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.
  • Build your ballot before voting. Print or email the information to use as a reference when you actually vote.

We do not save your information; it will be lost when you leave this page. Only candidates that appear on your ballot will be listed. Additional information may be available for your area so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for other voters’ guides.

Start Over

Voter Guide

Minnesota State Senate District 36

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

    Heather Gustafson
    (DFL)

  • Candidate picture

    Heidi Heino
    (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)

{_btnLabelFor(compare1, _isInSelection(compare1))}
{_btnLabelFor(compare2, _isInSelection(compare2))}
My top three: lowering costs for families, safe communities, and protecting tax dollars. Too many people can cover this month's bills but watch rising costs eat into savings, retirement, and time with family, so I will keep fighting for real breathing room, from property tax relief to lower health care and prescription costs. Safe communities means investing in police, fire, EMS, and mental health, and standing up to Big Tech overreach like unchecked data centers and surveillance. Additionally, I look forward to Minnesota confirming its first Inspector General so tax dollars are protected and fraud is caught.
Real relief means families keep more of what they earn today and can still plan for tomorrow. I support property tax relief, lower prescription and health care costs, and getting more Minnesotans into homes they can actually afford. I back capital investments and DEED grants that create jobs and grow Minnesota's economy, in addition to cracking down on fraud, scams, and price gouging that protects both household budgets and taxpayer dollars.
I support using data to find where disparities exist and intentionally target resources there, including in the areas of education, health care, and housing access. I have supported strong early literacy screening under the READ Act so every child gets support regardless of background, and Medicaid oversight that protects access to home and community-based services for people who rely on them. I am open to further legislation that measurably closes opportunity gaps.
Yes. I support letting Minnesotans vote directly on adding equal rights protections to our state constitution. Rights that depend on which party holds the Legislature or how a court interprets a statute are not secure. A clear constitutional guarantee that no one is treated as less than equal under the law is a value shared across the political spectrum—and voters, not politicians, should get to decide it directly.
I support continued funding for lead service line replacement, PFAS and nitrate treatment, and drinking water contaminant grants for cities dealing with emerging pollutants. I back Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and Outdoor Heritage Fund investments that protect lakes, wetlands, and habitat across the state. I also support a statewide battery stewardship program to keep hazardous waste out of landfills, which passed the Senate but stalled in the House.
I support funding for police, fire, and EMS, along with mental health investments like school-linked behavioral health grants and mobile crisis response. Supporting survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, and working to prevent it, is a personal priority of mine. I also back funding for crime victim services and common-sense gun safety measures like extreme risk protection orders and closing ghost gun loopholes.
Minnesota already does more than most states to limit big money in local and state races, and I think that is the right direction. Elections should be decided by voters, not by who can spend the most. I support keeping our disclosure and transparency laws strong, closing loopholes as bad actors find them, and holding accountable anyone who tries to defraud donors or deceive voters. Trust in our elections depends on people believing their voice matters more than a dollar amount.
Candidate response is not yet available.
Candidate response is not yet available.
Candidate response is not yet available.
Candidate response is not yet available.
Candidate response is not yet available.
Candidate response is not yet available.
Candidate response is not yet available.
Powered by League of Women Voters Education Fund

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.