IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO FOCUS -- BALANCE THE BUDGET.

>> Mary: WE'RE OUT OF TIME.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER CLAIM TO FAME IS BEING THE ONLY DEMOCRAT TO WIN IN AN OPEN SEAT IN A TARGETED RACE.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN NOW THAT YOU'VE WON AND LOOKED BACK?

[ Laughter ] >> YEAH, IT'S A DIFFERENT THING.

IT IS.

SO IT REALLY GOES BACK TO MY EXPERIENCE WITH TEACHING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THAT WAS A BIG MOTIVATOR FOR ME.

SEEING THE DIFFERENCE WHEN I WORKED IN FOUR DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS, SEEING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN -- IN THE UNDERFUNDED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND A WELL-FUNDED SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND WANT TO GO FIGURE OUT HOW I CAN AKE THE DIFFERENCE AT THE STATE LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN MINNESOTA GETS THE RESOURCES THAT IT NEEDS.

>> Mary: WE SAW YOU KIND OF EARLIER IN THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, AND WHAT YOU LEARNED THROUGH KIND OF SUMMER AND FALL AND HOW THAT CHANGED.

WHAT WAS YOUR LESSON THROUGH THAT TIME FRAME?

>> IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS A TEACHER AND KNOWING THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT FOR MINNESOTANS, I'M ALSO KNOCKING ON THOUSANDS OF DOORS AND TALKING TO THOUSANDS OF FOLKS IN MY DISTRICT.

WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT A LOT HAD, IN ADDITION TO PUBLIC EDUCATION, IS AFFORDABILITY.

SO I'M KEEPING THAT IN MIND AND -- IN EACH OF THE COMMITTEES THAT I AM ENTERING, HOW I CAN HELP AKE THE PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT AND THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA HAVE HINGS BE MORE AFFORDABLE FOR THEM.

>> Mary: AND THAT WAS TOUGHER ISSUE FOR DEMOCRATS.

REPUBLICANS MAYBE WON AND GOT SOME TRACTION NATIONALLY STATEWIDE ON THAT ISSUE OF ECONOMY.

CLOSE RACE AGAIN.

>> YEAH, VERY CLOSE.

>> Mary: HOW CLOSE?

>> IT CAME DOWN TO 280 VOTES.

SO WE DID GAIN SOME VOTES FROM THE TWO YEARS PRIOR, THAT ELECTION CYCLE.

AND I REALLY THINK IT CAME DOWN TO TALKING TO PEOPLE FACE TO FACE AND GETTING TO KNOW THEM AND THEM MEETING ME, THAT REALLY MADE THE DIFFERENCE.

>> Mary: HOW ABOUT THE SCOOTER, DID YOU GET MORE PLACES FASTER WITH THAT?

>> THE SCOOTER, ABSOLUTELY WORKED AS A GOOD STRATEGY TO BE ABLE TO GET TO MORE DOORS.

>> Mary: AS YOU'RE SEEING RETURNS COME IN ELECTION NIGHT, WERE YOU THINKING, OH, MY GOSH, I'M SO GLAD I KNOCKED ON THAT EXTRA DOOR, I WENT TO THAT PARK, I WENT TO THAT CAFÉ, WERE YOU FEELING LIKE EVERY LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA EFFORT WAS WORTH IT?

>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.

WHEN THE RESULTS CAME OUT, I WAS ACTUALLY ASLEEP, BECAUSE IT DIDN'T COME OUT UNTIL 3:00 A.M., BUT I HAD MY PHONE RIGHT NEXT TO ME, AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS LIGHTING UP AND LASHING, AND WOKE ME UP, AND I KNEW THEY MUST HAVE COME OUT.

SO I WOKE UP, GRABBED MY PHONE, AND WAS THRILLED TO SEE THAT WE HAD WON!

>> Mary: AND REPUBLICANS DID WELL.

