THAN OCCASIONALLY, YOU'RE GOING TO FIND SOME COMMON GROUND ON STUFF THAT'S REALLY GOING TO MATTER.

>> MARY: REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE ROD HAMILTON HAS EXPERIENCED A LOT OF CHANGE IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE AND HERE AT THE LEGISLATURE SINCE HE FIRST TOOK OFFICE MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO.

>> I WOKE UP ONE MORNING AND MY TOES WERE TINGLING.

YOU AND I HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON, RIGHT?

I HAVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.

AND THAT'S PART OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.

I'VE ALWAYS TOLD PEOPLE BACK HOME, DON'T VOTE FOR ME OR AGAINST ME, BECAUSE I HAVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, WHEN I FIRST RAN, I WAS PHYSICALLY YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO RUN, TOO, JUST LIKE YOU, MARY.

I DID.

AND I WAS RUNNING.

AND TODAY I'M IN A WHEELCHAIR.

SO THAT'S PART OF THE EQUATION, BUT THAT'S NOT THE FINAL PIECE.

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME.

IT ISN'T.

IT'S GREATER THAN THAT.

WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED, I FELL INTO A DEEP DEPRESSION.

AND WHEN I BROKE DOWN AND SAID, YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME HELP.

I ALSO WANT TO RAISE THE UNDERSTANDING THAT MENTAL HEALTH IS REAL AND IT'S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP.

>> THIS IS REAL PEOPLE.

>> MARY: ONE WORD I THINK OF AS EMPATHY, AS A LAWMAKER AND AS A HUMAN BEING, I SEE YOU SHOWING EMPATHY.

HELPED YOU BE A MORE EMPATHETIC LAWMAKER?

>> WITHOUT A DOUBT.

WITHOUT A DOUBT.

WHEN YOU WALK OR ROLL IN SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES, YOU LOOK AT LIFE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.

AND SO I GUESS THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I PRIDED MYSELF ON, TOO, IS THAT YOU JUST LISTEN TO PEOPLE AND HEAR WHAT THEIR CONCERNS ARE.

>> MARY: YOUR DISTRICT HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY IN ALMOST THE TWO DECADES YOU'VE BEEN THERE.

AND YOU HAVE STOOD OUT AND STOOD UP AND TALKED ABOUT REFUGEES, IMMIGRATION, DIVERSITY, AND EMBRACING THAT.

WHEN NOT NECESSARILY A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND YOU WERE DOING THE SAME.

>> I WAS INVITED DOWN TO THE CITY OF WORTHINGTON, PEOPLE WERE REACHING OUT TO ME AND SAYING -- SAID, COME DOWN, AND MEET WITH THE IMMIGRANTS, MEET WITH THE REFUGEES.

SO I GO DOWN THERE.

THEY WERE SHARING THEIR PERSONAL STORIES.

AND NOT ONLY DID I GAIN A GOOD UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THEIR STORIES, I MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS BY DOING THAT.

MARY, OVER 80% OF THE STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY IN WORTHINGTON ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR, MIDDLE SCHOOL IT WOULD BE ABOUT 75%, HIGH SCHOOL ABOUT 70%.

AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS OUR FUTURE.

>> MARY: I THINK IT DOES CONNECT WITH AGRICULTURE.

YOU'VE BEEN AN AGRICULTURE CHAIR, THE REALITY IN AMERICA, IN MINNESOTA, WE NEED IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES, TO PICK, PROCESS OUR FOOD.

>> IT USED TO BE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, IF YOU WILL, COMING TO THE UNITED STATES.

NOW WE HAVE A BIT LARGER INFLUX OF PEOPLE COMING UP FROM CENTRAL AMERICA.

THAT'S PART OF IT, THE FIRST GENERATION, BUT YOU ALSO LOOK AT THE SECOND GENERATION, WE HAVE MANY BUSINESS OWNERS AROUND HERE, WE'VE SAID A LOT OF TIMES WE FEAR WHAT WE DON'T TAKE THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND.

WHETHER IT'S THE WAY WE CHOOSE TO WORSHIP, THE WAY WE DRESS, THE COLOR OF OUR SKIN.

IF WE WOULD SIMPLY TAKE THE TIME TO GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER, WE'LL FIND BEAUTY ALL AROUND US.

I SUPPORTED THE DREAM ACT.

THAT WAS IN-STATE TUITION FOR STUDENTS WHO WERE UNDOCUMENTED.

I SUPPORT THE DRIVER'S LICENSE BILL, AND THAT'S FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDOCUMENTED.

AND THE REASON I DO THAT IS BECAUSE I MET THE FAMILIES, I MET PEOPLE WHO ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THIS.

>> MARY: HOW HARD IS IT TO DEFY YOUR PARTY AND YOUR PARTY LEADERS ON THAT?

>> IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

AND THAT'S KIND OF THE FILTER THAT I RUN THINGS THROUGH.

>> MARY: ANY REGRETS?

>> THE MOST DIFFICULT, DIFFICULT PART IS BEING AWAY FROM FAMILY.

WHEN I WAS FIRST ELECTED, OUR SON WAS IN SIXTH GRADE, OUR DAUGHTER WAS IN FOURTH GRADE.

AND I DIDN'T REALIZE OR TOOK IT FOR GRANTED THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT ACTUALLY TAKES TO BE A LEGISLATOR.

THEY ALWAYS SUPPORTED, THEY WANTED THEIR DAD TO DO THIS.

BUT I WAS THE ONE THAT MISSED OUT.

I CAN'T GET THAT BACK.

>> MARY: HOW ABOUT ADVICE FOR OTHER LAWMAKERS?

>> ONE WOULD BE, YOU HAVE TWO EARS AND ONE MOUTH.

USE THEM ACCORDINGLY.

LISTEN TO PEOPLE.

IT'S INCREDIBLE THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED BY BEING PROVEN WRONG FAR OUTWEIGHS THE PRIDE OF BEING RIGHT.

AND, SO, IF YOU CAN LEARN STUFF FROM OTHERS, THAT'S VERY VALUABLE, RIGHT?

THE OTHER THING, TOO, IS IT'S OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR POSITION ON THINGS, J