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 Senate District 8

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.Senate - “Upper chamber” with 67 districts (redistricting takes place every 10 years following the census). Senators typically serve 4 year terms.Watch a candidate forum for this race recorded on October 13, 2026.

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  • Candidate picture

    Darrick Law
    (Rep)

  • Candidate picture

    Jen McEwen
    (DFL)

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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Campaign Website http://www.votemcewen.com
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/JenMcEwenMN
Campaign Email campaign@votemcewen.com
1. The richest 1% of Minnesotans own nearly a third of all wealth in our state. This is not acceptable. I’ve introduced a bill to raise taxes on the top 2% by 2.6%; this would raise over a billion dollars annually toward public goods.

2. I’ve introduced a bill for a 2-year pause on hyperscale data centers while we address their impact and improve a process for evaluating them. I also voted to ban non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for these planned data centers.

3. We must help the communities most impacted by the federal government’s oppressive, fascist actions. The best way to do this is basic financial assistance and resources, from mental health support to keeping federal agents out of hospitals, medical facilities, and schools.
We must tackle wealth inequality, which creates great instability in our economy and is now so extreme that it is a threat to our democracy. The rising inflation we have seen post-pandemic has been largely driven by corporate greed. As workers have rightly demanded better pay and benefits, many of our largest, wealthiest corporations have engaged in price-gouging to keep their record-breaking profits growing. We must reign in corporate greed and exploitation-based profiteering.
To address Minnesota’s deep racial disparities, we must tackle wealth inequality. Some things I support or have legislation toward include: a $15 min wage indexed to inflation; a cap on the ratio between lowest and highest paid workers in corporations; establishing rights to housing, healthcare, and a meaningful economic safety net including rights to paid parental, personal and sick leave; tuition-free public school pre-k through post-graduate; and fare-free public transportation.
Yes. The ERA is a basic amendment that should have been added to the United States Constitution long ago, and Minnesota can take a lead by adopting it into our state constitution.
Our entire energy infrastructure must change to preserve our water and air and address the climate crisis. I sought office 6 years ago largely to fight for clean water and champion the environment. I view my role as continuing to speak the truth, work with the community to advance the best policies we can, and always push my colleagues to do better. I’m proud to have helped pass the 100% clean energy by 2040 bill in 2023 and other initiatives to strengthen Minnesota’s environmental policies.
True public safety doesn’t come from a “tough on crime” approach – it requires equity, transparency, empowerment, and meeting people’s basic needs. Housing, health care, child care, quality education, and connection are all key. When our laws are broken, the focus needs to be first on addressing the harm, restoring safety for all, and rehabilitation. This, along with common sense gun control and policy legislation, is how we can create safe communities for all.
Corporations are not people, and money is not speech. I support legislation to curtail campaign spending by corporations and other artificial entities. I am committed to using my public office to push back against corporate power in a number of areas, including government and politics. I will work to advance policies and legislation to rein in corporate power and influence whenever I can, and will continue to speak to this publicly.
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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.