RACES TO WATCH BY A WIDER MARGIN THAN EVEN SHE EXPECTED.

HOW DIFFERENT DOES LIFE FEEL NOW THAT YOU WON THIS ELECTION?

>> IT FEELS GREAT, I'M MORE BUSY, JUST AS BUSY AS I WAS BEFORE THE CAMPAIGN BUT THE INTENSITY HAS GONE DOWN NOW.

>> ARE YOU SURPRISED AT ALL IT WAS CLOSE?

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CLOSE, RIGHT?

>> YES, I WAS EXTREMELY SURPRISED IN HOW LARGE I WONG SO, YES, IT WAS A GOOD SURPRISE.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK?

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WON?

>> IF I HAVE TO GUESS, INFLATION, EVERYBODY'S TIRED OF FINANCIAL BURDENS WHETHER YOU'RE RED, BLUE OR PURPLE, THAT'S ONE THING ON EVERYBODY'S MIND IN THIS ELECTION, THAT'S WHAT I HEARD OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN WHEN I WAS AT THE DOORS.

WHEN I WAS AT MY STORE I HEARD PEOPLE TELLING ME THEIR FRUSTRATIONS.

>> I'M ERICA SCHWARTZ.

>> I'M ALL IN ON REPUBLICANS, SO GO GET 'EM, BE A TIGER UT THERE >> .

AT YOUR STORE, WHAT DO THEY ASK YOU WHEN THEY COME IN >> PEOPLE ASK ME HOW I'M DOING ON THE JOB AND NOT TO FORGET THEM AND ROLL UP MY SLEEVES AND WORK HARD AND I SAID OF COURSE NOT, THAT WAS THE WHOLE PLAN AND THE WHOLE GOAL.

>> AND YOUR STORE -- YOUR LIFE IS ABOUT TO CHANGE, OR ALREADY CHANGED PRETTY DRAMATICALLY.

>> IT ALREADY HAS, GOOD THING THE COMMUNE WITH MY HUSBAND AND MY FAMILY AND THE STAFF AT THE STORE AS WELL, LETTING THEM KNOW I'LL BE UNAVAILABLE GOING FORWARD.

>> YOUR HUSBAND ACTUALLY WANTED YOU TO WON.

>> HE IS WONDERFUL, HE WAS UP ALL NIGHT STUFFING, RAISING FUNDRAISERS FOR ME.

MY DAUGHTER WHO WAS 19, HOLDING THE SIGNS, SHE WALKED, EVERYTHING, IT WAS REALLY A FAMILY AFFAIR.

>> I THINK PROBABLY YOUR FIRST TV INTERVIEW BECOME BACK THEN, LIFE HAS PROBABLY GOT YOU DOING MORE INTERVIEWS.

>> I'M STILL NOT USED TO BEING SO PUBLIC.

IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE NOW WHEN I'M AT THE STORE OR WHEN I'M EVEN OUT AT RESTAURANTS PEOPLE RECOGNIZE ME FROM THE COMMERCIALS, THE FLYERS, MAILERS, EVERYTHING.

I WAS A VERY PRIVATE PERSON BEFORE THIS.

>> I BETTOR, IND OF AN INTROVERT, ARE YOU NATURALLY INTROVERTED?

>> I WAS MORE QUIET, YEAH.

>> ARE YOU STEPPING OUT OF THAT?

>> I HAVE TO IN ORDER TO FULFILL THIS ROLE BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO REACH OUT AND TALK TO E. >> SO YOU'RE PUSHING YOURSELF.

>> THIS WHOLE CAMPAIGN TRAIL EVEN WINNING IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING JOURNEY, THE PEOPLE I'VE MET ALONG THE WAY HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE.

THE SUPPORTERS THAT I'VE HAD THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CAMPAIGN HAVE BEEN AMAZING.

>> DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'VE GAINED CONFIDENCE THROUGH THIS PROCESS?

>> YES, DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY.

>> HOW SO?

>> PEOPLE ARE RELYING ON ME IT'S SO FORCING ME TO STEP OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE.

PEOPLE ARE WANTING TO MAKE CHANGE CHANGES AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE SAID ALL ALONG THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO DO.

