Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

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Voter Guide

Minnesota State House District 58A

State Representatives serve in the Minnesota House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the state legislature. They write and vote on legislation to create, repeal, or change state laws affecting many issues, like health care, the environment, and the economy. They also vote on state taxes and the state spending.

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  • Candidate picture

    Rita Hillmann Olson
    (Rep)

  • Candidate picture

    Kristi Pursell
    (DFL)

Biographical Information

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (750 characters)

What will you do to support a vibrant economy across Minnesota and to address inflation? (500 character)

What legislation, if any, would you support to address racial or ethnic disparities in Minnesota? (500 characters)

What legislation, if any, would you support to address climate change and its effects in Minnesota? (500 characters)

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Campaign Website http://www.RitaMN.com
Contact Phone 6123663584
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556186818845
Campaign Email Rita@ritamn.com
Elderly and day care are in crisis mode. I understand that these are pressing issues that significantly impact families’ daily lives. Families are looking for care options that are affordable, safe, and available. The shortage of day care providers 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.

Minnesotans are facing higher daily costs fueled by government spending-induced inflation. I will work to protect your family budget, knowing that every dollar the government spends is one less dollar available for families’ daily needs.
By increasing recognition of private property rights, more economic freedom, and greater innovation and exploring ideas our economy will thrive. To address inflation, I will work to see that government programs are reviewed for efficiency, eliminating duplication, and reigning in the explosion of grants to non-performing nonprofits. The goal of a smaller, leaner, and accountable government serving the general population provides the best outcome for families, businesses, and communities.
Considering legislative fixes for disparities, I’m guided by leaders like Condoleezza Rice. She emphasizes equal opportunities, strong family values, faith, and excellence in education as pathways to personal achievement. If a society determines—based on hard evidence—that problematic disparities exist, there might be justification for legislative action. Too often governmental efforts to bring about equity results more in loss of freedom than in a reduction of “racial or ethnic disparities."
Our natural resources provide wonderful recreational opportunities and jobs. We must balance stewardship of our resources while allowing for their responsible use.

Abundant, clean, affordable, and reliable energy must embrace a diverse grid and consider all options. I oppose regulations that lack measurable outcomes and hurt job creation. Permitting processes and reviews must be fair, reliable, and timely. We must end or restructure grant programs and taxpayer subsidies that don't deliver.
Campaign Website http://www.kristipursell.com
Contact Phone 5073304527
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/Pursell4MNHouse
Campaign Twitter Handle @Pursell4MNHouse
Campaign Email votekristipursell@gmail.com
In my next term, I will fight fiercely for a woman’s right to control her own body. Abortion rights must be codified into Minnesota law. I will author legislation to protect private well water just as rigorously as municipal water. I'll advocate for expanding Right to Repair laws to include farm equipment, allowing family farms to fix their own machinery instead of boosting corporate profits. I'll push for progressive tax policies in every spending bill, ensuring corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share. I will always put Minnesotans first—not corporate interests.
When basic needs are met, people are both more productive and more upwardly mobile– giving them more spending power and stabilizing the economy. We need to invest in local infrastructure and small businesses to create jobs. Expanding public healthcare is crucial—no one should choose between food and medicine. We also need to fund affordable housing, childcare, and eldercare. Every Minnesotan deserves a safe and stable life. Stability for working families makes stability for the economy.
Housing is the foundation of economic freedom. We made progress last year, but there's more to do—especially in addressing racial disparities. My constituents are facing housing insecurity. We must expand rent-controlled housing, strengthen tenant protections, and enforce rental inspections that truly protect renters. State law must ensure tenants have the right to an attorney in eviction court to prevent discrimination and ensure safer living conditions.
Ensuring our environmental laws are enforced is critical to protecting our natural resources. There is built-in conflict of interest when the same state agencies tasked with protection are also in charge of issuing permits. This undermines the effectiveness of our laws and is VERY present in our agencies. I am committed to robust oversight, accountability, and legislative action to ensure that our environmental laws are upheld and our communities are safeguarded for generations to come.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

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