INCREASES.

>> AND WE NEED TO GET THE TWO OF YOU BACK DOWN TO THE FLOOR.

WE'RE OUT OF TIME.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, APPRECIATE IT.

THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER HAD A CAREER SHIFT FROM THE TECH INDUSTRY TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

HIS MOTIVATION?

HIS KIDS.

HERE'S A LOOK AT REPRESENTATIVE LARRY KRAFT.

>> FIRST OF ALL, THE QUESTION I'D LIKE TO ASK EVERYBODY IS WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE?

>> I SPENT 25 YEARS IN THE HIGH TECH INDUSTRY AND MOVED TO ST. LOUIS PARK WHEN I WAS RECRUITED TO RUN SALES AND MARKETING FOR A MID SIZED TECH COMPANY HERE.

AND MY WIFE AND I MOVED HERE ALMOST 20 EARS AGO, NINE ND A HALF TEN YEARS AGO AS I'M PUTTING AWAY MONEY FOR MY KIDS' COLLEGE AND THINKING ABOUT THEIR FUTURE I BECAME REALLY TERRIFIED ABOUT THE FUTURE THEY HAVE AND THE IMPACT CLIMATE CHANGE WOULD HAVE ON IT.

I MADE A CAREER SHIFT.

I WOUND UP RUNNING THIS SMALL NATIONAL NON-PROFIT FOR FIVE YEARS, IT HELPED YOUNG PEOPLE TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE AND WE HELP STUDENTS ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY BUT SOME OF THE MOST REWARDING STUFF HAPPENED IN ST. LOUIS PARK WITH STUDENTS FROM ST. LOUIS PARK HIGH SCHOOL THAT ENT BEFORE OUR CITY COUNCIL AND JUST DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB AND INITIATED THE PROCESS THAT LED TO THE ADOPTION OF ST. LOUIS PARK'S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED IN EARLY 2018 AND IT'S THE MOST AGGRESSIVE IN MINNESOTA.

>> I HAVE TO TELL THE WORLD FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW I'M A GRADUATE OF ST. LOUIS PARK.

MY FORMER TEACHER PARENTS SELECTED PARK AS THE BEST PLACE TO RAISE KIDS FOR AN EDUCATION SO I MAYBE COME AT THAT WITH BIAS, IS THAT FAIR?

IS THAT STILL TRUE?

>> IT'S A GREAT PLACE.

MY KIDS HAVE ENJOYED SCHOOL THERE.

>> YOU'VE BEEN THERE FOR 20 YEARS -- WHEN IT COMES TO REPRESENTATIVES FROM ST. LOUIS PARK THAT MAKES YOU KIND OF A NEWBIE BECAUSE YOU'VE HAD NAMES LIKE PEGGY FLANAGAN AND RYAN WINKLER AND STEVE SIMON.

DID PEOPLE KIND OF THINK YOU WERE A NEWBIE BEING THERE JUST 20 YEARS?

>> YEAH, I WOULD KNOCK ON DOORS AND HOW LONG YOU BEEN HERE AND MY FIRST CAMPAIGN I WAS 15 OR 16 YEARS AND I WAS LIKE, YEAH THEY WERE LIKE YEAH, I'VE BEEN HERE 30 OR 40.

YOU DEFINITELY GET A BIT OF >> >> BUT IT'S A VERY CIVICALLY ENGAGED COMMUNITY.

HOW DO YOU SEE THAT?

>> I LOVE IT.

MY FIRST CAMPAIGN RAN ON CITY COUNCIL, I WAS ON CITY COUNCIL FOR THREE YEARS AS A CLIMATE CHAMPION TO IMPLEMENT THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.

THE QUESTION I WOULD GET ASKED WAS, WHY DIDN'T WE DO IT FIRST?

IT'S A DIFFERENT FRAME LIKE PEOPLE ARE ILLING TO THINK DIFFERENTLY, BE ENGAGED AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF LEEWAY TO TRY STUFF.

>> SO IS THE WORK ALREADY DONE FOR SESSION BEING THAT 100% RENEWABLE BY 2040 IS SIGNED ASK DONE OR IS THERE STILL MORE WORK TO DO?

>> STILL MORE WORK TO DO.

THAT IS HUGE AND FANTASTIC.

BUT IT IS A FOUNDATION, THE WAY WE GET TO OUR CLIMATE GOALS IS BASICALLY YOU FIRST HAVE TO MAKE THE GRID CLEAN AND ELECTRIFY MOST EVERYTHING ELSE.

>> I DIDN'T COME TO THE LEGISLATURE TO KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.

>> I'M SURE PEOPLE HAVE TOLD YOU THIS IS LITERALLY THE FASTEST PACE OF RENTAL SLAVE SESSION.

HOW HAS IT BEEN FOR YOU?

>> I HEAR THAT AND I HEAR THIS IS NOT NORMAL AND MY RESPONSE IS THIS IS NORMAL FOR ME.

I SAY WE'RE WORKING HARD BUT IT'S REWARDING TO GET STUFF DONE ALL THE WAY THROUGH SESSION AND WHY NOT?

WHY SHOULDN'T WE BE PASSING THINGS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY AND MARCH VERSUS WAITING UNTIL APRIL OR THE LAST SECOND IN MAY.

>> RIGHT NOW THE FIRST RING SUBURBS AREN'T SO COMPETITIVE ANYMORE, ST. LOUIS PARK USED TO BE HELD BY REPUBLICANS AND USED TO BE KIND OF SWING SEATS.

