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Michael Hutchinson is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 20B Back Michael Hutchinson MN House of Representatives House District 20B Zumbrota, Minnesota I'm Michael Hutchinson, please call me Hutch. I'm a patriot, a veteran, and a progressive. I launched my campaign for District 20b in April of last year. I grew up poor and enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school. I served on active duty and in the National Guard, using the GI Bill to earn a degree from Kent State. I've been employed as a marketer for 14 years and I currently work remotely as an operations manager for an environmental testing company from my home in Zumbrota. I've been happily married for almost a decade, and my wife Allyse and I share our lives with three dogs and two birds. mike@vote4hutch.com Donate Website

Pete Johnson is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 8A Back Pete Johnson MN House of Representatives House District 8A Duluth, Minnesota Pete is a firefighter, father of two girls, and married to his wife, Dehlia. Raised without indoor plumbing or electricity on 260 acres in rural Lake County. Pete’s upbringing instilled in him strength, compassion, and grit, shaping his commitment to fighting for the causes he believes in. After high school, he pursued a degree at St. Cloud State. While studying, he worked nights and weekends in the Emergency Room, where he discovered a passion for serving. In 2002, Pete joined a fire department in Colorado. In 2005, he returned to join the Duluth Fire Dept., working alongside his brother. Pete promises to bring the same dedication, compassion, and drive he has as a firefighter to St. Paul. peter.l.johnsonmn@gmail.com Donate Website

Heather Arndt is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 20A Back Heather Arndt MN House of Representatives House District 20A Belle Creek Township, Minnesota heather.for.house20a@gmail.com Donate Website

Pete Radosevich is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 11A Back Pete Radosevich MN House of Representatives House District 11A Cloquet, Minnesota Pete Radosevich is an attorney and business person in Carlton County, Minnesota. Pete practices law from his office in Esko, representing people in personal injury cases, divorce, real estate and other issues important to rural community members. He's also owned Esko Pizza Pies in Esko for 17 years, and publishes the Pine Knot News, an award-winning weekly newspaper covering northern Carlton County. He also host the weekly cable access TV show "Harry's Gang" on politics and current events, and writes an award-winning weekly column in his newspaper on local issues. Pete is married to Tara Radosevich and has 3 great children: Tommy, 16; Patrick; 15; and Ellie, 9. Pete@PeteRadosevichForHouse11A.com Donate Website

Michael Ziomko is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 9A Back Michael Ziomko MN House of Representatives House District 9A Fergus Falls, Minnesota Born in Texas. Graduated from Yale University with a BA in philosophy in 1971. Graduated from U of MN with an MA in the history of science and technology in 2010. Learned how to make pottery in 1972 and with that love became involved with Empty Bowls in 2005 to help feed people. I was involved in solar businesses in the early '80s and then became interested in financial planning, which led to a career in charitable fundraising -- including the National Soaring Museum, St John's Univeristy here in MN, U of MN, Basilica of St Mary, HMML at St John's, Children's Hospital, Fairview, and Ebenezer Senior Care, retiring in 2020. My loved ones include my two adopted daughters and their families in the Twin Cities. mziomko@umn.edu Donate Website

Veda Kanitz is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 57A Back Veda Kanitz MN House of Representatives House District 57A Lakeville, Minnesota Veda Kanitz is a high school science teacher, Climate Reality Leader, Citizens’ Climate Lobby member, and one of the founding members of the DFL Environmental Caucus. She received the DFL’s Willard Munger award for Distinguished Environmental Stewardship in 2020. Her love of the natural world and desire to leave a healthy environment for her children and grandchildren inform her life’s work. vedaformn@gmail.com Donate Website