>> ARE YOU PLANNING ON VOTING NOW THAT YOU'RE OF AGE?

>> MOST LIKE LEACH, THIS YEAR WILL BE MY FIRST VOTING EXPERIENCE.

>> >> -- WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT YOUNGER VOTERS AND WHERE THEY'RE AT?

>> I HAD A LOT OF COLLEGE AGED KIDS COMING INTO MY STORE PAYING FOR GAS WITH TWO DOLLARS WORTH OF QUARTERS, I HAD ONE GENTLEMAN COME IN AND GOT EIGHT DOLLARS WORTH OF GAS AND PAID ME ALL IN DIMES.

I'M STARTING TO BELIEVE THAT FINANCIAL BURDEN IS HITTING EVERYBODY WHETHER YOU'RE BLUE OR RED, PURPLE, IN MY DISTRICT.

>> ISSUES YOU'RE HEARING NOW HEAR AT THE CAPITOL VERSUS THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL?

>> PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED WITH GETTING SOME SORT OF TAX RELIEF, PERMANENT TAX RELIEF, PEOPLE ARE STILL LOOKING HOPING THAT THE GAS PRICES WILL GO DOWN, GROCERY PRICES WILL GO DOWN.

NOW AS A STATE REP I HAVE TO ROLL UP MY SLEEVES AND DO WHAT I CAN AND MY PART.

I CAN'T CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR MINNESOTA BUT I CAN DO MY PART.

>> HOW DOES T FEEL COMING TO WORK IN THIS BUILDING?

>> REALLY COOL.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I RAN FOR ANY TYPE OF OFFICE FOR ME IT'S QUITE AMAZING THAT THIS IS WHERE I WORK AT NOW.

I'M A NEWCOMER, I'M NEW TO OFFICE, I'M NEW TO RUNNING FOR ANYTHING, IT'S ALL GOING TO BE BRAND NEW, SO WHAT TO EXPECT, I'VE BEEN TAKING IT AS IT'S COMING.

>> YOU KNEW YOUR RACE WAS IMPORTANT, YOU KNEW IT PROBABLY WAS ONE OF THE SEATS TO FLIP FOR THE CHAMBER TO FLIP.

WHAT ABOUT THE TIE POSSIBILITY?

DID YOU SEE THAT COMING AT ALL?

>> NOT THE TIE, NOT AT ALL BECAUSE ALONG THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL THE RUMOR SAID THAT WE WERE ABLE TO FLIP WINONA'S SEAT AND MY SEAT THAT MORE LIKELY WOULD HAVE THE MAJORITY.

THERE'S A NEW SET OF RULES SO WE HAVE TO FIND COMMON GROUND ON EVERY ISSUE NOW GOING FORWARD WE HAVE TO WORK ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER.

>> AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, HAVING TO WORK TOGETHER IT BEING A REQUIREMENT?

>> IT'S BETTER FOR MINNESOTANS, LET'S DO IT.

THIS IS WHY WE'RE ALL HERE, WHETHER YOU'RE ON THE LEFT OR RIGHT SIDE, THAT'S THE MAIN REASON, WE HAVE TO MAKE MINNESOTA BETTER.

AS A FRESHMAN I WON'T BE ABLE TO GET A LOT OF BILLS PASSED I AM ABLE TO WRITE PERSONALLY, MAYBE NEXT YEAR, THE ONLY THING I CAN DO IS COAUTHOR A BILL AT THIS POINT.

>> TALK TO ME ABOUT COLLABORATION AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN YOUR PAST THAT YOU HAD TO WORK WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND COLLABORATING HOW YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO THAT HERE.

>> EFORE I WAS A STUDENT RECRUITER AT SOUTH CENTRAL COLLEGE SO I WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH STAFF AND PROMOTE EDUCATION.

EVERY JOB I'VE WORKED AT I'VE ALWAYS BEEN TRAINER, ALWAYS BEEN A EAM PLAYER, LISTENING TO EVERYBODY'S INSIGHTS AND HOW TO DO SOMETHING BETTER AND PUT MY SPIN ON THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO I'M JUST HERE TO ISTEN AND HELP.

I'M FRESHMAN SO I AM VERY, VERY NEW COMING ND GOING TO DO