THIS PROTEST WELL.

>> Mary: INTERESTING.

THANKS SO MUCH, BLOIS.

GREAT HAVING YOU.

>> MARY: THE HOUSE HAS TWO SPECIAL ELECTION FRESHMEN.

THIS WEEK'S DFL FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER CLAIMED ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS.

A MEMBER OF HER LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD AND MOTHER OF THREE, SHE INITIALLY DID NOT EVEN PICTURE HERSELF RUNNING.

FIRST QUESTION WE ASK EVERYONE, WHY DO YOU WANT TO RUN, BUT I SHOULD ASK ESPECIALLY IN A SPECIAL ELECTION?

>> I DIDN'T.

I WAS ON THE SCHOOL BOARD IN APPLE VALLEY, ROSEMOUNT, EAGAN, ANT I WAS VERY HAPPY, AND WHEN RUTH RESIGNED SOMEBODY FROM THE COMMUNITY REACHED OUT AND SAID, HEY, WOULD YOU CONSIDER RUNNING FOR THE HOUSE?

AND I WAS LIKE, NO!

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

>> Mary: IT WAS A HARD NO RIGHT AWAY.

>> IT WAS, YEAH, BECAUSE I -- YOU KNOW, WE KNEW WE WOULD HAVE FOUR SEATS OPEN IN THE NEXT ELECTION ON THE SCHOOL BOARD, WE KNEW THAT THERE WOULD BE LIKELY A SUPERINTENDENT CHANGE, THE READ ACT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A LOT THAT I WAS INVESTED IN AND THEY SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD MAYBE THINK ABOUT IT AND IT WAS LIKE I HAVE THREE YOUNG KIDS.

I WORK FULL TIME.

I CAN'T AFFORD THIS JOB.

>> Mary: WHAT CHANGED YOUR MIND, CLEARLY, SOMEBODY GOT THROUGH.

HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

>> THEY SAID THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING ON SCHOOL BOARD AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT PASSION TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

YOU CAN DO SOME OF THESE THINGS AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL, YOU KNOW, THEN MORE PEOPLE STARTED TO REACH OUT AND IT SORT OF SNOWBALLED AND HERE I AM.

>> Mary: HOW IS IT GOING FOR YOUR FAMILY SO AR SNUFF A ALREADY EXPERIENCED SOME LONG FLOOR SIGNIFICANCES, SOME LATE NIGHTS, WHAT'S THAT LIKE WITH YOUNG KIDS AT HOME AND A FAMILY?

>> SOMEBODY SAID IF YOU ASKED ME, IF YOU HAD A MAGIC WAND AND YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING, WHAT WOULD IT BE, AND SAID, TIME.

I WISH I HAD MORE TIME.

AND THAT LEADS INTO YOUR QUESTION, HOW IS IT WITH THE FAMILY.

YOU KNOW, I WAS THE REGIONAL COVID COORDINATOR IN THE PANDEMIC WITH SCHOOLS SO THEY'RE USED TO ME WORKING LONG HOURS.

THAT HASN'T BEEN NEW TO THEM.

MY YOUNGEST SON, WHEN WE WENT TO THE CAPITOL SAID, DAD, MOM'S WORKPLACE IS SO MUCH COOLER THAN YOURS.

HE WAS LIKE -- >> Mary: WELL, YOU GOT IS THAT THEN.

>> THAT'S TRUE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE TRADE-OFFS OF BEING A MOTHER OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE LEGISLATURE.

FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE NIGHTS THAT WE WERE ON THE FLOOR PRETTY LATE, I GOT HOME AND THERE WAS A LITTLE POST-IT NOTE ON THE DOOR FROM THE GARAGE COMING IN THAT SAID, DEAR MOM, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, IT'S PROBABLY REALLY LATE.

I HAD SOMETHING BAD HAPPEN AT SCHOOL TODAY AND IT MADE ME SAD AND I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU BUT YOU'RE NOT HERE.

I'M PROBABLY ASLEEP, I'LL TALK TO YOU TOMORROW.

>> Mary: OH, OKAY, THAT'S A LITTLE HEART-BREAKING, RIGHT?

>> YEAH, YEAH.

>> Mary: THAT'S HARD.

>> I REACHED OUT TO LEGISLATORS WHO HAVE CHILDREN AND AID HOW ARE YOU MAKING THIS WORK?

THEY SAID OUTSOURCE WHEN YOU CAN SO Y YOUNGEST HAS DYSLEXIA AND HAS TUTORING TWO DAYS A WEEK AT THE SAME TIME AS COMMITTEE SO MY DAD COMES AND HELPINGS, BRINGS HIM THERE SO THANKFUL THAT MY PARENTS LIVE CLOSE.

