PERSPECTIVES ARE SO SHE NEEDED.

>> Mary: THANK YOU, SENATOR, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

>> MARY: THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER RETURNED TO THE IRON RANGE TO RAISE HIS FAMILY AND ENDED UP AS THE NEW SENATOR FOR HIS DISTRICT.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

SENATOR, FIRST QUESTION I HAVE, HY DID YOU WANT O RUN?

>> WELL, THAT'S KIND OF CHEESY AND MOST PEOPLE WITH KIDS SAY THAT BUT IT'S FOR MY KIDS.

SO MY WIFE AND I ACTUALLY WERE LIVING IN RED WING WHEN WE GOT MARRIED, I WAS WORKING AT THE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY DOWN THERE AND SHE WAS WORKING DOWN AT THE MAYO CLINIC DRIVING DO YOU KNOW FROM RED WING AND WHEN WE DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO START A FAMILY, WE KNEW WE WOULD MOVE HOME AND RAISE OUR FAMILY UP HERE.

I TOLD MY WIFE, IF WE'RE MOVING HOME, THEN I HAVE TO RUN, I HAVE TO WORK TO RY TO MAKE SURE THE IRON RANGE STAYS THE BEST PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY.

I GREW UP IN CHISHOLM, MY WIFE GREW UP IN HIBBING.

>> WE CAME THIS CLOSE TO WINNING THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: SO THE BIG PART OF THE RANGE, THE HUGE STORY AS A POLITICAL REPORTER HAS BEEN THE SHIFT TO REPUBLICANS AND THE SHIFT RED.

THIS IS KIND OF TECHNICALLY A FLIP SEAT, WOULD YOU CALL IT THAT?

>> I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN POLITICS NOW FOR, YOU KNOW, 12 OR 13 YEARS AND TRYING TO OPEN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY UP MORE TO BEING PRO-UNION AND TO OPENING UNIONS UP TO SAYING, HEY, REPUBLICANS ARE GOOD FOR YOU, THEY'RE GOOD FOR BUSINESS.

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

>> MINING IS A BIG ISSUE, AND WANTING TO SUPPORT A PARTY THAT IS DEFINITELY PRO-MINING.

MY DAD WAS A 33-YEAR MINOR SO FOR ME I TAKE IT PERSONALLY WHEN PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE AREA TRY TO ATTACK OUR WAY OF LIFE OR WE MAYBE VIEW IT AS AN ATTACK.

MINING HAS BUILT EVERYTHING UP HERE FROM SCHOOLS TO ROADS, I'VE BEEN A UNION MEMBER FOR, I THINK, ABOUT 4 YEARS NOW, I STARTED WORKING AT SUPER ONE FOODS PUSHING CARTS IN THE COMMERCIAL FOODS UNION AND THEN I'VE BEEN IN EDUCATION, MINNESOTA, NOW FOR PROBABLY CLOSE TO 20 YEARS SO I'M ABLE TO GO TO THE UNION MEMBERS AND SAY, HEY, YOU EVER A PRO-UNION REPUBLICAN AND IN FACT WHEN I WAS TEACHING UP AT THISTLE WOOD, I WAS THE LOCAL UNION PRESIDENT.

>> Mary: TALK TO US ABOUT EDUCATION.

>> I ATTENDED COLLEGE DOWN AT St. THOMAS, GOT MY BACHELOR'S DEGREE, I STARTED TEACHINGS SOCIAL STUDIES AT MOUNDS VIEW HIGH SCHOOL FOR A YEAR, MOVED BACK HOME, STARTED TEACHING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, TOOK A TEACHING POSITION DOWN IN RED WING AT THE JUVENILE FACILITY AND THEN I MENTIONED MY WIFE AND I, THAT'S WHERE WE WERE LIVING WHEN WE GOT MARRIED AND THEN MOVED BACK, TRANSFERRED BACK TO THISTLEDEW AND 13, 14 YEARS AGO NOW I TOOK A JOB DOING SPECIAL ED WITH THE HIBBING SCHOOL DISTRICT.

>> Mary: SO SOUNDS LIKE MINING, LABOR, EDUCATION BIG ISSUES FOR YOU.

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO BRING TO THE CAPITOL NOR TOP I?

>> ONE OF THE TOP I IS COST OF LIVING IN MINNESOTA.

WE'RE CONSTANTLY RATED AS FOURTH OR FIFTH HIGHEST TAXED STATE IN THE NATION AND I WOULD LINING TO SEE SOME PERMANENT TAX CUTS SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE MORE MONEY IN THEIR POCKET AT THE END OF EVERY MONTH RATHER THAN ONE-TIME BONUSES OR GIMMICKS, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, OH SO REDUCING THE COST OF LIVING.

