ME TO MAKE SURE WE DO THAT.

>> Mary: A LOT OF HISTORY BEING MADE.

>> LOTS OF HISTORY.

>> Mary: THANK YOU, REPRESENTATIVE.

>> MARY: THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERMER REPRESENTS A DISTRICT IN GREATER MINNESOTA THAT HAS CHANGED A LOT IN RECENT DECADES.

STILL, SHE SAYS, IT REMAINS A CONSERVATIVE DISTRICT.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

REPRESENTATIVE FOGELMAN, FIRST OF ALL, WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE?

>> I WAS GETTING FROM US STRAIGHTED WITH HOW THINGS WERE BEING DONE, NOT JUST IN MINNESOTA BUT AROUND THE COUNTRY AND I JUST THOUGHT, YOU CAN COMPLAIN ABOUT IT OR TRY TO DO SOMETHING SO I THREW MY HAT IN.

>> REPRESENT A VERY DIVERSE COMMUNITY, DOWN IN THE CITY OF WORTHINGTON.

>> Mary: YOU'RE FOLLOWING ROD HAMILTON, CORRECT?

>> YES, ROD HAMILTON RETIRED AND THEN WITH REDISTRICTING, THAT CHANGED THE DISTRICT A LITTLE BIT SO HE'S ACTUALLY NOT EVEN IN THE DISTRICT ANYMORE.

HE HAS BEEN A GREAT PERSON TO TALK TO AND HELP ME OUT.

>> Mary: YOU'RE ONE OF THE FRESHMEN WHO ARE IND OF REPLACING A LEGEND, YOU PROBABLY KNOW THAT REPRESENTATIVE HAMILTON WAS VERY WELL-KNOWN, VERY WELL-LIKED, HAD FRIENDSHIPS ACROSS THE AISLE, IT WAS AN AGRICULTURE CHAIR WHO GOT BIPARTISAN VOTES, JOINED AND EVEN BROKE WITH HIS CAUCUS ON SOME VOTES.

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS EVER BREAKING WITH YOUR CAUCUS AND FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS THAT WAY?

>> WELL, I GUESS IT WOULD ALL DEPEND ON WHAT THE BILL WOULD BE FOR.

I WANT TO DO WHAT THE CONSTITUENTS OF MY DISTRICT COMMUNICATE WITH ME.

I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT IS TO DO NOT WHAT St. PAUL WANTS BUT WHAT THE PEOPLE FROM DISTRICT HOUSE 31 B WANT.

>> Mary: THAT'S WHAT HE SAID SOMETIMES WHEN HE WAS BREAKING OFF ON VOTES.

I THINK IN PARTICULAR HE SAID HOW HE WAS VOTING HIS DISTRICT WHEN IT CAME TO IMMIGRATION ISSUES AND, YOU KNOW, THE UNIQUE AND CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS OF HIS DISTRICT.

IS HAT GOING TO BE TRUE FOR YOUR DISTRICT IN THOSE DEMOGRAPHICS, AS WELL?

>> THERE IS A LOT OF DIVERSITY BUT IT IS A CONSERVATIVE DISTRICT AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT CONTINUE THAT WAY.

LIKE I SAID, I WANT TO HAVE AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY AND I WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO COME AND TALK TO ME.

THEY ARE A BIG PART OF THE DISTRICT.

MY KIDS WENT TO THE HIGH SCHOOL IN WORTHINGTON AND THEY WERE IN THE MINORITY THERE O., THEY ARE A BIG PART OF IT BUT THEY'RE LEARNING HOW TO ACCLIMATE TO OUR SOCIETY AND THAT'S WHY THEY CAME HERE IS FOR A BETTER LIFE.

>> Mary: DO YOU THINK THE REST OF THE STATE REALIZES THAT YOUR KID GO TO A HIGH SCHOOL IN RURAL MINNESOTA THAT IS MAJORITY MINORITY, DO WE KNOW THAT WELL ENOUGH?

>> I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW.

I THINK EVERYBODY KIND OF IS PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO WHAT'S GOING ON IN THEIR OWN WORLD AND I THINK IT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY SO THEY HAD EXPOSURE TO OTHER CULTURES THAN THEIR OWN.

