs while still working with the Metro legislators. My first two years in a trifecta government was very interesting and I hope to continue the relationships I built so our district can benefit from them. We need housing and that will be a priority of mine.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
I will work to pass a bonding bill that was not passed in 2024. I sit on the Capital Investments Committee and hope to again so I can help reduce taxes in our district. Another is to address the disparity in our rural ambulance service, I helped pass a short term solution for some ambulance districts but there needs to be more done and I will work to achieve that.
The most important issue facing our district is affordable housing. There are many issues I can help with and I look forward to working with other members of the legislature to achieve them. Examples would be, lowering interest rates for developers of regional housing projects, working to reduce cost for infrastructure and using TIFF to lower rents.
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?
Look at the last question's answer. The Metro passed a bill to tax everyone in that Metro taxing district to support housing, I'm not sure this district could afford that with all the other increased costs the trifecta passed on to the state. More money needs to be put into the Minnesota Housing Fund and I'll work to do that.
From our audience: What effective policies will you support that will prepare your district now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
I think we did an ok job with that last session but more can be done. We are currently working on new technology to pump carbon dioxide into a mine site so it will react with the geologic mass and turn into hydrogen which can be used for green energy. If there is anyway our district can help our state become more resilient against climate change I'll work on it.
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.
People need to live within their means. The trifecta raised government spending by 40%. We all are going to pay more for the services we currently receive. Without cutting something from the budget I don't know how sustainable that trifecta policy will be. We cannot keep raising taxes to support government without growing business. If mining and logging and the service industry supports this district then we need to support policies that support them. There are several instances of fraud in State Agencies that goes unchecked. That needs to stop. I will support oversight to ensure the fraud stops and people are punished for their misdeeds.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
I have worked with Senator Hauschild throughout the last session. We have proven that when both parties work together our constituents benefit from that. That trust is shared with other members and I hope we start a movement that continues, I know I will. As far as transparency I have always been honest with anyone who reaches out about issues concerning them. I am concerned about the fraud occuring in our State Agencies and nothing is being done about it. That needs to stop and when elected I will support calling out the fraudsters.
Thank you and please Vote for Roger J. Skraba on or before November 5th.
Rich Tru
Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 33
City/township of residence: Silver Creek Township (Lake County)
Party: Forward Party Independent
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Self Employed
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
Here's a list, my youth might put into question my experience or ability to be effective in office so here is a short list; Founder of the Student/Faculty Government at my college AMDA Los Angeles, Political Activist in regards to Voter Registration/Turnout, Multimodal Transit Infrastructure, & Public Spaces Utilization, Project Manager in Digital Media, Restaurant Consultant, previously member of the SAG-AFTRA union & another service industry union, multiple community committee positions Minnesota & California, Constitutional Founder for the Forward Party of Minnesota, volunteered for various Non-Profits, and being born/raised on the Northshore a long history of community engagement.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
As we know, the House controls the purse strings as it were. This includes setting a fiscally responsible state budget and updating taxation legislation. the lower house is also responsible for setting state guidelines and rules for environmental policy and it is also an oversight, the check to balance, the executive branch. This could include from holding hearing on corruption all the way to simple public outreach for larger statewide changes. At the most pure form, it is the section of the legislative branch that creates, crafts, drafts, debates, uses committees, and passes laws that will work out with the upper house of the Senate.
Why are you running for office?
It is not one clear cut answer to this. Originally, it was based on my grandmother's suggestion and that emanated shortly after from the rest of the family and then local friends. After exploring options, I decided running in the current 2 major political parties was not going to work as the sentiment from family, friends, and communities was the simple major issue was the Major Parties themselves. That then reminded me of the Forward Party who ultimately endorsed me for my independent run to run grassroots to combat the lack of choices, good choices be available in the general elections. This was a combined with the fact a lot of people were saying they wouldn't vote this year based on, back them, the Biden/Trump rematch most people didn't want. Around 52% of people identified as Independent in polls this year, the highest in modern history and the only people who vote in Primaries are the super involved, read all the party email type people, who will elect whomever the party endorses after telling them who they want endorsed in the first place. People have lost the idea of the American Dream, we can create a new version of that, but first we need hope we could get officials not controlled by cult like party apparatuses or by big money donors. I want Ranked Choice Voting, Independent Redistricting, Term Limits, and one day I hope Citizens United is overturned, then we can have a modern democracy. I guess you could say, I am running to be an authentic voice for the People not the Party. I am running to make change now and look forward to the a new future where we are less divided.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Voter Choice/Power, Rural Medicine & Rural Education, Greater Minnesota Infrastructure & Critical Infrastructure Security, and 4th, a Wholistic & Balanced approach of the Economy in my district that is part resource extraction, part outdoor sports tourism.
