MN Senate District 30

Mary Kiffmeyer

Kiffmeyer is running for Minnesota Senate District 30 representative. She and her husband, Ralph, have four children and 16 grandchildren. Kiffmeyer graduated from St. Gabriel’s School of Nursing to become a registered nurse. She was elected to the Monticello-Big Lake Hospital District Board. She went on the serve as the Secretary of State, State Representative, and State Senator.

Budgeting: Balancing the state budget without raising taxes and not funding the destruction in Minneapolis is first on my agenda. Minnesota taxpayers need money in their checkbook to meet the needs of their own families.

Infrastructure: Alternative sources of energy, such as electric or natural gas, should fairly pay into the road and bridge account. A great amount of construction is already funded under current law. I found it especially satisfying to get both Hwy. 169 and I-94 expansion to six lanes funded through the state Corridors of Commerce Program. We should use auto-related sales tax in addition to gas taxes for roads and bridges. Commercial-related sales-tax revenue should also be included as they use the roads and bridges.

Education: Most highly-skilled jobs today provide good pay and benefits with a cost-effective technical or two-year applied science degree. A four year degree can still be gained while working a fulfilling job. An important lesson from COVID is that not all students succeed in a not-in-person teaching method. Let’s untie the hands of our local school boards and superintendents.

COVID-19: We all respect the disease, but the longest peacetime use of emergency powers is unnecessary and ventures into violating the constitution. This has never been done, even during Ebola, SARS, H1N1 etc. It is healthy to have our elderly safely cared for with family contact. Even though our nursing homes work hard to protect our elderly, isolation is physically hard on senior health. Masking is not the normal way for people to live and should not become the “new” normal.

Healthcare: I oppose government-run healthcare. Instead, improve the private market. Let’s utilize the Direct Primary Care model and combine that with major deductible insurance to cover serious illnesses. We can also continue to stabilize private market premiums which is proving very successful. I support re-importing drugs from countries like Canada, Ireland or Israel that meet FDA requirements.

Diane Nguyen

Nguyen is running for Minnesota Senate, District 30. She is a mom and fiancé to Chad Hobot, who is running for Minnesota State Representative for District 30. She received her CNA certification and Associate of Fine Arts degree from Normandale Community College. Nguyen is also licensed in life and health/accident insurance and real estate. During the day, she works as a freelance graphic designer.

Education: The Minnesota Constitution states, “The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools. The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state.”

Having had a son in ISD 728 during distance learning, I have been evermore appreciative of the work that teachers, staff and schools do for our communities. I will fight for increased education funding, closing the opportunity gap and will relentlessly put pressure on our representation in Washington D.C. to ensure the federal government fully funds its commitment to special education. I am proud to be endorsed by Education Minnesota.

Environment: As an avid gardener, hunter and fisherwoman, I understand the importance of protecting the natural beauty and health of Minnesota’s environment. I support initiatives to combat climate change and promote strong environmental standards in all activities with environmental impact, economic or recreational, to protect the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Second Amendment: I am a hunter and gun owner who appreciates the second amendment, but also understand that the second amendment must be balanced with measures to ensure the safety of our fellow Minnesotans and ensure people who intend to harm themselves or others don’t have the means to do so. I support universal background checks on all firearms sales and red flag laws. I am proud to be a 2020 Protect Minnesota Orange Star Candidate.

Pro-Choice: I am pro-choice and believe that abortion should be rare, safe and between a woman, her doctor and her faith. I also believe the best way to prevent unplanned pregnancy is to ensure access to contraceptives and proper sex education. Preventing abortion access won’t stop abortion, but only lead to unsafe abortions that harm the fetus and the mother. I am proud to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood, Women Winning and NARAL.

MN Senate District 15

Andrew Mathews

Mathews is running for Minnesota Senate District 15. He and his wife, Elsa, have one son, Daniel. He works as a pastor and in legal services. He earned a JD degree from the Oak Brook College of Law. He has been serving on the Minnesota Senate for four years.

Budget: We are likely facing a large budget deficit due to COVID-19 around $5 billion or more. We’re going to have to balance it by making reductions while protecting essential Health & Human Services funding. We can’t do it by raising taxes after many Minnesotans took a big financial hit this year. I know that we must take this opportunity to reduce spending, and jumpstart this economy.

