MIGHT HAVE BEEN FIVE, TEN YEARS AGO.

>> Mary: THANK YOU SO MUCH, FORMER LEADER WINKLER.

APPRECIATE IT.

WELL, THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER COMES TO US FROM BEMIDJI.

HE'S A MARINE WHO SERVED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WANTS TO REPRESENT NOT JUST HIS DISTRICT, BUT OFFICERS ACROSS MINNESOTA.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN?

>> ACTUALLY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MY COMMUNITY.

BEING IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, HAVING LAW ENFORCEMENT BACKGROUND, I WAS KIND OF TIRED OF THE WAR MONGERING AND THE AGGRESSION THAT WAS GOING ON TOWARDS LAW ENFORCEMENT.

>> Mary: DO YOU SEE AN EVOLUTION ON THIS, TOO?

IN POLITICS, IT'S KIND OF SWINGING ALL OVER THE PLACE, TOO, OKAY, LAW ENFORCEMENT IS VILIFIED, OKAY, NOW WE NEED LAW ENFORCEMENT, MAYBE THEY'RE NOT SO BAD.

ARE YOU SEEING KIND OF THIS BACK AND FORTH AND KIND OF PENDULUM SWING ON THE ISSUE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT?

>> IT LWAYS SEEMS TO GO WITH THE FLOW OF THE PEOPLE.

AND, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU LIVE AND HOW MUCH OF A RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.

MY SEAT IS BEMIDJI.

YOU KNOW, SO, WE HAVE A VERY STRONG LIKE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT THERE.

BUT THEN YOU GO TO PARTICULAR PLACES INSIDE THE CITY, AND YOU MAY NOT REALLY CARE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AS MUCH.

BUT WE REALLY NEED TO GET AWAY FROM IS DO NOT DICTATE THE WHOLE STATE OF MINNESOTA LAW ENFORCEMENT BY PARTICULAR ACT BY ONE PERSON.

IT'S REALLY EASY TO PAINT US WITH A BROAD BRUSH, BUT WHAT I WANT YOUR VIEWERS TO KNOW IS WHAT I WANT THEM TO FOCUS ON IS ACTUALLY FOCUS ON THE PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL, MAYBE THAT AGENCY THAT MIGHT BE HAVING THE PROBLEM, AND NOT FOCUS ON THE WHOLE STATE OF MINNESOTA AS A WHOLE.

BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME VERY VERY VERY GOOD OFFICERS OUT THERE THAT WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE, GET OUT THERE, KEEP DOING THE GOOD WORK THAT THEY HAVE, SUPPORT THOSE GUYS.

>> Mary: SO YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH SOME HEADLINES AND SOME BACKLASH FOR BEING IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, TOO.

>> YUP.

>> Mary: THERE WAS SOME TOUGH STUFF.

THE HEADLINE, A JUDGE SAYING YOU DIDN'T TELL THE TRUTH IN COURT.

WHAT'S THE TRUTH?

>> THE TRUTH IS THAT I NEVER LIED.

I HAD LEGAL GUIDANCE DURING THAT WHOLE TIME.

I JUST ACTUALLY GOT A LETTER BACK FROM THE JUDICIARY BOARD, BECAUSE I FILED A COMPLAINT ON A PARTICULAR JUDGE, SO I GOT A RULING BACK THAT WAS IN MY FAVOR SHOWING THAT THEY FOUND MISCONDUCT IN HIS BEHAVIOR.

IN THE CAMPAIGN, IT REALLY BOTHERED ME A LOT BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE JUDGING ME BY THAT.

WE AS LEGISLATORS NEED TO COME OUT THERE AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

WE NEED TO COME OUT AND BE A LITTLE MORE VOCAL THAN WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.

WE HAVE SOME VERY GOOD LEGISLATORS RIGHT NOW THAT HAVE BEEN VERY VOCAL, BUT WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS A WHOLE, BECAUSE WITHOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT, WE DON'T HAVE STABILITY IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT THE POLITICAL COMPETITIVENESS, BECAUSE THIS WASN'T COMPLETELY AN EASY CAKE WALK FOR YOU, WAS IT?

TELL US, HOW CLOSE WAS YOUR RACE?

>> IT WAS RELATIVELY CLOSE, YOU KNOW, I ONLY WON BY, INCH, 850 VOTES, SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE.

IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A TIGHT RACE, IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THE JUDGE'S RULING HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PUTS A BAD TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT OUR PERCEPTION THAT RURAL AREAS ARE GETTING MORE REPUBLICAN?

DO YOU FEEL THAT AND SEE THAT IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

>> YES AND NO.

IT'S LITTLE POCKETS.

YOU KNOW, SO WE HAVE A UNIVERSITY INSIDE OUR SEAT THERE, TOO, CONCORDIA LANGUAGE VILLAGE IS ALSO THERE, BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY'S ALSO THERE, WHICH HAPPENS TO TEND TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE LIBERAL THAN, YOU KNOW, THAN CONSERVATIVE.

IN THE CITY, IT'S PRETTY DIVIDED ONCE YOU GET TO THE RURAL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE IT BECOMES PRETTY RED.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT ISSUES, WHAT CAME THROUGH THEN IN THAT KIND OF DIVIDED DISTRICT AS KEY ISSUES FROM BOTH SIDES?

>> PUBLIC SAFETY, DOGS EDUCATION.

YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE HUGE.

YOU KNOW, AND OBVIOUSLY TAXES WAS NUMBER ONE FOR EVERYBODY.

EVERYBODY'S, YOU KNOW, FEELING IT, EVERYBODY WAS WONDERING, WHAT CAN WE DO TO BE ABLE O BRING THOSE DOWN AND CHANGE THAT, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY MAKE SOME CHANGES IN LEGISLATION TO BE ABLE TO HELP.

>> Mary: MIDDLE GROUND IS SOMETHING THE HOUSE IS GOING TO HAVE TO FIND BECAUSE I DOUBT WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING, YOU REALLY THOUGHT, I'M GOING TO BE IN A TIE.

DID OU THINK THAT COULD HAPPEN?

>> I NEVER THOUGHT IT.

TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

I CAME IN HOPING THAT WE WERE GOING TO ET THE MAJORITY.

NOW IT'S GOING TO FORCE US TO ACTUALLY WORK TOGETHER.

YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ONE SIDE OF THE AISLE THAT'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO RAM EVERYTHING THROUGH, YOU KNOW, NOW IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE, OKAY, LET'S WORK ON THE CONSENSUS OF THIS, WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

SO IT'S REALLY GOING TO FORCE US TO HAVE TO COME BACK, REALLY, REALLY HUMBLE OURSELVES, IN ORDER TO BE BLE TO REACH ACROSS THE AISLE AND SAY, OKAY, EY, I'M A REPUBLICAN, YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT, BUT WE HAVE THIS SAME COMMON GOAL, LET'S WORK ON THAT GOAL TO BETTER OUR COMMUNITY.

>> Mary: WHAT DOES YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE MARINES TEACH YOU THAT YOU BRING HERE?

>> YOU KNOW, BEING A MARINE, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO ADAPT AND OVERCOME A SITUATION THAT WE HAVE.

THE MARINE CORPS TAUGHT ME ONE THING, YOUR BODY CAN WITHSTAND SO MUCH.

YOUR MIND QUITS BEFORE YOUR BODY WILL.

SO AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOUR MIND GOING, YOUR BODY WILL FOLLOW.

SO WE GOT TO KEEP THAT GOOD OPEN MIND AND GOOD HEALTHY MINDSET AS WELL.

>> Mary: WHEN YOU OOK BACK AT SESSION, IN LIGHT OF THAT, HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WILL JUDGE SUCCESS?

>> MY POINT OF VIEW, YOU KNOW, GET THAT BUDGET UNDER CONTROL.

REALLY WORK ON TAXES AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR PEOPLE CAN LIVE HERE, YOU KNOW, WE SEEM TO BE LOSING MORE PEOPLE THAN WE ARE GAINING PEOPLE.

SO WE NEED TO BE REAL CAUTIOUS ON THAT BECAUSE WHO'S PAYING THESE TAXES AND, YOU KNOW, ARE WE GOING TO TAX US TO DEATH HERE, YOU KNOW, IN A PLACE THAT I COME FROM, BELTRAMI COUNTY, 30% OF THE AND IS TAXABLE.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S A HUGE THING.

SO HOW MUCH MORE CAN WE TAKE?

YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MORE CAN THE PEOPLE TAKE UP THERE?

YOU KNOW?

JUST TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE.