TOTALLY WRAPPED UP VERSUS CR, WHO KNOWS, WE HAVE TO BE ADAPTABLE.

>> I GET IT.

WE'RE OUT OF TIME.

WHAT A YEAR TO BE A NEW LAWMAKER AND NEWEST MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER HERE OFFICIALLY BROUGHT THE HOUSE TO TIE AFTER A PECIAL ELECTION.

>> THE QUESTION I ALWAYS START WITH IS WHY DO YOU RUN?

YOURS IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT QUESTION BECAUSE OF A SPECIAL ELECTION KIND OF THRUST YOU INTO THIS, RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

YEAH, THERE'S MANY REASONS WHY YOU RUN.

I MEAN, THERE'S THE, FOR ME IT REALLY CAME DOWN TO I WANTED TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THAT GAVE ME SO MUCH.

I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE DISTRICT THAT I NOW REPRESENT WHICH IS A HUGE HUGE HONOR.

AND REALLY THAT CALL TO PUBLIC SERVICE AND AS I SAID WANTING TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THAT BASICALLY RAISED ME WAS MY PRIMARY DRIVER AND OBVIOUSLY WITH THE SPECIAL ELECTION, I HAD PREVIOUSLY RUN IN THE ENDORSEMENT PROCESS BACK IN 2024 AND THE D.F.L.

SIDE OF THINGS, DIDN'T GO MY WAY, I OBVIOUSLY BOWED OUT AND THINGS HAPPENED.

>> YES, THEY DID.

RESIDENCY CHALLENGE IN COURT.

>> YES, RESIDENCY CHALLENGE.

>> THAT CREATED MAJOR RAMIFICATIONS IN THIS CHAMBER.

>> CORRECT.

AND SO WHEN THE SPOT OPENED UP I THOUGHT TO MYSELF I HAD BUILT A LOT OF GREAT CONNECTIONS THROUGH THAT PREVIOUS RUN.

>> WAS ANY ART OF THAT NERVE WRACKING, WHILE IT IS A D.F.L.

DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, WERE PEOPLE KIND OF MAD THE DEMOCRAT REALLY DIDN'T LIVE IN THE DISTRICT?

WERE YOU AT ALL WORRIED ABOUT ITS COMPETITIVENESS SOME >> I DON'T KNOW THAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT ITS COMPETITIVENESS BUT THERE CERTAINLY WAS A LOT OF FRUSTRATION AND ANGER WITHIN THE DISTRICT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.

THE THING I GO BACK TO IS IT WAS A MAJORLY UNFORCED ERROR, IN THIS POLITICAL CLIMATE WE CAN'T AFFORD THAT.

>> YOU ARE LITERALLY THE TIE VOTE.

DEMOCRATS WERE DOWN A SEAT, YOU ARRIVED, THEY GO UP TO PARITY AND COCHAIRS AND THE ENTIRE COMPOSITION OF LEGISLATIVE BODY CHANGED WITH YOUR ARRIVAL.

HOW HEAVY THAT?

>> I GUESS IT IS HEAVY BUT REALLY THE FOLKS THAT WERE BEARING THE WEIGHT OF THAT IT REALLY WASN'T ME.

>> DO YOU GET TO BE THE MOST POPULAR DEMOCRAT?

>> I GUESS, BUT I REALLY WANT TO RECEDE BACK INTO THE SHADOWS OF EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, I WANT TO BE HERE, I WANT TO DO THE JOB WELL, AND BE PART OF THE TEAM.

>> SO HERE YOU ARRIVE IN A TIED CHAMBER WITH COCHAIRS.

>> YEAH.

>> IN A BUDGET YEAR.

HOW FAST AND HOW HARD DID YOU HIT THE GROUND RUNNING?

>> IMMEDIATELY, I THINK THE ELECTION WAS ON MARCH 11TH, I HAD ONE ORIENTATION DAY THAT FRIDAY, AND THEN I WAS SWORN IN ON MONDAY.

AND THEN IT WAS JUST HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING, STRAIGHT INTO COMMITTEE MEETINGS, STRAIGHT INTO CONSTITUENT MEETINGS, EVERYTHING.

>> WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE VOTERS?

WHAT DID YOU EAR?

>> I GOT TO RUN SUBSTANTIVELY BEFORE THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND THEN AFTERWARDS AND I WILL SAY THE TENOR OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I HAD AT THE DOORS WITH FOLKS REALLY CHANGED AFTER JANUARY 20TH.

AND A LOT OF FOLKS ARE REALLY, REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING NATIONALLY AT LEAST IN MY DISTRICT.

