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 8A

The “lower chamber” of the Minnesota legislature has two representatives per senate district for a total of 134. Representatives are elected every two years.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, funding for the judicial system.A candidate forum for this race was recorded on July 8, 2024 - watch the recording here.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Peter Johnson
    (DFL)

  • Candidate picture

    Mark McGrew
    (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.votepete8a.com
Contact Phone 2183434732
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/PeteJohnsonMN8A/
Campaign Twitter Handle @PeteJ_MN8A
Campaign Email Peter.L.JohnsonMN@gmail.com
Housing is foundational to success at all levels. For the unsheltered, housing is essential to focus on health, education, or employment. We need workforce housing so people can establish roots and become part of our community. Finally, we need options for our aging populations.

Healthcare is inaccessible and unaffordable for too many Minnesotans. Not having access to care delays treatment, exacerbating health issues and creating a ripple effect on families, communities, and employers.

With a spouse who is a public school teacher and two daughters in middle school, I have seen firsthand the challenges they face. We need to ensure that our investments in education are effective and truly meet the needs of our students and our educators.
Recently, while out door knocking, I had a conversation with a voter who said: “Our values are as much a part of our infrastructure as anything,” and it resonated with me. I believe this sentiment also applies to our economy; our values are integral to it. By investing in education, housing, healthcare, and workers, we can strengthen the backbone of our economy: the middle class. To ensure a vibrant and resilient economy, we need a strong, healthy, well trained or educated, and housed workforce.
We must all acknowledge these disparities are real and are affecting every corner of Minnesota, and they must be addressed. I’ll collaborate with people with lived experience to guide me and shape legislation to ensure it is effective. On everything from education to infrastructure, we must be intentional about how it impacts communities that are often ignored. I will listen and take in criticism and ideas from marginalized communities, as self reflection is key in addressing these disparities.
Addressing climate change must be integrated into all our actions. We can expand safe and reliable public transportation at the state, regional, and local levels to reduce reliance on automobiles, which are major polluters. Additionally, we can incentivize high-efficiency construction methods for both new builds and retrofitting existing structures, incorporating solar and wind power generation. Increasing the capacity of the electrical grid, including energy storage systems, is also essential.
Campaign Website http://markforduluth.com/
Contact Phone 2183491971
Campaign Email markforduluth@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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