WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

>> Mary: THANKS, YOU TWO.

>> AWESOME, THANK YOU.

>> Mary: ALL RIGHT, WELL, THIS WEEK'S FRESHMAN LAWMAKER STANDS OUT BY RUNNING TOWARDS THE MIDDLE.

IT WAS ONE OF OUR RACES TO WATCH, WITH A TIGHT PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTION.

HE WON CAMPAIGNING AS A MODERATE.

>> I WANTED TO RUN BASICALLY BECAUSE AS A COUNTY COMMISSIONER I SAW SOME OF THE EFFECTERS THAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE COUNTY AT THE STATE LEVEL, PROPERTY TAXES, ALSO AS A BUSINESS OWNER, SEEING DECISIONS MADE THAT WERE AFFECTING BUSINESS OWNERS.

AND I WANTED TO COME DOWN AND BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION.

>> Mary: YOU KNEW IT WASN'T GOING TO BE EASY.

YOU HAD A REALLY TOUGH PRIMARY AND A GENERAL.

WAS IT WORTH IT?

>> I LOVE THE CHALLENGE.

I LOVE TO DO NEW THINGS.

AND I FIGURED, YOU KNOW, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I'D NEVER DONE BEFORE.

I HAD PEOPLE SAYING YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WIN.

SO I TAKE THAT PERSONALLY.

AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A BUSINESS AND PERSONAL AND EVEN WITH THE ELECTION, I SAID, I'M GOING TO WIN.

HI, I'M WAYNE JOHNSON.

I'M RUNNING FOR MINNESOTA HOUSE.

>> Mary: THERE'S A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO HAD TOUGH PRIMARIES OR A TOUGH GENERAL.

THERE'S VERY FEW MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE WHO AD TIGHT RACES BOTH TIMES, RIGHT?

>> I BELIEVE THAT'S RIGHT, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?

AS SOON AS I WAS DONE WITH THE PRIMARY, I AS TOLD, TAKE A LITTLE TIME OFF.

BOOM, I HAD PHONE CALLS COMING IN THE NEXT DAY AND I WAS ABLE TO NOT LOSE THAT FOCUS.

SO I KNEW WHAT I HAD TO DO.

I KNEW THE CHALLENGES AND SO I JUST NEVER LET UP.

>> Mary: WE TALKED ABOUT IT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL AND SAW THAT THROUGH THE RACE THAT YOU WERE ONE OF THE RARE PEOPLE WHO WON RUNNING IN THE MIDDLE.

YOU STAVE OFF SOMEBODY FROM THE RIGHT.

AND THEN YOU HAD TO STAVE OFF SOMEBODY FROM THE LEFT.

SO HOW DID MODERATION WORK FOR YOU?

>> I THINK THAT WORKED PERFECT IN MY DISTRICT, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY TALKED ABOUT ARE WE PURPLE, PURPLE-BLUE, PURPLE-RED.

AND WHAT I FOUND IN THE CITY, PEOPLE LIKE PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE.

THEY DON'T WANT TO SEE EXTREMES.

FIRST OF ALL, THEY NEVER WANT TO BE IN THE NEWSPAPER.

SO THEY DON'T WANT TO SEE THE EXTREMES LEFT AND RIGHT.

THEY DON'T WANT TO SEE PEOPLE OUT THERE YELLING.

THEY ALSO KNOW PEOPLE IN OUR AREA, WE ALL GET ALONG.

WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOALS.

WE ALL HAVE THE SAME NEEDS AND I THINK PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT REALLY WANT TO SEE SOMEBODY THAT DOES TALK TO BOTH SIDES.

AND I'VE TOLD PEOPLE, I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, WHO YOU SUPPORTED, YOU CALL ME, YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME, I'M GOING TO TALK TO YOU AND HAVE A DISCUSSION.

>> Mary: BUT ONCE YOU GET HERE, YOU FIND OUT, THERE'S TEAM BLUE AND TEAM RED.

IT'S HARD, ISN'T IT?

>> IT IS HARD.

IT'S HARDER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

I HAVE MET A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE DEMOCRAT SIDE, AND YOU SIT THERE AND SAY, OH, WE'RE CONNECTING AND STUFF, BUT THEN WHEN YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO THE VET OR IN THE COMMITTEES, IT'S RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE AS FAR AS YOU'RE GOING TO GO ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

AND THEN HAVING A LITTLE CHALLENGE WITH THAT.

I'M HOPING TO CHANGE THAT.

I CHANGED THE WAY WE OPERATED ON THE COUNTY BOARD.

AND I GOT SOME MORE IDEAS IN AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

SO I'M HOPEFUL.

BUT I'M ALSO REALISTIC.

>> Mary: WHAT ARE YOU FINDING OUT ABOUT FRESHMAN AND HOW THEY GET TREATED HERE?