HAVE YOU FELT AND SEEN IN THE LAST, YOU KNOW -- >> I ONLY GOT INVOLVED IN POLITICS FOUR YEARS AGO SO I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF HISTORY BUT I DIDN'T HAVE A COMPETITIVE ELECTION, I WAS UNOPPOSED AND I KNOW THAT FOLKS A COUPLE FURTHER RINGS THAT WERE AND I DID A BUNCH OF WORK THERE AND COULD FEEL THE DIFFERENCE.

YOU CERTAINLY SEE SOME OF THE -- THAT ARE HAPPENING AND FEEL SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE RESONATING WITH SUBURBAN FOLKS.

WARE NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IF IT JUST WORKS IN MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL AND ST. LOUIS PARK, SO, YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY VERY FOCUSED ON THE BENEFITS IT CAN HAVE ACROSS MINNESOTA.

>> NOW THE NEW ISTRICT LINES ARE VERY MUCH PARK, IT'S ST. LOUIS PARK IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.

WHAT DID YOU HEAR, WHAT WERE THE NUMBER ONE ISSUES AT THE DOOR?

>> ONE OF THE REASONS I DECIDED TO RUN, I WAS RETICENT AT FIRST BECAUSE I LOVED BEING ON CITY COUNCIL, THE REDISTRICTING MADE THIS DISTRICT JUST ST. LOUIS PARK.

KEY THINGS I HEARD, CERTAINLY REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM, PROTECTING DEMOCRACY AND CLIMATE, I ALSO HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT INFLATION AND PUBLIC SAFETY.

>> WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST SURPRISE SO FAR?

>> I DIDN'T COME IN WITH A LOT OF EXPECTATIONS BUT I TELL YOU, ONE WAS THAT IN MANY JOBS WHEN YOU START THERE'S A RAMP UP PERIOD AND THERE WASN'T HERE.

IT WAS COME IN AT ONE LEVEL AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE ALL IN FLAT OUT.

THAT WAS A SURPRISE, IT WAS FUN BUT YOU WERE GOING ALL OUT BEFORE YOU KIND OF REALIZE HOW DO I DO THIS JOB WELL SO IT TOOK A FEW WEEKS TO CATCH UP AND GET PROCESSES IN PLACE I THINK FOR ALL OF US NEW FOLKS.

♪♪ >> WHY DO YOU THINK REPUBLICANS HAVE MADE SUCH INROADS IN THE IRON RANGE IN MINNESOTA IN PARTICULAR?

>> MINING IS BIG ISSUE AND WANTING TO SUPPORT A PARTY THAT IS DEFINITELY PRO-MINING, MY DAD WAS A 33-YEAR MINER AND FOR ME I TAKE IT PERSONALLY WHEN PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE AREA TRY AND ATTACK OUR WAY OF LIE OR AT LEAST WE VIEW IT AS AN ATTACK, MINING HAS BUILT EVERYTHING UP HERE ROM SCHOOLS TO ROADS.

I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN POLITICS NOW FOR 12 OR 123 YEARS AND TRYING TO OPEN THE REPUBLIC PARTY MORE TO BEING PROUNION AND SAYING, HEY, REPUBLICANS ARE GOOD FOR YOU, THEY'RE GOOD FOR BUSINESS.

I'VE BEEN A UNION MEMBER FOR 20, 30 YEARS NOW, I STARTED WORKING AT SUPER ONE FOODS PUSHING CARTS AND I'VE BEEN IN PUBLIC EDUCATION NOW.

I'M ABLE TO GO TO THE UNION MEMBERS AND SAY, HEY, YOU HAVE A PRO-UNION REPUBLICAN.

>> THAT'S OUR SHOW FOR TONIGHT.

WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK.

IN THE MEANTIME YOU WANT TO HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE TPT.ORG/AATC, THERE YOU CAN WATCH THE FINAL EEKS OF SESSION LIKE FLOOR SESSIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING LIVE RIGHT BEHIND US, YOU CAN ALSO HEAR CONFERENCE COMMITTEES, WHICH IS KIND OF THE NEXT STAGE, HOUSE AND SENATE WILL WORK OUT THEIR DIFFERENCES ON BIG BUDGET BILLS, CONFERENCE COMMITTEES, PRESS CONFERENCES, AND MUCH MORE ALL ON THE PBS STATION YOU'RE WATCHING RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN ALSO INTERACT US WITH ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER ALL WEEK LONG.

AND "ALMANAC" FRIDAY NIGHT WE'LL HAVE MUCH MORE ON SPRING FLOODING WITH PAUL DOUGLAS AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THE MARIJUANA BILL, THE SENATE IS CONVENING ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION, WE'LL HAVE THAT ON FRIDAY NIGHT.

TUNE IN.

THANKS FOR WATCHING.

GOOD NIGHT.

♪♪ >> "ALMANAC AT THE CAPITOL" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY MEMBERS OF THIS PUBLIC TELEVISION STATION.

SUPPORT IS ALSO PROVIDES BY ... MANITOBA HYDRO.

PROVIDING CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY TO MINNESOTA UTILITIES FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS.

MANITOBAHYDROPOWER.COM.

FLINT HILLS RESOURCES.

D.A.V.

OF MINNESOTA.

KEEPING OUR PROMISE TO MINNESOTA'S VETERANS.

MINNESOTA LOTTERY.

PLAYING OUR PART BY GENERATING FUNDS FOR MINNESOTA.

IF YOU'RE GAME, JUST SAY "I'MN."

GREAT RIVER ENERGY, POWERING WHAT'S POSSIBLE.

AND THE SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY, A SOVEREIGN TRIBAL NATION IN SCOTT COUNTY.

MORE AT SHAKOPEEDAKOTA.ORG.

>> "ALMANAC AT THE CAPITOL" IS A PRODUCTION OF TWIN CITIES PBS FOR THE STATIONS OF MINNESOTA PUBLIC TELEVISION ASSOCIATION.