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 15B

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. A candidate forum for this race is available at https://www.youtube.com/live/WNboxFE6-qY?si=TJa5s15JY8PTqNpV. More MN forums are available at https://www.lwvmn.org/2024-candidate-forums.

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  • Candidate picture

    Tom Kuster
    (DFL)

  • Candidate picture

    Paul Torkelson
    (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://tomforhouse.net
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/tom4rep
Campaign Email thomasakuster@gmail.com
Contact Phone 597 381 2921
website tomforhouse.com
Top priority: TO REPRESENT, that is, I would connect with and visit key constituencies in my district – farm organizations, town councils, citizen groups, educators, NGOs, others – who have the best ideas of how to make their futures better, and learn how to support them.

Then: as a senior myself, I would prioritize eldercare issues, from stopping fraud and scams to providing housing and well-staffed nursing home care.

Also: economic development in all aspects of small town and rural life – reducing the risks in farming, revitalizing main streets, assuring health (and mental health) care, and drawing new populations to beautiful rural Minnesota.
The best experts on achieving a vibrant economy are found in our towns and farms. Being a "representative" means to REPRESENT them, starting with listening, then on to problem analysis and solving, and then advocating – these are things I do. Regarding inflation, primarily a federal issue (Biden/Harris have been wrestling it down after the Trump pandemic), still we can work to put people in touch with resources, many provided by the recent DFL legislature, that can make living more affordable.
I don't plan to go to St. Paul with a quiver full of "legislation." Racial/ethnic disparities, especially in educational outcomes, have been an intractable problem in Minnesota. The experts I would consult and encourage, seeking ways to help, are first of all teachers (who have been working hard on this), as well as leaders in the communities that suffer from these disparities. I would join in and supplement their problem-solving skills, finding new approaches to try. We can't give up on this.
Again no pre-determined legislation, but a plan to work with the experts in this area, farmers who deal daily with effects of climate change, and are finding ingenious ways to address it, from protecting soil health to dealing with new insect populations moving north. Strong government support for these efforts is essential – at the state level especially if a MAGA administration controls Washington and makes federal support disappear because they pretend climate change doesn't exist.
Campaign Website http://ptorkelson.com/
Campaign Email ptorkels@gmail.com
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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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