(bright music) (gentle music) - [Voiceover] Welcome to "Meet the Candidates," the local election forum from Pioneer PBS.

This season, we asked every candidate the same list of questions to learn more about what type of legislator they will be if elected.

In this episode, we will meet candidates from Minnesota House District 15A.

District lines have changed since the 2020 census.

District 15A is made up of Lac que Parle, Yellow Medicine, and Lyon Counties.

Major cities include Marshall, Granite Falls, Tracy, and Canby.

To find out which district you live in, visit mnvotes.org.

And now, let's meet the candidates.

We will start with the DFL candidate, Anthony Studemann.

Anthony Studemann was unable to participate at the time of filming.

You can find more information about Anthony Studemann at his campaign website, anthonystudemann.com.

(gentle music) Next, the Republican candidate, Chris Swedzinski.

- Hi, this is Chris Swedzinski.

I'm your state representative in 15A.

It's an honor to serve the good people of Southwest Minnesota.

My wife Jess and I have five kids.

We farm in Lincoln County, we live in Lyon County.

And there I operate a small welding business, Swede Steel Works.

We do steel sculpture, steel artwork, and travel around and sell a few things here and there.

It's an honor to serve.

And the reason I'm running is I really feel that Minnesota, and rural Minnesota most especially, needs a strong voice.

I'm one of a few folks that are in agriculture, active farmer.

We've been farming the same ground since the 1800s in my family.

And it's a big responsibility to raise kids, work hard, and do what's right for Southwest Minnesota.

And that's a thing I take very seriously, and I want to thank the people of Southwest Minnesota for asking me and supporting me in the legislature.

And that's why I'm running.

- [Voiceover] Why do you want to be the representative for your district?

- I do want to continue to serve the good people of Southwest Minnesota.

One of the issues that we have is there's a great rural-urban divide in the legislature.

We have folks that are from the metro area, maybe folks that haven't spent a lot of time on the farm.

You know, 20, 30 years ago it was pretty common for folks to have a grandma, or a grandpa, or their parents who lived and grew up on a farm.

And, you know, being one of only five or six members who actively farm, that is exceptionally important, to continue to have a strong voice in rural Minnesota, but also from a manufacturing standpoint, but also from an agricultural standpoint, standing for the values that we hold dear.

Standing strong for the Constitution.

One of the reasons I want to continue to be the representative for 15A is the Constitution needs, you know, whether it's free speech, whether it's the Second Amendment, whether it's being pro-life, protecting those that are most vulnerable, I think it's one of the most important things that we can possibly do.

And also putting government in its proper place.

We've seen just an unbelievable amount of government growth over the last two years.

State government grew over by 40%.

And when I look at family budgets, when I look at personal budgets, people's jobs haven't gotten a 40% increase in the last two years.

Businesses haven't grown by 40% in the last two years, but yet government has, this St. Paul-knows-best, government-first attitude, where we close down businesses and grow government is wrong.

And that's why I'm running, that's why I really feel that Southwest Minnesota needs a strong voice for people that understand how business works, how family works, and what role government should be in our lives.

So that's why I'm running and that's why I'm asking for your vote.

- [Voiceover] What are your priorities for the next legislative session?

- Well, my priorities truly are is how do we put government in it's right place?

And, you know, the role of government is continuing to increase, really, how do we grow the family?

How do we strengthen the family?

One of the issues that I see is that no matter how large government grows, it cannot replace the family.

And whether it's mom and a dad and kids, and doing what's right, and having jobs, and having economic opportunity in Southwest Minnesota, how do we get folks to invest in Southwest Minnesota?

How do we create an environment where environmental regulations make sense?

How does government partner with business rather than be an adversary of business?

And how do we create a tax structure that doesn't scare folks away because of the really punitive nature of those taxes?

You know, one of the biggest things, when you talk to small business owners, what are their biggest goals?

Is those small business owners someday wanna be a big business.

And those aren't to be demonized.

Those aren't to be run down.

They're to be encouraged.

And you know, when I hear over, and over, and over again, that Minnesota's climate, when it comes to business regulation and permitting, it's really scary.

You know, when a business can go to South Dakota and get the permits they need within 30 days or 60 days, when sometimes in Minnesota we've had businesses that really haven't open-ended.

It might be two, it might be three, it might be four or five years before they get the permits that they need.

That is not setting a foundation of a solid business relationship when it comes to government and business.

And what we need to do from a Minnesotan standpoint is really get the nice back in Minnesota.

Let's actually encourage investment, let's encourage families, let's encourage the issues that we care about, and let's protect the rights that we all care about.

And that's why.

Thank you.

- [Voiceover] What unique perspective do you bring to the Minnesota House?

- Well, you know, I'm a challenger by nature.

I really like to challenge the status quo when it comes to the issues and what we take for granted.