JACKSON COUNTY IS HUGE IN AGRICULTURE.

THERE IS A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES, I'VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS AND FARMERS THAT HAVE ONCERNS AND QUESTIONS.

>> Mary: OBVIOUSLY AGRICULTURE AND SMALL BUSINESS, BIG PART OF THE DISTRICT, WHAT WERE THEY SAYING TO YOU ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL?

>> MOST OF THE THING I HEARD ABOUT WAS SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS, PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO LOSE THEIR GUNS, THEY WANT TO FEEL SAFE.

>> Mary: YOU PROBABLY HEARD FROM FELLOW REPUBLICANS AND YOUR CAUCUS, THEY WERE KIND OF EXPECTING TO BE IN THE MAJORITY SO IT WAS A SURPRISE FOR REPUBLICANS NOT TO TAKE THE MAJORITY.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HANDLE BEING IN THE MINORITY?

>> I THINK THE BEST THING TO DO IS LEARN HOW TO COMMUNICATE THE BEST WITH THE PEOPLE IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AS WELL AS THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND JUST TRY TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR HE STATE.

>> Mary: AND HOW POLITICALLY ACTIVE HAVE YOU BEEN?

GIVE US A SENSE OF YOUR BACKGROUND IN POLITICS?

>> WELL, I AM NOT A SUPER POLITICAL PERSON, I NEVER HAVE BEEN, JUST WITH ALL THE THINGS GOING ON, IT MADE ME PAY ATTENTION.

I JOINED A WOMEN'S GROUP, WE ARE CHRISTIAN AND WE JUST ENJOY LIVING OUT IN THE COUNTRY.

THERE'S JUST A LOT OF REGULATIONS AND MINNESOTA IS NOT VERY SMALL BUSINESS FRIENDLY AND I WOULD LIKE TO WORK ON SOMETHING FOR THAT.

>> THEREFORE, YOU SHUT DOWN ACCESS TO THE LEGISLATURE BY HAVING LESS PEOPLE SERVING.

>> Mary: I THINK OF TED WINTER AND MAYBE BEING ONE OF THE LAST DEMOCRATS TO - REPRESENT THAT AREA AND SEEMS LIKE MUCH OF RURAL MINNESOTA HAS MOVED REPUBLICAN.

HAVE YOU SEEN THAT IN YOUR TIME?

>> IT'S KIND OF PURPLE, I WOULD SAY, MAYBE, IN WORTHINGTON BUT I WOULD SAY MOST OF IT IS PRETTY REPUBLICAN.

I WOULD DEFINITELY SAY THERE ARE LIBERTARIAN -- I ACTUALLY TALKED TO A FEW ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL AND THERE ARE DEMOCRATS, TOO, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T ALL FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK TOGETHER.

>> Mary: WHAT DID YOU LEARN ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL?

THIS ISN'T SOMETHING YOU'VE DONE BEFORE, SOUNDS LIKE.

THERE HAD TO BE A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED?

>> RUNNING FOR OFFICE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD JUST TAKE LIGHTLY.

IT'S A LOT OF WORK.

WE PUT ON A LOT OF MILES ON MY CAR AND WE MET A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE.

I MET PEOPLE I WOULD NEVER HAVE MET BEFORE.

I SAW LOTS OF THE DISTRICT I WOULD NEVER HAVE SEEN BEFORE.

>> Mary: SO LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN TO THE CAPITOL, I SAW YOU POSTED A PHOTO RECENTLY.

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE GETTING THERE AND KIND OF DIVING IN TO THAT PLACE?

>> IT'S A LITTLE SURREAL, IT'S SOMEWHERE I LWAYS ENJOYED GOING.

MY DAD USED TO GO UP AND BRING US AND DRIVE US AROUND SUMMIT AVENUE AND CHECK OUT THE COOL HOUSES AND GO TO THE CAPITOL, JUST SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PLACE BUT IT'S A LOT OF WORK AND I'M LEARNING AND I AM EXCITED TO