>> Mary: SOMEBODY WHO HAS BACKGROUND IN COMMUNICATIONS AND LAW.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, APPRECIATE IT.

WELL, THE HOUSE PECIAL ELECTION IS OVER, AND THE WINNER OF THE SENATE SPECIAL ELECTION PRESENTED HIS FIRST BILL IN COMMITTEE THIS WEEK.

HERE'S A LOOK AT THE LATEST SENATE FIRST-TERMER.

FIRST QUESTION I ASK ALL FRESHMAN IS A DIFFERENT QUESTION FOR YOU, I USUALLY SAY, WHY DID YOU RUN?

WE KNOW WHY YOU RAN.

IT'S AN UNFORTUNATE SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES, PASSING OF KARI DZIEDZIC.

SO TELL ME HOW UNIQUE AND DIFFICULT THAT WAS.

>> KARI WAS A SINGULAR FORCE IN MINNESOTA OLITICS, AND IN NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST MINNEAPOLIS.

SHE WAS THE PERSON THAT IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED HELP, SHE KNEW BEFORE YOU NEEDED HELP.

AND SHE WOULD CALL AND HELP.

AND EVERYONE WOULD SAY, SHE WAS A FRIEND.

AND IT WAS TRUE.

SHE WAS JUST SOMEBODY WHO HELPED EVERYBODY, MADE CONNECTIONS, AND REALLY JUST MADE MINNESOTA AND SENATE DISTRICT 60 A BETTER PLACE.

>> Mary: AND AS A LEADER, SHE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROBABLY THE MOST LEGISLATION THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE EVER PASSED IN MINNESOTA HISTORY.

HER LEADERSHIP FOR THE ARTY, IT'S INSURMOUNTABLE.

>> HER LEADERSHIP FOR MINNESOTA, THE LEGACY SHE LEAVES BEHIND OF IMPROVING MINNESOTA, I THINK WE ALL HOPE THAT WE CAN DO HALF AS MUCH AS HER.

>> Mary: HOW DID IT COME TOGETHER THEN FOR YOU TO BE THE PERSON TO STEP UP IN A SPECIAL ELECTION DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO RUN?

>> YOU KNOW, WE WERE ALL SHOCKED WHEN KARI DIED.

WE'D BEEN WORKING WITH HER EARLIER IN THE YEAR, SHE WAS GETTING READY FOR THE SESSION, SHE WAS HIRING STAFF.

SO IT TRULY WAS A SHOCK.

AND WHEN IT HAPPENED, I STARTED GETTING CALLS, PEOPLE SAYING, YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT THIS.

AND YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME IN A SPECIAL ELECTION TO THINK ABOUT IT.

>> Mary: I HAPPEN TO KNOW, YOU WERE A RUNNER.

>> YES.

>> Mary: IT HELPS WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING FOR OFFICE, DOESN'T IT?

>> YES.

TRUE, I'M A MARATHON RUNNER.

>> Mary: YES.

>> AND THERE IS AN ENDURANCE IN -- IN THIS -- IN POLITICS AND IN GOVERNANCE, AND ESPECIALLY IN 14-DAY, THEN A 28-DAY CAMPAIGN, YOU JUST HAVE TO BE WILLING TO GO.

>> Mary: COACH, TOO, IF I HAVE THAT CORRECT.

>> YEAH, I COACH MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK AND CROSS-COUNTRY.

AND WITH MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, IT'S -- YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS OF MOTIVATING.

THAT'S THE SAME IN GOVERNANCE AND POLITICS.

OF, HOW CAN WE BRING FOLKS TOGETHER TO PULL FOR A COMMON GOAL.

>> Mary: SO YOU GET TO BE THE SENATOR WHO'S THE CLOSEST TO THE VOTERS, SINCE YOU RAN LAST.

WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE, WHAT WAS THE TONE OUT THERE?

>> THE MESSAGE ON GENERAL ELECTION DAY, THAT WAS THE DAY TRUMP FROZE ALL THE GRANTS.

AND IN THE MORNING, FOLKS ARE, LIKE, WHAT'S GOING ON?

IN THE AFTERNOON, I'M VOTING, AND THE EVENING I AM DRIVING WHEREVER I NEED TO.

THE MESSAGE WAS, YOU NEED TO STOP TRUMP.

