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 57B

House - 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 state spending.

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  • Candidate picture

    Brian Cohn
    (DFL)

  • Candidate picture

    Jeff Witte
    (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 characters)

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://briancohn4mn.com
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/briancohn4mn
Campaign Email brian@briancohn4mn.com
My top priorities are Affordability, Public Safety, and Opportunity through Education.

Affordability: Squeezed family budgets need relief. I will focus on lowering daily living costs by reducing healthcare and childcare expenses, promoting affordable housing options, and protecting working families from rising property taxes.

Public Safety: Safe communities require comprehensive solutions. I will support local law enforcement, fund mental health crisis teams, and pass commonsense gun violence prevention legislation.

Education: Strong public schools build a thriving community. I will advocate to fully fund schools, support teachers, and expand vocational and career pathways for our students.
To build a resilient economy and tackle inflation, we must lower core living costs for working families while supporting our business community. I will advocate to reduce healthcare, prescription drug, and childcare expenses so families have more financial flexibility. I also support strategic investments in local infrastructure, clean energy, and workforce training to attract businesses, cut red tape for small firms, and create high-paying jobs in Lakeville and throughout the state.
Addressing disparities requires targeted investments in education, housing, and public health. I support legislation to fully fund schools and close opportunity gaps so all students receive appropriate pathways, whether preparing for college or entering the workforce through vocational and technical training. We must also expand homeownership assistance and affordable housing to narrow generational wealth gaps, support community health programs, and advance fair criminal justice reforms.
Yes, I support adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution. Every Minnesotan deserves full legal protection against discrimination regardless of gender, race, creed, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Enshrining these rights in our state constitution ensures permanent protections for equality, bodily autonomy, and equal opportunity that cannot be rolled back by future legislative shifts.
Protecting Minnesota’s natural environment and clean drinking water is vital for public health and quality of life. I will support state funding to modernize municipal water infrastructure to keep drinking water safe from contaminants like PFAS and agricultural runoff. I also support clean energy transition initiatives, air emission reductions, and conservation efforts that safeguard iconic natural treasures like the Boundary Waters.
Safe communities require proactive solutions. With recent threats against Lakeville schools, we must pass commonsense gun violence prevention measures, including safe storage laws to keep unsecured firearms out of children's hands, reduce youth suicides, and prevent accidental harm. I will also support legislation ensuring law enforcement and first responders have necessary resources, while expanding mental health crisis teams and community-based prevention programs.
To safeguard democracy, we must ensure that our government serves voters, not special interests. I support campaign finance reforms that empower small donors, strengthen contribution limits, and require dark-money disclosure. I also support legislation barring corporations from spending in our elections, as well as strict bans on stock trading by elected officials and political appointees to eliminate conflicts of interest.
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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.