The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the State Legislative Branch. Composed of 134 members from across the state there approval is needed for any new law, tax change, or budget allocation. The State House is currently made up of 70 Democrats and 64 Republicans.
House District 58A includes all of Dundas, Lonsdale, and Bridgewater TWP, all of Northfield within Rice County, and the Northern half of New Prague. View a map here
Candidates:
Kristi Pursell – DFL (Incumbent)
Rita Hillmann-Olson – R
Kristi Pursell
Candidate Interview:
Please list any current political offices you hold. (if any)
State Representative (2023-2024)
Please list any previous political office you’ve held. (if any)
n/a
Please list any civic, community, or professional organizations/clubs your a part of. (if any)
Current member of the Clean Water Council (legislative representative),
Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council (MAELC, legislative representative),
Clean River Partners, Land Stewardship Project, and Rice County Farmers’ Union.
Formerly a member of Northfield Rotary, the City of Northfield’s Climate Action Plan sub-committee on Water, the City of Northfield’s Riverfront Enhancement Advisory Committee, the Camp Olson YMCA History, Culture and Tradition Task Force, and board member of Minnesota Association for Environmental Educators.\
What qualifies for the office you’re running for?
I have served my neighbors in the House for two legislative sessions and delivered massive results; for working families; for our environment; for our trans and queer community members; for all of Minnesota. My entire adult life has been committed to serving our land and waters. Through non-profit work and grassroots organizing, I have worked with farmers to improve soil health. I have worked with business owners to foster sustainable and efficient practices. I have worked with students to create a more eco-friendly and empathetic future.
I may not look like your typical politician. I am a single mother of two. I am a renter. I struggle at times to keep a roof over my family’s head. I worry about hospital bills and grocery prices. I count the miles left in my gas tank to see whether I can make it back from the Capitol without paying to refill the tank.
These traits don’t make me incapable or inferior– they make me a more effective representative of many Minnesotans and lots of folks in district 58A. I am not ashamed of my struggles– I am proud to be a true reflection of the hard-working neighbors and the people I am elected to serve!
My experiences, both professional and personal, drive me to deliver a better quality of life for all Minnesotans. I’m not interested in serving in the State House to have a fancy title, to grandstand against opponents, or to bully students and tell people what they can and cannot do with their bodies. I am interested in serving because I know what struggle feels like and I know what is at stake with every public policy.
What inspired you to run for office? If you are running for reelection why do you want to stay in office?
Before being elected to my first term in the State House in 2022, I was the Executive Director of Clean River Partners (formerly known as Cannon River Watershed Partnership or CRWP). In that role, I worked with farmers, environmentalists, and everyday residents of the Cannon River Watershed to clean and protect the waters in Southeast Minnesota for both humans and wildlife.
Water is the lens through which I see much of the world. It is what gives us life, what our towns and cities were built around, and it is an indicator of the health of our communities.
When rivers are polluted with forever chemicals, microplastics, and runoff, it indicates that something is not right. When our aquifers are polluted and overused, we know our children likely do not have healthy water to drink. When our rivers are filled with the dangerous byproducts of massive manufacturers, we know our workers are not being treated with basic dignity. And when runoff and soil erosion degrade our waterways, we know our farmers are being squeezed by corporate distributors and food conglomerates just to make a living from the land.
I am running to get results for our people and our planet. Over the past twenty years, I have seen the pursuit of profits at the expense of people and that has eroded our shared values and the health of our unique ecosystems in Minnesota. Making change through legislation is how we can better care for each other, our neighbors, and the abundant freshwater we are so proud of as Minnesotans. When we take care of our neighbors, I know our rivers will thrive too.
What is something that you would like to accomplish while in office?
In my next term, I am going to fight like hell for a woman’s right to control their own bodies. Abortion rights must be codified into Minnesota law in no uncertain terms. I am going to work to include progressive tax policies in every spending bill we pass, so that corporations and the ultra wealthy are paying their fair share and not making a profit by squeezing working class families. I am going to author legislation that will protect private well water with just as much vigor as municipal water. I will advocate for expansion of Right to Repair laws to include farm equipment, allowing our family farms to fix their own machinery instead of making huge corporations record profits quarter over quarter while the owners of large equipment are kept from making their own repairs on the farm.
I will continue to put people first in my next term. I will continue to serve all Minnesotans– not corporate interests.
What does being a leader mean to you?
Leadership is about serving the collective good. Fearmongering and other-ing is not leadership: it’s bullying.
Focusing on which bathrooms children use instead of focusing on the well-being of all children is not leadership: it’s bullying. Telling people that your own personal beliefs must dictate how others live their lives is not leadership: it’s bullying.
Bullies are not leaders. Leaders listen to people and embody servant leadership. Leaders hold tight to their values and mine are compassion, fairness and accountability. I have deep respect for my neighbors. Bullies intimidate their neighbors.
Leaders serve all Minnesotans regardless of religion, identity, income, or ZIP code. Leaders make sure a student can get to school safely, learn with a full stomach, and not fear a gunman behind every classroom door. Leaders make sure a child who is raped does not have to give birth to their assailant’s baby.
This answer is pretty dark, but another trait of a leader is to tell the truth. The truth is that there are two very different visions of leadership on the ballot. These are the stakes of leadership that will guide our state next year as I see them.
Why is your political party best suited to serve Minnesotans in the State Government?