THEY MADE GAINS IN MINNESOTA, NATIONALLY.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE ABLE TO STOP THAT TIDE IN YOUR DISTRICT?

>> I REALLY THINK IT COMES DOWN TO THE PERSONAL CONNECTION.

SO INSTEAD OF BASING IT ON THINGS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON TV THE MOST, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING BEING TALKED ABOUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA THE MOST, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I MADE THAT PERSONAL CONNECTION AND I GOT TO -- THEY GOT TO MEET ME, TALK TO ME, ASK ME QUESTIONS, AND THEY SEE THAT I'M A REASONABLE PERSON THAT CARES ABOUT PEOPLE AND JUST WANTS TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE.

>> Mary: AND NOW THAT YOU'VE WON, HAVE YOU HEARD THINGS THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T TELL YOU WHEN YOU'RE A CANDIDATE, LIKE, REPRESENTATIVE NEWTON SAID, OKAY, HERE'S WHAT'S REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN UP THERE?

[ Laughter ] >> NO, NOT SO MUCH.

JUST THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO AS A FRESHMAN.

BUT I LOOK AT IT AS A TEACHER, I'M A LIFELONG LEARNER AND I THINK LIFELONG LEARNING IS IMPORTANT SO I THINK THIS FIRST, YOU KNOW, ROUND OF SESSIONS HERE IN THESE TWO YEARS AS A BIG LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO FIGURE OUT HOW IT ALL WORKS, WHAT I CAN GET DONE IN COMMITTEES, WHAT I CAN'T GET DONE.

THE NUMBER ONE THING WE KNOW IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK IN A BIPARTISAN MANNER AND, SO, I'M EXCITED TO REACH ACROSS THE AISLE AND FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT TOPICS AND WHAT ISSUES DO WE HAVE IN COMMON THAT WE CAN GET TO WORK ON TOGETHER.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT YOUR DISTRICT, THOUGH, IT IS A VERY CLOSE MARGIN AT THE CAPITOL VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF YOUR DISTRICT?

AND DID THAT KIND OF TEACH YA HOW YOU HAVE TO BEHAVE?

>> YEAH.

WELL, FOR SURE.

AND I THINK THE BIGGEST THING WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE SOME PERSONAL PRIORITIES, BUT I ALSO HAVE TO REALLY REPRESENT MY COMMUNITY AND THE CONSTITUENTS THAT LIVE IN COON RAPIDS AND ANDOVER.

AND, SO, GETTING TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THEM, WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT, AND BRINGING THAT TO THE CAPITOL, YOU NEGOTIATION OBVIOUSLY I WOULDN'T DO SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T MATCH WITH MY VALUES, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS CARE ABOUT THAT ALSO MATCH WITH MY VALUES.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, THE COST OF GAS OR GROCERIES, RISING COST OF HEALTHCARE, CHILD CARE AND THE HOUSING CRUNCH AND HOW MUCH BOTH RENTING AND PURCHASING HOMES HAS GONE UP.

>> Mary: IT SOUNDS LIKE THE FRESHMAN ARE ALREADY CONNECTING ND MEETING.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S PRETTY GOOD IN TERMS OF MEETING YOUR FOLKS ACROSS THE AISLE?

>> OH, YEAH, FOR SURE, CONNECTING ON FAMILY, CONNECTING ON KIDS, WE'RE ALL PEOPLE AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALL HAVE, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY THE SAME THINGS THAT WE CARE ABOUT.

WE JUST APPROACH THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

SO WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT APPROACH IN THE MIDDLE WILL WORK FOR THOSE.

>> Mary: IN THIS UNIQUE TIME WHERE YOU'VE GOT TO COME TO THE MIDDLE HOW WILL YOU JUDGE SUCCESS, DO YOU THINK, AT THE END OF SESSION?

>> WELL, SUCCESS WILL BE THAT WE PASSED A NUMBER OF BIPARTISAN BILLS THAT HELP THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA AND THAT WE HAVE UCCESSFULLY PASSED A