ALL RIGHT, THIS WEEK'S FRESHMAN LAWMAKER IS A REPUBLICAN WHO'S A LEADING VOICE IN HIS CAUCUS ON IMPORTANT LEGAL ISSUES AND HE EMBRACES NERDING OUT AND TAKING THE JOB SERIOUSLY.

REPRESENTATIVE, THE FIRST QUESTION WE ASK EVERY FRESHMAN, WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN FOR THIS JOB?

>> WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION AND A QUESTION THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK ME, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE CRUNCH THAT WE WENT THROUGH LAST YEAR.

I GREW UP IN A FAMILY WHERE I DIDN'T KNOW ANY LAWYERS OR ANY POLITICIANS.

AND BECAME THE FIRST PERSON IN MY FAMILY TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL AND BE ELECTED TO OFFICE.

AND A BIG PART OF IT JUST IS ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THE RULE OF LAW IS, HOW IMPORTANT OUR GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM IS TO EVERYTHING THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED, OUR FREEDOMS AND EVERYTHING.

SO I'VE BEEN FD -- I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM IS EXAMINE POLITICS FOR MANY YEARS.

AFTER THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS THIS LAST YEAR, THERE BECAME AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ANDOVER AND RAMSEY, ANDOVER WHERE I GREW P, AND RAMSEY WHERE I LIVE NOW.

>> Mary: SO AFTER WATCHING YOU THROUGH ONE SESSION, I SEE YOU USING YOUR LEGAL BACKGROUND, I MEAN, DO YOU SEE IT?

>> YES, DEFINITELY.

I'VE HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AS A JUDICIAL LAW CLERK AND AS A LAWYER IN COURT CASES REALLY TRYING TO PIECE BACK TOGETHER WHAT CERTAIN WORDS MEAN AND IN STATUTES OR IN CONTRACTS, SO IT'S REALLY VERY IMPORTANT, I THINK, THAT WE ARE VERY CAREFUL AS WE'RE WRITING STATUTES AND THINKING ABOUT HOW THE FUTURE IMPLICATIONS OF IT TO BE VERY NERDY AND TECHNICAL, THAT'S DEFINITELY BY, I FELT LIKE, A BIG PART OF MY ROLE AND CALLING AT THE LEGISLATURE THIS LAST YEAR.

>> Mary: IS IT KIND OF COOL TO BE ON THE FRONT END NOW OF LAWS BEING WRITTEN WHEN YOU'VE DEALT WITH THE BACK END OF IT SO MUCH AS A LAWYER?

>> IT IS.

IT'S A NEW EXPERIENCE.

AND AS A LAWYER, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN WRITING CONTRACTS AND THINGS ON THE FRONT END AS WELL.

BUT, WHY -- BUT, YES, TO HAVE THIS, IT'S A BIG RESPONSIBILITY AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I HOPE WE ALL TAKE VERY ERIOUSLY.

I CERTAINLY TRY TO TAKE IT VERY ERIOUSLY.

>> Mary: YOU LIKE TO DEBATE.

DID YOU DEBATE LIKE IN HIGH SCHOOL?

>> I DID.

I DEBATED IN HIGH SCHOOL.

AND IN COLLEGE, YEAH.

I WAS A COMPETITIVE DEBATER.

THAT'S PART OF WHAT GOT ME INTERESTED IN GOING TO LAW SCHOOL IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I LIKE THE RESEARCH AND THE ARGUING.

>> Mary: DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD BE EFFECTIVE GIVEN YOUR BACKGROUND IN THE LAW, IN DEBATING, IN BEING REALLY SPECIFIC ABOUT THE LANGUAGE GOING INTO LAW, DO YOU THINK IN THE MINORITY, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WERE ABLE TO HAVE SOME IMPACT?

>> I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT I HAD.

I CERTAINLY -- THERE CERTAINLY WERE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO ARGUE, YOU KNOW, TO REALLY PUSH ON, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICS.

AND I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS AFTER THE SESSION ABOUT -- THAT AYBE SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS OR ISSUES OR CONCERNS WE HAD TO RAISE MIGHT BE ADDRESSED IN THE FUTURE.

AND I HOPE THAT THAT IS THE CASE.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR DISTRICT, I THINK OF NORTH METRO, ANOKA COUNTY, KIND OF LIBERTARIAN, I MEAN, ONCE JESSE VENTURA TERRITORY, SOME OF IT'S COMPETITIVE.

TALK TO ME ABOUT THE POLITICS BE OF YOUR DISTRICT.

>> THERE WERE A LOT OF FOLKS IN ANOKA COUNTY WHO, LIKE YOU SAID, VOTED FOR JESSE VENTURA.

IT USED TO BE, ESPECIALLY SORT OF NORTHERN ANOKA COUNTY, THERE USED TO BE SOME DFL STRENGTH.

I THINK THAT THE '98 ELECTION WITH JESSE ENTURA SHOOK THAT UP A LITTLE BIT.

AT LEAST THE AREA THAT I REPRESENT HAS BEEN FAIRLY SOLIDLY REPUBLICAN, BUT, YEAH, IT IS SORT OF POPULACE INDEPENDENT-MINDED VOTER, PEOPLE WHO FRANKLY, JUST KIND OF DON'T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT THAT TERRIBLY MUCH.

>> Mary: HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH THOSE VOTERS WHO ARE SKEPTICAL?

NOW YOU'RE PART OF THE PROCESS, RIGHT?

>> NOBODY IS PERFECT AND WE SHOULDN'T JUST, YOU KNOW, TRUST ANYBODY TO HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OVER OUR LIVES.

I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE CHECKS AND BALANCES.

IT'S IMPORTANT WHY WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, IN THIS COUNTRY A LEGAL SYSTEM WHERE THE GOVERNMENT CAN BE, YOU KNOW, CHALLENGED IN COURT AND THE GOVERNMENT CAN LOSE IN COURT.

I DO TELL THEM THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT I SEE, THAT I WORK WITH I THINK REALLY DO HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS.

WE DISAGREE ON THINGS, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO FURTHER THE BETTERMENT OF OUR ENTIRE STATE.

I HAVE COACHED BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL FOR BOTH MY SONS, YEAH, I LOVE SPORTS, I LOVE THE COMPETITION, BUT EVEN MORE THAN THE COMPETITION, I THINK YOU LEARN THE LIFE LFNS ABOUT FAILING AND -- LESSONS ABOUT FAILING, GETTING BACK UP, LEARNING GRIT, LEARNING TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY, LEARNING TO WORK TOGETHER.

THERE'S SO MANY IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS THAT YOU CAN LEARN.

>> Mary: I'VE ALWAYS HEARD THAT SPORTS PREPARES PEOPLE FOR POLITICS, THERE'S A LOT OF ANALOGIES BETWEEN THE LESSONS YOU LEARN IN ATHLETICS AND AT THE CAPITOL.

DO YOU SEE THAT NOW COMING THROUGH?

>> YEAH, I THINK SO.

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO CCOMPLISH ANYTHING ON YOUR OWN.

IN St. PAUL, THAT'S FOR SURE.

>> Mary: SO YOU KNEW YOUR WAY AROUND POLITICS.

AND EVEN THE CAPITOL.

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND MAYBE SOME OF THE SURPRISES YOU STILL HAD, KNOWING AS MUCH AS YOU DID COMING INTO THIS.

>> I'VE EEN INVOLVED IN SOME CAMPAIGNS, MY WIFE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN SOME CAMPAIGNS, AND MY WIFE ACTUALLY WORKED AT THE LEGISLATURE.

THERE'S JUST NOTHING THAT CAN PREPARE YOU, I THINK, THERE'S NO PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE I'VE HAD AND EVEN WORKING IN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN PREPARE YOU FOR WHAT LIFE IS LIKE AS A LEGISLATOR, JUST IN TERMS OF THE SHEER VOLUME OF HUMAN INTERACTION THAT YOU HAVE.

I'VE NEVER BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY SITUATION IN MY LIFE WHERE AS MANY PEOPLE WANTED TO TALK TO ME OR I HAD TO DEAL WITH AS MANY PEOPLE IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AS THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WAS DEFINITELY A BIG ADJUSTMENT.

EVEN AS A MINORITY MEMBER.