COVID-19: Initially, both parties came together to make sure we had funding to acquire equipment, PPE, testing, and more COVID-19 hospital beds. Thankfully, the dire predictions and modeling were far from accurate, and we didn’t even come close to the estimates of 29,000-74,000 deaths. Since then, government overreach has run amok. Walz shut down our state all spring, summer, and fall. This has to end. 

Growth: I’m a strong supporter of our local businesses. I’ve fought to keep and grow the number of jobs in our district, I am honored to have received endorsements from private and small business groups like the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, and also trade union groups like the IUOE Local 49 and the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. Next year, we will need to deliver significant tax relief to businesses, employers, and employees in order to help get our economy back on track.

Constitutional Rights: This year has revealed new constitutional crises for the first amendment, the free exercise of religion. I will also continue to be a staunch supporter of our second amendment rights, pushing more pro-second amendment legislation while opposing unconstitutional bills like Red Flag laws. I’m glad to have endorsements from the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus and the NRA, and I have a 100% pro-second. Also, I will always be a staunch defender of life, defending the unborn, and supporting family values to build strong communities.

Brent Krist

Krist is running for Minnesota State Senator District 15. He is married to Sherri Krist. He is employed as a BNSF Railway Switchman. He earned his Associate of Science degree in CNET.

Healthcare: We need sweeping health care reform in Minnesota. Copays, deductibles, price gouging, and surprise billings are bankrupting far too many of us. Our complicated system is too costly and inefficient, and doesn’t bring better outcomes despite the high costs. We can, and should, change this.

Unions: Union members want the same things as business owners: they want the business to flourish, they want to work safely, and they want to go home safely every night. I support more unionizing, and I absolutely oppose any so-called “Right to Work” legislation.

Agriculture: I will support small and mid-size family farming in our district.  We need to maintain and strengthen tax benefits for farmers and their lands. We need to look to the future of farming by expanding industrial hemp production and investing in new crops like Kernza.

Growth: Cities across Senate District 15, from Clearwater to Isle, are home to strong community bonds, vibrant small businesses, and deep wells of optimism, but need support from the state to flourish. By investing in road and water infrastructure and creating new ways for entrepreneurs to grow their dreams, I will help local leaders build more vibrant economies, so our main streets stay strong.

Education: I support excellent public education, regardless of income levels of the families of students. The quality of a child’s education should not depend on their zip code, and teachers and paraprofessionals should be allowed to be the professionals they’ve trained to be. Especially in rural Minnesota, schools are the lifeblood of our communities, and we need to support them.

MN House District 15B

Shane Mekeland

Shane lists his family as “Angela, Andrew and Sammie.” He has worked as a residential building contractor. He is a high school graduate and has taken courses in business management. He has served one term in the Minnesota House.

Budget: We should re-open our economy and let people get back on the job instead of handcuffing workers with inconsistent and arbitrary mandates from the governor. I will fight to cut and reform taxes, reduce regulations that prevent job growth. Our government is simply too large for taxpayers to support. We should take a serious look at shrinking state bureaucracy and eliminating redundancies.

Public Safety: We must stand up for our law enforcement workers and fight back against extreme and dangerous proposals to defund or abolish them. I am committed to supporting our law enforcement and first responders and am extremely grateful for their incredible work.

Energy: Minnesota families and businesses deserve access to affordable, reliable energy. Government mandates take us the opposite direction. Our energy grid is fragile, poorly maintained and susceptible to attack, yet some people want to limit our options.

Growth: I am keenly aware of how Minnesota’s burdensome permitting and regulatory structure is crushing businesses in our state. This has negatively impacted everything from our childcare industry to housing costs, energy prices and our unemployment rate.

Second Amendment: Republicans led the charge against liberal gun-control proposals. I have stood strong to defeat any and all anti-Second Amendment bills that have been presented during my time in the House and will continue working to do the same during the 2021 session and beyond.

Ron Thiessen

Ron Thiessen is married and has six children. He is a retired ICU nurse and clinic administrator. He also worked as a building and remodeling contractor. He has an associate’s degree in nursing.

Healthcare: Universal Healthcare Insurance, whether state or federal, is necessary for rural development. It would prevent the need to commute long distances to find jobs with healthcare benefits. It would relieve small businesses of the burden of providing expensive private insurance plans to compete for employees. It would relieve farmers of the burden of paying high rates for private insurance. It would not affect hospitals or healthcare providers who would remain private entities, free to compete for your business without the burden of having to be regulated by insurance company networks.

