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.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
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Voter Guide

Minnesota State Senate District 26

Senate - “Upper chamber” with 67 districts (redistricting takes place every 10 years following the census). Senators typically serve 4 year terms.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.Watch a candidate forum for this race recorded on September 10, 2026. (Facebook)

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

    Jack Hedin
    (DFL)

  • Candidate picture

    Cherie Johnson
    (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)

Do you support the adoption of a ballot issue to add the Equal Rights Amendment into the Minnesota State Constitution - why or why not? (500 characters)

What legislation, if any, would you support to protect clean air and water in Minnesota? (500 characters)

What legislation, if any, would you support to meet the need for safe communities? (500 characters)

What changes to legislation would you support to reduce the influence of big money in elections? (500 characters)

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I will fight to 1) lower the cost of health care, housing, and child care; 2) support our local small businesses; and 3) protect access to critical services like local clinics, emergency response, and child care. Thousands of folks across this district have shared their concerns about these three issues with me. That’s why I’ll work hard on all of them in the Minnesota Senate.
Real, lasting affordability is about lower prices for all of us. It’s also about local businesses creating good jobs and all of us having easy access to critical services. To fight rising costs, we need to keep our hard earned dollars flowing in the local economy. I will support small businesses and their employees, fight corporate consolidation which drives up prices, and prevent the erosion of local control.
All of us in southeast Minnesota deserve the chance to thrive, no matter the color of our skin or where we come from. As a Winona Area Public Schools board member, I know our school system does great work to prepare students for adulthood. I also know Minnesota has some of the worst racial disparities in academic outcomes in the country. I look forward to working on legislative solutions to address these disparities.
Yes, I support guaranteeing equal rights for all Minnesotans. It would be important to ensure the language of the ballot amendment is clear to all Minnesotans as they vote.
As a lifelong farmer, I know how important clean air, water, and soil are. They are the foundation of public health. My farm focuses on these issues, and as a state senator I will support legislation that protects these vital natural resources.
When all people in our community have access to critical services, we’re all safer. That’s why I’ll support funding for mental health resources, emergency response, affordable housing, and local law enforcement.
Big money is one of the worst things about our politics. I support campaign finance reform to prohibit SuperPACs, force disclosure of all outside spending on elections, and put an end to Citizens United. Politics should be about delivering results for people, not raising money to buy attack ads.
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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.

VOTE411 is brought to you by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and League of Women Voters of Minnesota Education Fund. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or candidate for office.