>> LGBTQ FOLKS, REALLY SCARED ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING NATIONALLY.

THIS ISSUE'S PERSONAL FOR YOU, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY ABOUT THAT?

>> YOU'RE RIGHT, IT S PERSONAL TO ME.

I AM A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, I AM IN A STRAIGHT-PASSING RELATIONSHIP BUT I'M NOT STRAIGHT, I'M PART OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.

>> DID YOU TALK ABOUT IT, DID CONSTITUENTS WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?

>> I DID.

YEAH.

I'LL BE FRANK, SOME OF THE TALKING POINTS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT TRANS FOLKS, WHICH I VIEW AS VERY, VERY HATEFUL TALKING POINTS ABOUT REALLY DENYING THEIR AUTONOMY AS INDIVIDUALS, UNFORTUNATELY CREEPED INTO SOME OF MY CONSTITUENCY AS WELL.

AND THEY WERE BLAMED FOR I THINK A LOT OF THE LOSSES THAT HAPPENED IN 2024.

WHICH I WAS DISHEARTENED TO SEE.

SO FOR ME IT'S VERY, VERY MUCH IMPORTANT TO ELEVATE THE STORIES AND EXPERIENCES OF FOLKS IN THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY AND SPECIFICALLY THE TRANS COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE HUMANIZING, YOU KNOW, OUR BROTHERS, SISTERS, AND SIBLINGS IN THAT COMMUNITY.

>> WHAT ABOUT THE FISCAL ISSUES?

BECAUSE WE MENTIONED THIS IS A BUDGET SESSION, SO, YEAH, MAYBE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS CAN SOLVE THE STATE BUDGET.

BUT YOU MAY HAVE TO COME BACK, RIGHT?

YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FEDERAL IMPLICATIONS ARE, DO YOU YET?

>> I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE REALLY HAVE NO IDEA EXACTLY HOW MANY CUTS ARE GOING TO COME FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

RIGHT NOW THEY'RE ALREADY CUTTING, ALREADY PROMISED DOLLARS TO THE STATE.

FRANKLY I'VE BEEN IMPRESSED SO FAR WITH SOME OF THE BIPARTISANSHIP THAT I'VE SEEN ON THE AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEES THAT I SIT ON, THOSE ARE THE TWO BUDGET COMMITTEES I SIT ON, OR FINANCE COMMITTEES, RATHER.

AND I WILL SAY WE'VE HAD SOME GREAT BIPARTISAN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHERE TO ALLOCATE SOME OF THESE FUNDS.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO AGREE ON EVERYTHING AND I THINK OUR BILLS REFLECT THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT THE, YOU KNOW, REPUBLICANS PUT IN THERE THAT THE DEMOCRATS PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE BUT VICE VERSA IS TRUE TOO SO I REALLY DO THINK THE BILLS WE HAVE COME TO AGREE ON REFLECT REALLY THAT BALANCE AND I AM GREATLY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.

>> ARE YOU SURPRISED AT ALL OVERALL, THE IDEA OF WHAT YOU THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE VERSUS WHAT IT HAS BEEN SO FAR?

>> I CAME INTO THIS I THINK WITH PRIOR KNOWLEDGE FROM MY PREVIOUS ADVOCACY AND ACTIVISM WORK SO I WAS ABLE TO SEE KIND OF THE MOVING AND SHAKING ON THE FLOOR FROM AFAR SO THAT GAVE ME A GOOD FOUNDATION TO BUILD UPON I THINK.

>> DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE BIPARTISANSHIP AND COCHAIR MODEL IS WORKING SURPRISINGLY WELL?

I DO EAR THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE WANT TO ADMIT.

>> I DO, I THINK IT IS.

I THINK THERE HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY RECENTLY CHALLENGES TO BIPARTISANSHIP ON THE FLOOR, BUT AS FAR AS IN COMMITTEE I REALLY DO THINK THAT WE HAVE FOUND THAT WORKING IN A BIPARTISAN MANNER WITH THE COCHAIR MODEL AND AN EQUAL, A TIED MODEL FOR MEMBERS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE COMMITTEE, REALLY HAS BEEN AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO PUSH, YOU KNOW, IMPROVE THE LIVES OF MINNESOTANS WITHOUT REALLY MAYBE ROCKING THE BOAT TOO MUCH.

>> DO YOU THINK IT'S EMBLEMATIC OF US HAVING A DIVIDED ELECTORATE, SO WE CREATED DIVIDED LEGISLATURE?

>> THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE VOTED FOR IN NOVEMBER 2024 AND I WAS AFFIRMED AGAIN IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, THAT'S OUR MANDATE.