IT'S NOT EASY.

BUT IT IS WORTH IT.

>> Mary: WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT IT SO FAR BECAUSE SOUNDS LIKE PEOPLE HAD SOME PRETTY GOOD, HONEST DEPICTIONS OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE BUT NOW YOU'VE GOT A GOOD CHUNK OF SESSION UNDER YOUR BELT, WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THE PLACE SO FAR?

>> I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE A LOT HARDER.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SUPER HELPFUL AND SUPER SUPPORTIVE.

UP COME IN BY YOURSELF, RIGHT, LIKE I WAS THE ONLY ONE, EVERYBODY ALREADY HAD A YEAR UNDER THEIR BELT, BUT THEN I'M ON SOME AMAZING COMMITTEES, RIGHT, ELECTIONS, HUMAN SERVICE FINANCE ND ED FINANCE.

>> THOSE ARE BIG COMMITTEES FOR A FRESHMAN, THAT'S NOT BAD IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT.

>> I DIDN'T KNOW THAT BUT I FOUND OUT LATER, SO -- BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT -- WHEN THEY DID THE FINANCE, RIGHT, YOU HAD SO MUCH TO SPEND, YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO SPEND, THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO GO AROUND -- >> Mary: DID THAT SURPRISE YOU, THE DEMANDS FOR MONEY?

>> I'VE BEEN A PUBLIC SERVANT, I WORKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND OSHA, I WORKED AT HENNEPIN COUNTY SO THAT DIDN'T SURPRISE ME BUT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT WEIGHING WHAT DO WE FUND, I AVEN'T BEEN IN THAT KIND OF SITUATION.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT PARTISANSHIP?

WE OFTEN HEAR FROM OUTSIDERS THAT THEY THINK THE PLACE IS BRUTAL AND PARTISAN AND SO MEAN, IS IT REALLY OR IS IT A LITTLE NICER THAN YOU WOULD HAVE EXPECTED?

>> I WORK WELL IN THE SQUISHY MIDDLE, NOT BEING SO EXTREME.

SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY SOME OF MY VIEWS ARE VERY STREAM, OTHER PEOPLE CALLED ME NOT PROGRESSIVE, PRAGMATIC WOULD BE A NICE -- PRAGMATIC PROGRESSIVE SO REACHING OUT ACROSS THE AISLE TO ME WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO BEGIN WITH.

I DID REACH OUT TO REPUBLICANS EVEN BEFORE BEING SWORN IN WHO WERE ON COMMITTEES OR WHO WERE WORKING ON THINGS THAT WERE OF INTEREST TO ME.

>> Mary: YOU'VE ALSO PROBABLY BEEN TOLD, THERE'S NO GUARANTEES YOU'RE IN THE MAJORITY AGAIN, RIGHT?

>> YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY BRINGS A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO THE TABLE, RIGHT?

THEY HAVE THESE REALLY RICH, GREAT EXPERIENCES HAT WE SHOULD ALL LEARN O DRAW FROM, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THERE ARE SOME THINGS WHERE YOU MIGHT -- WE'RE NEVER GOING TO SEE EYE TO EYE ON THAT BUT THERE ARE AREAS WHERE I DO THINK WE CAN MOVE THE BALL FORWARD IN A MUTUALLY AGREEABLE WAY.

>> Mary: HAVE YOU HEARD HOW HARD IT IS IN THE MINORITY?

>> ITCH HEARD THAT, YES.

I'M NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT THAT AS MUCH.

I THINK -- I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF BIGGER THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THIS NOVEMBER.

>> Mary: I'VE BEEN AROUND FOREVER AND MUCH SEEN YOUR DISTRICT BE VERY COMPETITIVE IN THE PAST AND IN MY CAREER.

IS IT KIND OF SOLIDIFYING A LITTLE BLEWER THERE?

>> YEAH, I WOULD THINK SO.

YES.

I THINK SO, YEAH.

IN THE SUPPORT I RECEIVED BOTH ON THE SCHOOL BOARD AND RUNNING IN THIS RACE AND -- >> Mary: YOUR RACE WASN'T THAT CLOSE WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO IT, WAS IT?

>> NO, NO, NO.

>> Mary: USED TO BE BATTLE GROUND, GOVERNOR TIM PAWLENTY IS FROM EGAN, THE LAST REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR.

>> RIGHT, THERE ARE SOME STRONG REPUBLICANS WHO ARE MY CONSTITUENTS.

WHEN I RAN FOR SCHOOL BOARD, IT WAS A REPUBLICAN WHO REACHED OUT TO ME TO SAY, WOULD YOU CONSIDER RUNNING FOR SCHOOL BOARD AND EVEN IN THIS RACE, I HAD SUPPORT ON B