AND I THINK WE'LL ET 'EM.

>> Mary: THANK SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, REPRESENTATIVE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> MARY: THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER SAW AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIS HOUSE SEAT AFTER REDISTRICTING AND OVERCAME HIS FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING ALONG THE WAY.

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

>> WELL, I GUESS MY STORY IS MAYBE A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE.

I DID NOT PLAN ON GETTING INVOLVED IN POLITICS.

IT WASN'T MY GOAL, REALLY.

WHAT I GOT INVOLVED AND STARTED GOING TO LOCAL MEETINGS AND STUFF, REALLY WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS JUST HAVE A VOICE.

I WANTED IS TO BECOME A DELEGATE IN THE PROCESS.

THAT WAS REALLY ALL MY WIFE AND I REALLY WANTED TO DO.

WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING WAS WITH REDISTRICTING, WE HAD NO SITTING REPRESENTATIVE.

I LOOKED AT MY WIFE AND I SAID, I THINK I'M GOING TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND SHE SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR CHANCES ARE?

AND I SAID NOT A HOPE IN HECK.

>> Mary: WHY NOT?

>> FIRST ROUND?

WELL, I HADN'T BEEN INVOLVED, I HADN'T RUN FOR OFFICE BEFORE, REALLY DIDN'T KNOW THE SYSTEM, DIDN'T KNOW HOW THINGS WORKED I SAID, YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN THE PROCESS.

IF NOTHING ELSE, WE'LL GO TO THE CONVENTION, I'M GOING GETS PAST THAT FEAR F PUBLIC SPEAKING -- >> Mary: SO, IF I CAN JUMP IN, YOU GOT OVER YOUR FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING BECAUSE YOU DON'T GETS ENDORSED AND ELECTED WITHOUT SPEAKING.

>> I WOULDN'T SAY ENTIRELY PAST THAT FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING BUT WENT TO THE ENDORSEMENT, THERE WAS THREE OF US RUNNING, FIRST ROUNDS OF VOTES, I LOOKED AT THE NUMBERS AND I THOUGHT THERE'S NO WAY I COULD WIN.

>> Mary: WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS, WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE GOT BEHIND YOU?

>> THE FIRST SPEECH I GAVE WAS KIND OF PREPARED AND THE SECOND ONE WAS JUST SPEAKING FROM THE HEART, AND I THINK THAT CONNECTED WITH PEOPLE.

>> Mary: DO YOU TAKE THAT PRINCIPLE TO THE CAPITOL WHEN YOU WENT THERE, DID YOU DECIDE, HEY, I'M NOT GOING TO DO A CANNED SPEECH, I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO TRY TO SPEAK FROM THE HEART AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE?

>> PRETTY HARSH CRITIQUES FROM MY WIFE.

SHE SAID REALLY WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS STOP THE PREPARED SPEECH.

WHEN PEOPLE CAN HEAR YOU TALK, THEY'LL CONNECT WITH YOU.

AND AFTER THAT, I DID NOT PREPARE SPEECHES, I JUST, YOU KNOW, SPOKE ABOUT WHAT I KNEW, WHAT I WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT AND IT RESONATED WITH THE VOTERS.

I HAD A PRIMARY CHALLENGE, GOT THROUGH THAT AND LO AND BEHOLD, YOU KNOW, WON THE RACE.

BUT EVEN THEN, THE PRIMARY I ONLY WON BY 20 VOTES, 20 YEARS AGO -- MAYBE 25 YEARS AGO, THIS WAS A DEMOCRAT AREA.

OUR REPRESENTATIVE WAS MARY ELLEN OTREMBA, I WAS FRIENDS WITH HER SON GROWING UP IN HIGH SCHOOL.

SHE WAS A GREAT REPRESENTATIVE BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH, IT'S NOW A STRONG REPUBLICAN AREA.

WHEN MARY ELLEN WAS OUR REPRESENTATIVE, SHE WAS PRO LIFE AND PRO SECOND AMENDMENT BUT THAT WAS TWO CATEGORIES THAT ARE NOT BIG PARTY PLATTE FORMS AS FAR AS THE DEMOCRATS ANYMORE AND HERE IN RURAL MINNESOTA, BOTH OF THOSE ISSUES ARE VERY FIRM FOR MOST OF THE VOTERS.

>> Mary: I BET YOU WERE HOPING YOU WERE COMING INTO THE MAJORITY, LIFE IN THE MINORITY IS DIFFERENT, ISN'T IT?

