is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for in Back Nathan Schmig State House District 15A Minneota, MN Nathan graduated from Canby High School and has lived in Minneota for about 30 years. He’s married and has four kids. He grew up on the farm and has been a garbage truck driver for about fifteen years. nathanschmigformn15a@gmail.com Donate Website

is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for in Back Louis McNutt State Senate District 29 Buffalo, MN Hello, my name is Louis McNutt. I'm a father 3 young boys, husband to my wife Lisa and Afscme brother of local 221 metro DOT. I'm running for state Senate because I see our state as our neighbors and communities all with check engine lights on. As a heavy equipment mechanic I just want to go around and help people fix what's not working. From outrages health insurance costs, cost of housing and food always going up but pay rarely keeping up, and accountability for everybody but the ones in charge. As a mechanic and a Frontline worker I want to enable my fellow workers and neighbors the ability to build a better community for Minnesota to thrive in instead of a future we just survive in. louismcnuttforoffice@gmail.com Donate Website

< Back Representative Angie Craig Democrat - District 2 Contact Form Office & Contact Information Washington, DC 2052 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2271 Eagan Office 1915 Plaza Dr, Suite 202 Eagan, MN 55122 Phone: (651) 846-2120 Committee Assignments: House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications & Technology Subcommittee on Health

Sonja Buckmeier is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for MN House of Representatives in House District 30A Back Sonja Buckmeier MN House of Representatives House District 30A St. Michael, Minnesota Sonja grew up in the small town of Eagle Lake, MN. She earned a Business Administration degree from Mankato State University. Today, she lives in St. Michael with her husband. Together they raised 4 children. Over the last 25 + years she has actively contributed to the community’s growth. Her extensive involvement includes: serving on bond and levy committees, substitute teaching, participating in PTO boards, election judge, scout troop leadership, and church volunteer. Drawing from her professional background in both insurance and education, Sonja aims to utilize her diverse expertise to advocate for the well-being of all Minnesotans and represent her community at the state capitol. sonja@buckmeier4mn.com Donate Website

is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for in Back Trent Dilks State Senate District 13 St. Joseph, MN Trent Dilks is a Veteran, father of four, and a ten-year advocate for Minnesota’s veterans—serving two tours during Operation Iraqi Freedom (16 months in Iraq, 10 months in Kuwait), including as a machine gunner in Iraq. A gravel-road kid who worked on hog farms and later in a meatpacking plant, he earned a B.S. in Political Science and has spent over a decade as a Senior Veterans Advocate in St. Paul and Washington. He helped craft Minnesota’s first Veterans Omnibus Bill and advanced property-tax relief for surviving spouses, building award-winning, bipartisan grassroots networks and testifying in St. Paul to change how things get done—clear goals, measured outcomes, real results. Away from the Capitol, Trent is an avid outdoorsman—hunter and fisherman. He and his partner, Valerie, share a love of hunting, fishing, and ATVing whenever they can. Trent@trentformn13.com Donate Website

is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for in Back Emily Thabes State House District 2B Bagley, MN Emily Thabes brings twenty years of experience across corporate, public, and nonprofit sectors. She has led teams, managed budgets, and built partnerships across jurisdictions at every level. Since 2021 she has served as Executive Director of the Beltrami County Historical Society, developing public programs and working across tribal nations, county agencies, and community organizations throughout northern Minnesota. She chose Bagley in 2020 and has called it home with her husband John ever since. She believes we must meet our obligations to one another and the land and is running to do exactly that. campaign@emilythabesformn.com 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 involved with policy and help the DFL Rural Caucus enact change in Minnesota. Legislative Action Contact Your Legislator Legislative Upda tes Upcom ing Events Legislative Action You Can Help! Can you help us to support (or oppose) legislation during the legislative season in Minnesota? Or, with Federal legislation, as such issues develop? Also, you may enjoy watching the legislature in action. The combined legislative calendar lists hearings, meetings, or other events at the Minnesota Legislature that are coming up. Click Here Track Federal Legislation Upcoming Legislative Events Submit an Event Subscribe to Our Calendar Below are lists of upcoming hearings, lobbying days, and other events we encourage our members to attend. Leg Action Cal Resources 2023 DFL "To-Do" List 2023 Committee Deadlines Legislative Committees: House Agriculture Finance and Policy Capital Investment Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Commerce Finance and Policy Economic Development Finance and Policy Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy State and Local Government Finance and Policy Sustainable Infrastructure Policy Transportation Finance and Policy Ways and Means Senate Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee Capital Investment Committee Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate Committee Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee State and Local Government and Veterans Committee Transportation Committee

is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for in Back Jen Bloomquist State House District 31B East Bethel, MN I'm a wife and working mom, who chose Minnesota as my home in 2021. Making Minnesota my new home has been one of the best decisions in my life. We moved to East Bethel in 2022 to have the best of both worlds – I could stay close to my union job in Minneapolis, and we could raise our daughter in a quiet, rural home. Coming from an agricultural hub in California, I know that farmers and rural communities are the backbone of our country. That’s why I want to support the people who choose these rural communities to live, work, and play. jen@jenformnhouse.com Donate Website

is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for in Back Samuel Grigsby State House District 6A Grand Rapids, MN I am a retired firefighter/emt here in Grand Rapids. I am a member of the Grand Rapids police dept. as a security officer at our local hospital and also serve as a volunteer member of the police reserve squad. I have been a member of the Mt. Itasca ski patrol member since December of 1994. I am a former teamster while working at Ferrellgas here in Grand Rapids. I am married to my beautiful wife of soon to be 35 years and we have 4 sons and 4 beautiful grandchildren. I have served as a fire instructor for the State of MN. from 1998 until my retirement in 2022. My family and people i hope to represent deserve someone who will fight for this area not play party line politics. grigsbyforhouse6amn@gmail.com Donate Website

is the DFL Rural Caucus endorsed candidate running for in Back Nat Smith State Senate District 33 Stillwater, MN I’m running for the Minnesota Senate because I believe our state government works best when it focuses on practical solutions that improve people’s lives- keeping people, not politics, at the center of decision-making. My professional background as an attorney focused on combating fraud and protecting workers' rights has shaped my commitment to accountability, transparency, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources. My goal as a legislator will be to listen carefully, collaborate across differences, and pursue policies that deliver real results for Minnesotans, ensuring our communities remain strong, healthy, and prosperous for generations to come. info@natsmithformn.com Donate Website

Learn more about becoming a member of the DFL Rural Caucus. Membership Join the DFL Rural Caucus and be a part of shaping the future of our rural communities, whether you're a farmer or simply someone who cares about the issues that affect them. Become a Member Why join the Rural Caucus? The Rural Caucus serves as a unified voice for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota, representing diverse perspectives from urban and rural areas alike. As members of the caucus, individuals have the privilege of voting at all membership and committee meetings. The caucus holds quarterly full-membership meetings and elects executive committee members, who in turn meet on a monthly basis. Members are encouraged to actively participate in committees, which meet on a varying schedule. All meetings are open to the public and guests are welcome. Additionally, the caucus appreciates any additional contributions, as 100% of contributions are directed towards supporting rural outreach efforts and electing rural candidates for various offices throughout Minnesota. Become a Member Membership FAQ Questions for a Committee? Click Here Click the button to see our committee roster and contact the appropriate committee chair.