Rep. Heather Keeler is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 4A Back Rep. Heather Keeler MN House of Representatives House District 4A Moorhead, Minnesota Heather is a proud Moorhead Spud mom to two boys, two-time alum of MSUM, and a neighbor actively engaged in her community. Before elected Representative Keeler in November 2020, Heather worked in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota with community partners to improve education equity and healthcare access and community engagement for unrepresented communities. During her first term in office, Heather served as the Vice Chair of the Preventing Homelessness Committee and as a Member of the Conference Committee for Higher Education. Currently in her second term, Heather serves as the Vice Chair of the Child And Families Policy and Finance Committee and is as the only BIPOC queer member on the Health and Human Services Conference Committee. Heather also served on the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council for 3 years. In 2019, Heather successfully spearheaded the movement for the City of Moorhead to recognize and celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day annually on the second Monday of October, which she later shepherded through the MN House becoming a state-wide day of honor and remembrance. heather4house@gmail.com Donate Website

Kelly Morrison is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for U.S. House of Representatives in Congressional District 3 Back Kelly Morrison U.S. House of Representatives Congressional District 3 Deephaven, Minnesota Kelly Morrison has spent most of her career as a doctor – not a politician. As an OB-GYN who has been practicing in Minnesota for over 20 years, Kelly has dedicated her life to helping people. Her husband, John Willoughby, was an Army Ranger, and their family has always valued service above all. Kelly first ran for office in 2018 after Donald Trump was elected, because she was concerned about the future of our state and wanted to be a voice of reason. info@kellyforcongress.org Donate Website

How to Craft Effective DFL Messaging for Rural Impact Register Now Sponsored by the DFL Rural Caucus in partnership with National Messaging experts from Connections Lab, George & Lisa Greene and Antonia Scatton Suggested Donation for Registration: $30 per student or $100 per unit (4 students). Classes will be recorded and made available to attendees. This is an online workshop through Zoom. Classes will be held on February 25, March 25, April 22, and May 27 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm CST. This four-part virtual workshop will teach you how to find the value in the message and frame it for more meaningful and productive conversations that have a lasting impact on your audience. Based on field-tested and proven cognitive science research, this series of dynamic webinars is designed to equip rural Democrats with the tools, strategies, and skills needed to amplify our values and expand our influence within rural communities. Participants will gain: Effective Messaging Techniques: Learn how to communicate in a new way that resonates with rural voters, enabling them to internalize our worldview and use it to evaluate policies. This training will focus on making complex ideas relatable and accessible. Community Building for Local Organizers: Discover strategies to foster a strong sense of community within local units. This will empower organizers to draw in more supporters, build momentum, and activate local networks to spread the message. Messaging for Candidates and Elected Officials: Ensure that local candidates and current officeholders feel confident and equipped to align their messaging with our broader strategy, fostering consistency and unity in communication. Strategic Messaging for Key Rural Issues: Develop a comprehensive messaging plan for five critical rural issues, ensuring that the message is clear, compelling, and aligned with local needs and values. Optional Online Discussion Group: An optional space for participants to continue the conversation, share best practices, and exchange lessons learned from the webinars, ensuring ongoing collaboration and improvement. By the end of the series, rural Democrats will be empowered to shape the political narrative in their communities, create meaningful change, and drive collective action for a better future. While this training is not designed to give students a list of exact messages, it will give them a foundation so they can create messaging on any issue that cuts through and connects with whomever they are speaking with. Meet Your Teachers George F. Greene has trained thousands of Democrats in the practice of framing in Minnesota and around the U.S. and has worked in media, political messaging, and activist training for decades. He founded the Connections Lab hosting on-location and online training sessions for Democratic activists. They’ve trained candidates and organizers through partnerships with multiple state organizations including the Minnesota DFL and Missouri, Michigan, Washington, and Georgia State Democratic parties. George has been active in Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and is a long-standing member of the State Central Committee. His work as Chair of MN Congressional District 3 helped make it consistently a national leader in voter contact and voter turnout. Learn more about Connections Lab here: https://connectionslab.org/ In 2023, they joined forces with Antonia Scatton to create the Turnaround Project, a joint project of the Association of State Democratic Committees. For more than 25 years, Antonia has been behind the scenes, working for, training, and advising political campaigns, party committees, and advocacy organizations across the country. She is an expert in political messaging and framing. She studied cognitive linguistics with messaging guru and best-selling author, George Lakoff, and worked closely with him for more than a year to develop practical ways for people to apply his discoveries about the science of messaging in their day-to-day work. Read Antonia’s “Reframing America” Substack here: https://reframingamerica.substack.com/ TESTIMONIAL: 2024 Minnesota Election and How This Messaging Worked in the Field In October of the 2024 cycle, Antonia came to Minnesota and worked closely with the Rachel Bohman for Congress (MN01) campaign to develop and employ strategic messaging. Building off Antonia’s research and work with focus groups, she guided the Bohman team in developing a message around the economy. See this piece for the basic premise of this messaging The Bohman campaign began using this message (almost exclusively) in early October. In every situation, the response was immediate and transformative. Voters at the doors were in tears and told the campaign “that they’d never felt so understood”. Staunch Republicans would immediately agree with the messaging and at one Farm Bureau event, an older, very Republican farmer came up to Rachel and told her he couldn’t wait to tell his son what she’d just said. At a large candidate forum, the waitress at the venue started crying – and sought the candidate out afterwards – when Rachel used this messaging during her speech . This messaging created a connection with the voter which led to a better conversation and created a point of shared values and agreement. As we’ve since heard from nearly every national pundit, focusing on the economy should’ve been our topline message. The Bohman campaign truly feels that this messaging “cracked the code”.