>> VERY MUCH IS, AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO THROUGH A TRAINING OF FRESHMAN TRAINING AND WHEN WE DID THAT, WE WERE SET AT THE TABLES, DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN, AND I SAID AT THAT TIME THAT WHETHER WE WERE IN THE MINORITY OR MAJORITY, I WOULD TREAT PEOPLE THE SAME.

BUT ONCE YOU GET DOWN TO THE CAPITOL, THE ENVIRONMENT IS DIFFERENT AND THAT'S REALLY SAD BECAUSE PEOPLE YOU HAD A NICE CONVERSATION WITH WEEKS BEFORE, NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN, THERE'S THIS ANIMOSITY, THERE'S THIS TENSION.

>> Mary: WITH SESSION ULTIMATELY FRUSTRATING FOR HARD FOR YOU?

>> VERY FRUSTRATING.

I SPOKE ON IT ONE OF THE FIRST FLOOR SPEECHES I GAVE, I HAD THIS SORT OF ROMANTIC VIEW ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THE FLOOR, WE HAVE A DISCUSSION OF IDEAS AND WE LISTEN TO THE OTHER SIDE, WE COMMUNICATES BACK AND FORTH.

IN ACTUALS, IT'S MUCH DIFFERENT.

YOU KNOW, THOSE PARTY LINES ARE DRAWN AND YOU COULD PRETTY ACCURATELY PREDICT THE WAY THE VOTE WAS GOING TO GO ON ALMOST EVERY SINGLE BILL.

>> Mary: DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WERE ABLE TO GET ANYTHING ACCOMPLISHED?

DO YOU THINK -- DID YOU GET SOME AMENDMENTS, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAD SOME INFLUENCE ON COMMITTEE AND FLOOR, WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT FELT LIKE, OKAY, I BROKE THROUGH.

>> I HAVE ONE BILL THAT WENT THROUGH AND OF COURSE WELD SOME BONDING PROJECTS THAT WENT THROUGH WHICH WAS A BIG PLUS FOR OUR AREA.

TODD AND WADENA ARE THE POOREST COUNTIES IN THE STATE SO ANY BONDING MONEY WE CAN GET OUT HERE IS DEFINITELY A BENEFIT.

THE LEARNING CURVE WAS PRETTY STEEP, HAVE TO ADMIT, I USED SOME DIFFERENT TACTICS OR TECHNIQUES ON THE FLOOR BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE WE WEREN'T GETTING LISTENED TO SO I USED A LITTLE BIT OF HUMOR, MOVIE QUOTES, THINGS LIKE THAT.

>> Mary: THAT MIGHT BE YOUR MOST FAMOUS MOMENT.

WAS IT MARIJUANA YOU HAD ALL THE MOVIE QUOTES ON?

>> THERE WAS MANY DRUG REFERENCES IN THE MARIJUANA SPEECH.

>> I NEW WE WOULD WALK OUT OF HERE TIRED, BLOODSHOT EYES, STIFF JOINTS, AS WE ZIGZAG THROUGH THIS DISCUSSION AND ROLLED UP A NEW FUTURE.

>> I NEW WE WEREN'T GOING TO GET IT PASSED, WE WEREN'T GOING TO GET AMENDMENTS BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A POINT SO I PUT AS MANY REFERENCES IN THERE AS I COULD, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THROW A LITTLE HUMOR, FUN IN THERE, I HAD SOME THAT LIKED IT AND SOME DIDN'T.

MY KIDS, THEY KIND OF CHUCKLED AT IT BUT I THOUGHT ABOUT IT LATER AND I THOUGHT MAYBE THAT WASN'T THE BEST WAY TO DISCUSS THAT BILL.

OVERALL, I THINK IT CONNECTED WITH SOME PEOPLE.

>> Mary: SO ULTIMATELY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU LEARNED?

WHAT'S THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON THAT CAME OUTS OF A TOUGH SESSION?

>> I FEEL LUCKY IN A AY I GOT PAID FOR AN EDUCATION HERE THIS FIRST YEAR.

WILL IT AFFECT ME GOING FORWARD?

ABSOLUTELY.

POLITICS AND RELIGION ARE PROBABLY THE TWO MOST INFLUENTIAL THINGS IN OUR LIVES AND YET WE'RE OFTEN TOLD NOT TO TALK ABOUT THEM.

THOS