I’m not much for party politics, but I am proud to be the endorsed candidate of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party because when I see who each party is fighting for and what they’re fighting against, I’ll choose fighting for the Little Guy/Gal every time and I won’t punch down to those less fortunate. All the work I’ve done in St. Paul has upset lobbyists who generally align with both sides of the aisle: the system we have now incentivises corporate lobbying and fealty to the ultra wealthy. Time and again we saw 100% of the Republican legislators choose to side with Big Pharma/Business/Ag instead of their own constituents. With a slim majority in the State House and Senate, it only took one DFL Senator to join that coalition to kill more people-centered legislation before it could even reach the floor for a vote. I don’t say this to be petty. I say this because the narrative of partisan politics is misleading.
The real divide in our politics is not GOP vs. DFL. It is corporate power vs. people power.
I believe in people power, as do most of my DFL colleagues. As Paul Wellstone said, “We all do better when we all do better.”
I am proud to be part of a collection of people who may disagree but as a Big Tent party, will listen and have constructive arguments, and I will fight tol help us all do better.
What is one bill that you would like to pass if your elected?
In addition to everything already mentioned, I will once again co-author a bill to follow the money inside the system of large healthcare systems that take taxpayer funds, but then do not care for sick Minnesotans or deny coverage to our neighbors in need. Being healthy should not be only for the richest among us, and working class families should not have to choose between debt and dying.
Campaign Website & Social media
https://www.kristipursell.com/
@pursell4mnhouse on all social media platforms
Rita Hillmann Olson
Candidate Interview:
Please list any current political offices you hold. (if any)
n/a
Please list any previous political office you’ve held. (if any)
Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Local Republican Party.
President, and Treasurer of Local Women’s Republican Club
Please list any civic, community, or professional organizations/clubs your a part of.
Treasurer and board member for a local non-profit providing mentoring services with the support of horses.|
Volunteer judge and media spokesperson of a State-wide Girl’s Oratory Competition
Served as a non-attorney member on the Commission on Judicial Selections for the 3rd district
What qualifies for the office you’re running for?
My husband and I have proudly called this district home for 29 years, raising our three children on 40 acres between New Prague and Lonsdale. As a small business owner and consultant and board member of a local non-profit, with 25 plus-years as a post-secondary business career college instructor, and community education instructor, I have honed my skills as a problem solver, a communicator who listens first, asks probing questions, and carefully weighs options to address concerns.
My professional certifications as a Registered Accountant Practitioner and Certified Financial Consultant, combined with my strong background in finance, accounting, and education, equip me to tackle the challenges our district faces. I am asking the voters to elect me to bring my personal, volunteer, and career experiences, along with my energy, to seek balanced solutions and be a voice of common sense for our community.
What inspired you to run for office? If you are running for reelection why do you want to stay in office?
I am running for this house district because I believe in you.
As a mother I raised my kids to be their best, to use their talents and gifts to benefit their families and the community. As a business and accounting instructor for over 25 years I used this same philosophy guiding my students and helping them succeed in their chosen field and studies. Whether I’m volunteering in the community or consulting with local business owners I bring those same aspirations to the people I work with and a “you can do this” attitude. These interactions gave me the foundation and encouragement to run for office.
I have a deep understanding of the challenges facing business owners, the desire for an excellent education for kids and adults, how families struggle to stretch every dollar and provide life’s necessities and I as I listen to others I hear their dreams and frustrations. I believe that Minnesota thrives because of the people who live and work here. Over the past years we witnessed as the Government inserts itself into our businesses, education systems, and personal lives through its onerous policies, mandates, and excessive spending and taxes. This overreach of Government hinders individuals, families and communities from achieving their goals. My experiences have prepared me to ask the tough questions, seek balanced solutions, and make the hard tough decisions that residents in the community expect of their elected representative.
What is something that you would like to accomplish while in office?
Elderly and day care are in crisis mode. I understand that these are pressing issues that significantly impact families’ daily lives. In my recently printed column on elder care I researched and gained insight on the challenges for families, facilities, and care providers for our aging population.
While attending town halls on day care, meeting with providers, and families looking for care options that are affordable, safe, and available I gained valuable information. The shortage of daycares is a serious problem for families and is on a trajectory to becoming worse.
Ensuring affordable and accessible care options for both the elderly and young children can relieve a lot of stress for families and support the community’s overall well-being.
What does being a leader mean to you?
A leader encourages and supports people by expecting the best from them and inspiring them to use their gifts and talents for the benefit of themselves, families, and the community at large. A leader provides a vision and a plan and steps forward to fulfill it.
Why is your political party best suited to serve Minnesotans in the State Government?
Government best serves the people by being accountable, responsive, and respecting voters’ hard work and the dollars that they send to the state coffers. Minnesotans across the state and especially in this district desire a balanced government that serves the residents but during the one-party Democrat control we got 65 education mandates taking local control away from our school boards and community, a 40% increase in the state budget, taking more dollars out of family budgets while they need that money to provide for necessities. As the Republican endorsed candidate I understand that Government, while necessary, needs to be kept in check. Government’s role is to strive for fair and equal opportunities, prioritize services that benefit the whole community and not decide who wins and who loses. Regaining the Minnesota House Majority is a better path forward to common sense governing and returning balance to our state.
What is one bill that you would like to pass if you’re elected?
Both political parties have discussed exempting social security benefits and it is time we deliver on making social security exempt from Minnesota Income taxes.
Campaign Websites & Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556186818845
https://www.instagram.com/ritaformnhouse/