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?
Something unique to my campaign is the drive we have for support affordable housing through cooperative measures. 1. Being building co-op townhome complex, small home villages, or other building types to update some of the oldest housing stock in the state of Minnesota in and around the Twin Ports. While also grabbing back the two dreams of "first-time home owners" and "starter homes." Starter homes don't seem to exist anymore, and small or townhomes are great for people who don't want to manage a huge yard, but don't want to rent and would prefer to invest that money into a cooperative building or small starter home they can later sell, when they have the extra money and saved asset they currently live in to upgrade to a family home when they are ready for that next step in life. This would also be grouped with laws passed to camp housing costs on all college campuses with for those unfamiliar are a lot of the time more than 2x the market rate in any area. I would also see a partial match with the federal government's plans to give grants to first time home owners, from the state to also help down payment costs. Additionally, where we can limit Private Equity for buying up huge neighborhoods of single family homes inflating market values. Lastly, for now, I would tie the original top idea with state government programs for the expertise and initial funding and/or loans to state local cooperative businesses. (longer explanation didn't fit)
From our audience: What effective policies will you support that will prepare your district now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
In the immediate, after some recent flooding this year, getting areas of my district that have never been properly surveyed by FEMA for flooding to do so ASAP. As this effects efforts to recover, especially small businesses. Next, an extreme support and funding effort for modern, safe nuclear power. Simply, it is cleaner than solar and win turbines atm, and doesn't require battery farms. Yes, we have over 1000 year storage for it already set up in the USA. This would push us toward energy surplus, a green surplus, we could sell to other state while push us to faster election car and heating adoptions with the abundance of cheap energy. Keep funding efforts for coastal erosion mitigation on Lake Superior. Ban oil/gas transit on cargo trains in the state, as it is much more unsafe than pipelines, but also phase them out (no new pipelines) as soon as is pragmatic. Fund cross-laminated building material and the timber for them, to reduce CO2 from large construction costs where this new wood material can replace concrete and steel. Mandate Hydrogen processing of taconite in the state and not allow it to be ship out of state from processing. Things along these lines.
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.
First, the property tax code is a mess. It is overly specific to the point it is not working, while also being outdated, confusing, and by huge factors compared to any other state. Small one: Make motorcycle and bicycle helmets tax free (currently are not, because they are optional to wear.) Change the per-pupil funding/taxes given to schools/districts to adequately pay faculty and operations (I know less of a tax thing, more budget.) Look into pilot programs (once other things are settled) to test in some cities based on need and applications, UBI and monitor the pros/cons. Remove taxes on pensions, as well as, if not remove, seriously reduce taxes of Social Security. In the future, when more cars are electric, the gas tax that is a majority of the highway funding in the state needs to be shifted to a tax of electricity from public charging ports (which are supplemental as most people charge at home & I advocate for charging networks not to be privately owned.) You may have to have a tax on things like battery replacements or tires or just on shipping companies like Amazon, semi trucker cargo companies, as they use the roads hardest, and not put the tax burden on a new classic gas car owners or gas atvs/snowmobiles which will also be electric soon too. Removing any public subsidy for elections that isn't accessible by any qualified candidate, not just major party candidates (again, more budget.)
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
Always keeping website up to date with software so it is always fundamentally easy for citizens to find information. Ranked Choice Voting with Open Primaries secures elections integrity by being near impossible to tamper with ballots without being flagged. This also gives more options and reduced the major party power that people find cultish and corrupt. Banning firearms from Polling Locations (yes this is still legal.) Term-Limits on officials. Independent Redistricting Commissions. (More of a federal thing,) banning super-PAC via overturning Citizens United. Increasing the number of elected offices in the legislature. I would insist it be raised from 134 to 150 in the House, while reducing from 67 to 50 in the Senate for a better direct representation. Personally, I would be keeping my constituents up to date on bills, as much as is possible, on a public website for them and perhaps newspapers (as they are still big in my district) once a month too. Not trusting government comes from not trusting corrupt parties (the DFL & RPM). I am the one running as an independent with endorsements from independent parties/orgs. I can work with everyone, and follow what I believe to be right but more follow what a true majority of a district wants. I am the civil 'servant' in that relationship. People don't want monopolies or this political duopoly. Time for it to change, which also calls for removing the latest major party qualifiers the DFL put in place to end minor party challenges, but also go further and make it easier, but not too easy to gain party status, major/minor won't matter in RCV.
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.