>> I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN TREATED VERY WELL.

>PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VERY OPEN AND MAYBE THAT MIGHT BE BECAUSE OF OUR SITUATION THIS TIME.

EVERYBODY'S NEEDED.

EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT.

YOU NEED EVERY VOTE.

AND SO THEY AVE REALLY SPENT A LOT OF TIME GETTING ME UP TO SPEED.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

AND I'VE BEEN VERY SURPRISED AND HAPPY WITH HOW OPEN EVERYBODY HAS BEEN.

>> Mary: YOU'RE NOT IN AN EASY COMMITTEE, TAXES AND YOU GOT HAILSTORK 4.

>> YES.

>> Mary: AT THING US ABOUT IT AND WHY YOU GOT SUCH A BIG BILL.

>> I THINK PART OF IT WAS IT WAS ONE OF OUR TOP ITEMS AND THEY GAVE IT TO ME ECAUSE THEY FEET I COULD MARCH FORWARD WITH IT.

PEOPLE WERE SAYING WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK.

PEOPLE SAY THAT 18 BILLION AND THE 10 BILLION AND T WAS A TOP MESSAGE.

AND PEOPLE SAID WE WANT THAT MONEY BACK TO US.

>> Mary: IT'S AN AUTOMATIC SURPLUS?

>> IT'S 05% ABOVE WHAT IS IS PROJECTED IS NEEDED IS GOING TO GO BACK, AND GO INTO AN ACCOUNT AND THEN BASICALLY GIVEN BACK WHETHER IT'S PROPERTY TAX OR TAXES.

>> Mary: WHAT WAS IT LIKE HAVING THAT BIG OF BAIL UP IF TAXES?

>> THE FIRST TIME I WENT THROUGH IT, IT WAS FRIENDLY PEOPLE.

SO IT WAS EASY.

>> Mary: IT WAS ALL REPUBLICANS THERE.

>> RIGHT.

I BROUGHT IN TREATS, WHICH IS TRADITION.

FROM LAKE ELMO AND EVERYBODY WAS GREAT.

HAVING A FULL COMMITTEE AND HAVING THE OTHER SIDE THERE WITH THEIR OWN AGENDA CREATED A NEW LEVEL, AND I LEARNED A LOT FROM IT.

I'M PREPARED FOR WHEN IT DOES COME UP AGAIN, BECAUSE IT DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE.

BUT IT WAS A LEARNING, AND I ALWAYS FEEL THAT AS LONG AS YOU LEARN FROM SOMETHING, THAT'S WHAT MATTERS.

I APOLOGIZE IF I'M NOT AS LEGISLATIVELY ASTUTE AS YOU ARE.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT WHEN FRESHMAN GET ASKED QUESTIONS.

IT'S KIND OF A FAMOUS TRADITION AROUND HERE.

IS A QUESTION A QUESTION?

>> NO, A QUESTION S NOT A QUESTION.

I FOUND OUT THAT A QUESTION IN THE CITY LEVEL AND THE COUNTY LEVEL AND IN BUSINESS LEVEL IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN A QUESTION YOU GET HERE.

QUESTION HERE, IT'S NOT TO LEARN, BUT TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW ABOUT A SUBJECT OR ELSE GET YOUR OWN MESSAGE OUT THERE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING I HAD TO LEARN AND FORTUNATELY I LEARNED IT QUICK.

>> I'M GETTING CAUGHT A LITTLE BIT ON THIS.

>> THE DIFFERENCE HERE IS YOU'RE WRITING INTO THE CONSTITUTION.

>> Mary: YOU KNOW SPORTS.

THIS IS A SPORT, ISN'T IT?

IT'S COMPETITIVE.

IT'S FULL CONTACT.

>> OH, YEAH, Q, YOU KNOW, FROM HAVING A DAUGHTER AND MYSELF HAVING A DAUGHTER, WHEN YOU GET OUT THERE ON THE FIELD, THERE'S NO PRISONERS.

>> Mary: SO WHAT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD FOOTBALL FINISH FOR YOU?

>> I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THAT WE GOT A BUDGET DONE.

>> Mary: ON TIME OR IMPOSSIBLE?

>> I DON'T KNOW WITH THE DELAY WE'VE HAD HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET IT DONE ON TIME.

WE DO HAVE THAT DEADLINE.

I THINK WE'RE ALL COMMITTED TO GET THAT TO FINAL DEADLINE.

WHETHER THE SPECIAL SESSION, WE DON'T EVER WANT TO HAVE TO SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT.

I THINK IF WE GET DONE WITH A BUDGET ON TIME, I WILL CONSIDER THAT A WIN, BUT ALSO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT E LISTEN TO OUR CONSTITUENTS AND GIVE THEM BACK SOME OF THAT MONEY