AND, OKAY, MINNESOTA, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REALLY ENSURING THAT WHAT WE HOLD PRECIOUS HERE WE HOLD PRECIOUS AND DEAR HERE, AND REALLY BRING TOGETHER MINNESOTANS TO SAY, WE WILL HOLD MINNESOTA TRUE, WE WILL KEEP OUR VALUES.

>> Mary: YOUR NUMBERS WERE BIG.

WHAT WAS IT?

>> I THINK THE WORD I USED WAS GOB SMACKED.

I GOT 90.9%.

>> Mary: IT'S NOT CLOSE.

I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S MINNEAPOLIS AND A DFL DISTRICT, BUT I I THINK YOU EVEN SURPRISED PEOPLE WITH THAT NUMBER.

>> PEOPLE WERE TAKING BETS WHAT IT MIGHT BE.

THE HIGHEST NUMBER SOMEONE SAID WAS 87.

WE ALL LAUGHED AT HIM.

WHEN 90.9 CAME IN, IT WAS HUMBLING, IT WAS GRATIFYING, AND IT WAS MESSAGE OF, PEOPLE ARE SAYING, YOU NEED TO STAND UP STRONG.

YOU NEED TO STAND FIRM ON OUR VALUES THAT WE HAVE IN SENATE DISTRICT 60.

>> THE DFL MAJORITY HAS RETURNED AND I'M EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EVERYONE IN THE SENATE.

>> Mary: SO IT'S KIND OF BEEN BAPTISM BY FIRE, DIVING OF INTO THE SESSION.

YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE GUY WHO BREAKS THE TIE IN THE CHAMBER, THE HISTORIC TIE.

PROBABLY IN THE HOUSE, PROBABLY IN THE SENATE, WITHIN THE SAME SESSION, NEVER HAPPENED.

HOW'S IT FEEL TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT HISTORY?

WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING FROM IT?

>> EACH OF THE SENATORS IN THE DFL OF ARE THE 34th VOTES.

SO WE ALL ARE -- >> Mary: BUT YOU LITERALLY WERE THE 34th.

>> FAIR POINT.

IT'S AN INTERESTING TIME TO BE HERE.

WE SEE HOW WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.

AND WE'RE GOING TO FIND COMMON PIECES, WE REALLY HAVE TO DO THAT THIS YEAR TO MOVE AHEAD OUR AGENDA IN MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: WHAT ISSUES ARE YOU MOST COMFORTABLE WITHINGS WHAT'S YOUR EXPERTISE?

>> I'M A HIGH SCHOOL PARENT.

SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS ON EDUCATION FINANCE.

I TALKED AND HEARD THE MOST ON THE DOORS ABOUT EDUCATION AND THEN HOUSING, NEEDING TO BRING DOWN THE PRICE OF HOUSING, WE'VE OT A HOMELESSNESS PROBLEM ACROSS THE STATE, SO ADDRESS THAT, DORAN, WAS THE OTHER MESSAGE.

>> Mary: SURPRISES TO FAR HERE?

>> SURPRISES?

>> Mary: YEAH.

>> EVERYBODY'S WILLING TO HELP.

WHEN YOU'RE A CLASS OF ONE, EVERYONE GOES, ALL RIGHT, YOU -- NEW UYS, THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN CALLED BY A COUPLE OF SENATORS, OKAY, NEW GUY, HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW.

DORON.

EVERYBODY ON BOTH SIDE OF THE AISLE HAS BEEN HELPFUL IN SETTING UP THE CONSTITUENT SERVICES, AND KNOWING WHERE THE COMMITTEE ROOMS ARE, HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN THINK THROUGH.

IT'S BEEN WONDERFUL BEING A CLASS OF ONE ON HOW EVERYONE IS WILLING TO HELP.

>> Mary: WHEN WE HIT END OF SESSION, WHAT'S A SUCCESS FOR YOU?

>> SUCCESS FOR PIECE IS THAT WE HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET FOR MINNESOTA.

THAT REALLY ACCOMPLISHES WHAT WE SAID THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IN MOVING FORWARD EDUCATION, IN MOVING FORWARD ON REDUCING THE PRICE OF HOUSING, AND BRINGING US ALL TOGETHER TO SAY, THIS IS MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: IS IT GOING TO HAPPEN ON TIME?

IS THERE ANY CHANCE?

>> OH, WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS IT.

WE'LL GET OUR DEADLINES, WE'LL WORK TOWARDS IT.

>> Mary: YOU'RE FEELING MORE