Get Out the Vote Fundraiser! You're invited to attend the DFL Rural Caucus Get Out The Vote Virtual Fundraiser featuring keynote speaker Sen. Amy Klobuchar (invited) alongside DFL leaders who attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Join us for an inspiring evening of shared experiences and critical updates on the Rural Caucus's efforts to elect DFL candidates in Greater Minnesota. We are seeking sponsors at the following levels: Bronze : $50 Silver : $100 Gold : $150 Platinum : $250 (includes a complimentary "Growing Democracy" Rural Caucus sign). Sponsors will be acknowledged at the start and close of the event and featured in a special loop highlighting Rural Caucus-endorsed candidates. Our goal is to raise $2,500 to sustain our efforts. Your support is vital as we continue to give financial and grassroots assistance to key races, including the Harris-Walz ticket, Sen. Klobuchar, and Congressional candidates. Register Become a Sponsor Can't attend? No worries! You can still support the Rural Caucus with a sponsorship. Sponsors Platinum : $250 Aleta Borrud Craig & Deb Maki Chuck Smith Dewey Gold : $150 Mac Erhardt Jeff Stand & Kim Jeppesen Anita Fineday Silver : $100 Theresa Keaveny Bronze : $50 Alissa Brickman Ann Bajari Aaron Heim Eugenio Lopez Lisa Schoelerman

Josiah Ampian is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 16B Back Josiah Ampian MN House of Representatives House District 16B New London, Minnesota As the youngest child of four, I have always felt that family unity should come before each individuals personality(political or otherwise). From coming together for Christmas to just spending time every week, families (whether chosen or blood) are the quintessential unit that help bring us together as a community. Fostering that community takes time and patience, and a willingness to step outside of normal perceptions. As someone who has supervised and helped direct leadership in previous jobs, I am no stranger to that. It also takes responsibility that requires understanding the effects of actions taken not just directly, but also the after effects of decisions you make. In my spare time I enjoy playing video games, spending time with with my dog, nerding out to Marvel, and occasionally participating in theater. The arts and humanities are a big piece of why I love Kandiyohi/Minnesota, and it's one of the reasons I am going to stick around. josiah.d.ampian@gmail.com Donate Website

< Back Representative Michelle Fischbach Republican - District 7 Contact Form Office & Contact Information Washington, DC 2229 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2165 Moorhead 2513 8th Street S Moorhead, MN 56560 Phone: (218) 422-2090 Willmar 2211 lst Street S, Suite 190 Willmar, MN 56201 Phone: (320) 403-6100 Committee Assignments: House Committee on Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade Subcommittee on Oversight House Committee on Rules