I MAJORED IN HISTORY IN COLLEGE AND OF COURSE STUDIED MINNESOTA HISTORY AND POLITICS, WHICHEVER IAN INDEPENDENT TYPE F STATE.

ONE OF THE FEW STATES THAT REALLY CONSISTENTLY HAS THIS TICKET-SPLITTING.

>> Mary: DID YOU APPEAL TO THAT, DID YOU MAKE A SPECIFIC APPEAL TO INDEPENDENT VOTERS AND TICKET SPLITTERS?

>> I APPEALED TO EVERYBODY.

I RAN FOR HOUSE TWICE IN 2016 AND 2020, AND 016, I KNOCKED ON EVERY SINGLE DOOR OTHER THAN A LOT OF THE RURAL DOORS, IF YOU DIDN'T DO AS MUCH DOOR-KNOCKING IN 00 ALTHOUGH WAS THE YEAR I WAS ONLY 30 VOTES SHORT.

THERE MAY HAVE BEEN DFL SIGNS IN THE YARDS BUT I WOULD STILL KNOCK ON THE DOOR AND, YOU KNOW, WAS SURPRISED TO FIND A LOT OF SAYING... >> Mary: SO THAT PROFFERS TICKET-SPLITTING IN THE DISTRICT, DOESN'T IT?

>> YEAH, YEAH, BUT I THINK -- I THINK IT'S PROBABLY NOT AS LARGE AS IT IS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE, I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS NOR HOW CRIM STAUBER GOOD, HOW Dr. JENSEN DID, I THINK THEY'RE PRETTY STEADY ACROSS THE BOARD.

>> Mary: WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THE NEW DISTRICT BECAUSE SO MANY MEMBERS LIKE YOURSELF ARE COMING IN WITH NEW BOUNDARIES AND NEW DISTRICTS AND A REALLY CHANGED COMPLEXION.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE STRICT AS IT'S CURRENTLY COMPOSED AND KNOW ABOUT IT?

>> WELL, I LIKE IT.

IT'S GIVEN ME A LOT THAT I HAVE TO LEARN.

FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE THE NORTHERN HALF OF AIKIN COUNTY NOW IN THIS DISTRICT WHICH HAS A LOT OF FARMING.

I LIKE THE VARIETY.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MINING, WE HAVE A LOT OF TOURISM, WE HAVE A LOT OF FARMING.

>> Mary: BEING THAT YOUR PARTY WAS IN THE MAJORITY WHEN YOU WERE CAMPAIGNING, WHAT ISSUES ARE YOU GOING TO REACH ACROSS THE AISLE AND HOW ARE YOU OING TO BE EFFECTIVE IN THE MINORITY?

>> AGAIN, LOOKING AT TAX CUTS, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS I'VE ALREADY BEEN GETTING PHONE CALLS, EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT IN OFFICE YET ABOUT PROPERTY TAXES BECAUSE WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS, PROPERTY TAX NOTICES HAVE COME OUT AND I WOULD LIKE TO WORK ACROSS THE AISLE TO LOOK AT INCREASING THE HOMESTEAD CREDIT.

I HOPE THAT THEY FOLLOW THROUGH AND GET RID OF THE TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY.

MAKING SURE THAT WE GET PROPER FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO, AND THE REALITY IS WITH THE LEARNING LOSS AS A RESULT OF THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS AND THE SCHOOL SHUTDOWNS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND SOME OF THAT SURPLUS MONEY ON INTERVENTIONS IN THE SCHOOLS, ON MENTAL HEALTH FOLKS IN THE SCHOOLS.

>> Mary: LIKE I SAY, YOU'RE COMING IN THE MINORITY, MAYBE THOUGHT YOU WERE COMING IN THE MAJORITY.

ANY FRIENDSHIPS SO FAR OR STRATEGIES TO TRY AND MAKE SOME FRIENDS TO GET SOME BILLS HEARD AND WORK ACROSS THE AISLE?

>> PROBABLY JUST THE SAME WAY THAT I'VE MADE FRIENDS WITH DEMOCRATS MY WHOLE PROFESSIONAL LIFE, I MEAN, I WOULD IT IN THE LOUNGE OVER AT THE HIGH SCHOOL WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE DEMOCRATS, OR AT LEAST I THOUGHT THEY WERE DEMOCRATS, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'D GO ROUND AND ROUNDABOUT POLITICS AND AGREE ON PROBABLY ABOUT 90% OF THE THINGS BUT THEN AT THE END OF