Infrastructure: High speed internet access in all rural areas would allow businesses and individuals to live in rural areas and work or operate competitively. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that many jobs and many types of education can be done remotely when high speed internet is available. It is much like the investment in rural telephone and electricity following the Great Depression that helped settle and develop rural America.

Environment: The health of our environment is a threat to our future existence. This is a national problem, but Minnesota is blessed with an abundance of water, forests and farmland needing to be preserved for future generations. We all need to take climate change and environmental degradation seriously.

COVID-19: We need to take necessary precautions, like masking and social distancing, until we have vaccines or effective medical treatments. I am a career critical care nurse who knows the value of masking and social distancing to control the spread of airborne disease. Leadership: Defeating Donald Trump is a high priority for me. Our problems as a nation will not be addressed by fomenting racial hatred, putting profit over people, or putting political survival ahead of the interests of ordinary Americans. Trump and his Republican Party have made an artform out of putting profit and self interest ahead of the many interests of ordinary citizens. It is the high degree of polarization in our politics that is harming us and must stop.

MN House District 30A

Paul Novotny

Paul Novotny and his wife, Nicole, have two daughters. Novotny retired from his career in law enforcement after over 30 years. He was sworn in to the Minnesota House of Representatives in February of 2020 in a special election.

Public Safety: Violent crime in the Minneapolis area has spiked at an unbelievable rate. As I compose this the City of Minneapolis has 66 murders so far this year. Other violent crimes such as robbery, aggravated assaults and rapes have gone off the charts. It is crucial to remember that behind all those statistics are victims. Behind every violent crime reported is a family that will forever be altered.

Infrastructure: In our area the Hwy. 169 improvement project will be highly impactful with work starting in 2022, extending I-94 with three lanes to St. Cloud. Minnesota currently collects .286 cents per gallon of gas and diesel on top of the federal tax of 18.4 for gas and 24.4 cents for diesel. The current budget and bonding plans divert money to non-road projects such as passenger rail transport, bike paths and art displays in rest areas- these projects do not help the people of 30A. My priority is making sure that the transportation money goes towards the resources that are used most- roads and bridges.

Pro-Life: As has been demonstrated repeatedly, how a society treats the most vulnerable among them affects how it treats all in the end.

Taxes: As we go into 2021, the next budget deficit is estimated to now be in the four to five-billion-dollar range. It will be a battle to make the hard decisions about how the state will make up the difference. I believe the state should be run as would a family budget- when things get tight we need to cut spending and sacrifice the luxury items till we are back on track.

Second Amendment: The right to keep and bear arms is clearly stated in the second Amendment of the United States Constitution. I promise to continually fight to protect your rights from government overreach.

Chad Hobot

Chad Hobot is engaged to Diane Nguyen, who is running for Minnesota Senate. Hobot earned his BA in history from the University of St. Thomas. He also studied at Sophia University in Tokyo and earned his diploma in Biblical studies from Free Grace United College. He is a business owner and a youth sports coach.

Infrastructure: We can create new jobs right here by investing in roads, bridges, and infrastructure projects. In January of this year, I attended a “Legislative Breakfast” with Sherburne County Commissioners. The Commissioners presented several bonding bill priorities for Sherburne County. All the legislators and candidates attending pledged to support these priorities to invest in local roads, bridges, and infrastructure projects.

Environment: As an avid sportsman I will work hard to protect our forests, lakes, and rivers. I will oppose efforts that undermine our clean air and drinking water that endangers our wildlife, pollute our communities, or threaten our beautiful lakes.

Healthcare: I believe health care should be affordable and accessible to everyone based on the ability to pay for it. I believe people that have it now should keep it and not be forced into something they don’t want or need.  But for those that don’t, we should create an environment that produces options for them.

Economy: We need our economy to rebound, but to get there we must work together and think outside the box. Wearing face covers and social distancing in public can help keep our families, children, and co-workers safe. It doesn’t matter to me if the pitcher of a good idea is wearing a Republican or Democrat jersey.  If it is good for Elk River, Big Lake, and Otsego, I’m going to take a swing at it.

Racism: George Floyd and Jacob Blake have shown everyone how real and prevalent racism is and what it looks like. One would think that after electing Barack Obama twice as President, as a country and state, we had rounded a corner. It might be impossible to completely extinguish hatred through legislation, but people who peddle in it can be held accountable when they break the law. Elected officials and candidates that cozy up to hatred and racism, they need to be voted out!