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 47A

The lower chamber of the Minnesota legislature has two representatives per senate district for a total of 134.Representatives are elected every two years.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. What your state legislature does affects many facets of your life—the taxes you pay, the highways on which you drive, public schools, the state-supported colleges and universities you or your children might attend, the state parks that provide recreation for you and your family, social programs, and funding for the judicial system. A candidate forum for this race is available at https://youtu.be/E7yqF-3efC0. More MN forums are available at https://www.lwvmn.org/2024-candidate-forums.

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  • Candidate picture

    Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger
    (DFL)

  • Candidate picture

    Teresa Whitson
    (Rep)

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.amandaformnhouse.com
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/amandaformnhouse
Campaign Email contact@amandaformnhouse.com
website www.amandaformnhouse.com
My three priorities relate to the values of the community I represent. I want to begin to fix our broken healthcare system. Too often we hear of affordable healthcare being out of reach and families postponing critical diagnoses while insurance companies continue to see record profits. Second, we need to make sure that families have access to quality child care, no matter their background, income, or zip code so that we can help parents fully participate in the workforce. Lastly, we must utilize a comprehensive, ecosystem mindset when enacting policies to ensure we consider unintended consequences and are aware of potential externalities.
I will continue to support policies that help people and families make ends meet, including paid family/medical leave, expanding a child tax credit that has cut child poverty by one-third, and universal breakfasts and lunches for school kids. I would like to examine policies that ensure companies and corporations are focusing on their customers, not record-breaking profits, and single-payer healthcare so people can take care of themselves and their families without going into debt.
I will continue to support legislation that addresses systemic racial or ethnic disparities, including the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA) and ethnic studies coursework in schools. I will also support community advocacy, listening to understand, to ensure policies are made in partnership so they are robust, comprehensive, and implementable.
Protecting our planet for future generations is an important value in my community. I will continue to support bold action to address climate change, including the 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 plan, prohibiting homeowners’ associations from denying solar panels on homes, promoting geothermal energy, and advocating for clean air, water, and soil. I will utilize my scientific and policy education and experience to ensure policies are thorough and comprehensive.
Campaign Website http://www.whitsonforhouse.com
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563786994366
Campaign Email WhitsonforHouse@gmail.com
Contact Phone 6513298939
website www.whitsonforhouse.com
1) Repeal moratorium on nuclear energy. Wind and solar are not yet reliable/adequate for the energy needs of our state's industries, businesses, or residential consumers. 2) Allow for abortion but seek restrictions after 20 weeks' gestation which is when a preborn baby can feel pain. If an animal shelter was aborting kittens and puppies and chopping them up, there would be public outrage. 3) Illegal-entry immigrants should receive very limited public services. Immigration to our state without going through traditional processes by foreign nationals should not be encouraged. Arriving with a criminal record, without job skills, or without friends or family to support them until they are self-sufficient, doesn't produce healthy communities.
Minnesota government lives too rich. The new Senate palace/building will cost a BILLION dollars before it is completed. Healthy industries and businesses, especially small businesses, produce a vibrant economy. I would seek to lessen or remove government restrictions, impediments, and processes to those ends. Entrepreneurs and job creators are forced to endure enormous amounts of red tape and bureaucratic delays.
I would seek to have all students have school choice. Currently students are forced to stay in failing public (government) schools rather than attend one better fits their needs. Successful education voucher programs have existed in the United States since the 19th century in Maine and Vermont.
Climate change theories, policies, and dire predictions since the 1970's have evolved and change and now seem to be a political process of frightening people to turn more of their freedoms and choices over to nameless, faceless agencies of the government and even our country's sovereignty to worldwide government agencies. "Experts" and "scientists" have a long history of failed predictions in their chicken-little-the-sky-is-falling rhetoric.
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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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