You know, one of the areas I particularly do a lot of work is in energy.

And, you know, we hear over, and over, and over again that we need to really limit our access to coal and nuclear when it comes to our energy production.

And the argument that I make is that Minnesota is really leading the charge, and not in a positive way, rather than allowing the market to work, rather than the common sense to work.

Governor Walz, and I look forward to working with Governor Walz the next two years in the legislature, Governor Walz has put a California-first initiative where he puts California bureaucrats in charge of our cars.

So he call it a California Cars Initiative, where California bureaucrats get to decide whether or not we have internal combustion engines, whether we can use ethanol, whether that we can, we must sell electric cars.

And those rules and regulations passed by California bureaucrats, are as now the law of the land here in Minnesota.

Those are the issues that I think we need to stand up.

Let's put Minnesota's Minnesotan's in charge of their energy future.

Let's not put outside interest, big corporations in charge of those things.

And one of the big issues that I fear is that we're being told over and over, if we just get rid of coal, it will solve all of our environmental problems.

And the issue is that America has about 183 gigawatts of coal.

Currently, across the globe, over 600 gigawatts of coal is currently being built.

So no matter what we do here in the United States, we're gonna drive the cost of energy up, we're gonna make it less reliable, and we're going to make it more expensive.

And so, those decisions that are being made in St. Paul are not what's getting jobs created out in rural Minnesota.

They might create a green energy job, but the folks that, and that's only by government mandate, and we need to stop that.

Thank you.

- [Voiceover] What is your vision for the future of Minnesota?

- Well, my vision of Minnesota is really to be a friendly place for families, a friendly place for business, a friendly place for economic opportunity.

And one of the biggest things that I feel is really when it comes to that rural/urban divide.

When we look at school funding, one of the biggest differences we might spend here in Granite, or Minneota, or Cottonwood in those school districts, maybe 8 or $9,000 per student.

Meanwhile, in the Twin Cities, we have failing schools that are routinely failing schools.

Our reading rates are dropping, our mathematics are dropping.

Over and over, by every single metric, our educational system is not working, it's not improving, it's not better than it was the day before, and yet we're spending more and more money, billions of dollars more.

And we're not just giving it to every single student across the state equally, we're picking winners and losers.

And if we do have funding that goes to education, it should treat every single student across the state equally.

Not pick one district over another, not a urban district over a rural district.

And really those dollars, I think the market will work.

I believe that, especially if you're stuck in a failing school, where your reading rates are abysmal, where your mathematics and the rest are just not being taken seriously, we need to ensure that those students have the right to take those dollars that are been worked hard for by the American Minnesotan taxpayer, that they can follow those students wherever they want to go to find success.

And you know, I think that is the vision that we need to have.

Let's empower individuals, let's empower families to make the best decisions that they possibly can make for themselves, to grow a business, to grow their family, and ultimately stand up for our Constitution, which really is the foundation.

Let's not minimize it.

Let's not call it an outdated piece of paper.

Let's stand up for it because our forefathers had it right, that individuals ultimately are going to do what's best for themselves.

Let's get government out of the way.

- [Voiceover] And now, a closing statement.

- Hi again, thanks for everyone for listening tonight.

I hope you guys enjoyed yourselves.

You know, obviously.

it's always a little bit nervous getting in front of a camera when you're used to being in front of a tractor or in front of a welder.

But you know, it's an honor to serve the good people of Southwest Minnesota at the legislature.

I believe I bring a, and will continue to bring, a unique perspective to St. Paul by representing the rights and the issues that Southwest Minnesota care for so dearly.

I hope that I can, once again, gain your vote this November.

I would encourage you to get your friends and family, even if you're a Democrat, even if you're an independent, I ask for your vote.

And most importantly, I would just encourage you to make sure that if you have a friend or neighbor that can't get around, maybe their elderly or maybe they have a disability, to see if you can help them out so that they can vote, whether they vote for me or not.

And I just appreciate the opportunity to chat with you about the issues.

Please don't hesitate to just reach out to me, send me an email, gimme a call if there's something I can do, and just answer any questions that you might have.

But, and at the end of the day, I'm supported by the Farm Bureau.

I'm supported by the NFIB.

I am 100% pro-life.

I believe that life begins at conception and should be protected until natural death.

I believe in the Second Amendment.

I believe our constitutional rates are fundamental when it comes to the Second Amendment to protect all other rights.

When the First Amendment is under attack by this current administration, I believe that we need to stand strong for it.

Whether you agree with those voices or not, those voices need to be protected.

And I just appreciate all viewers from Pioneer Public Television for taking the time.

And again, my name's Chris Swedzinski.

I'd appreciate your vote November, or simply just vote early, and I'd appreciate your vote then, too.

Thanks a lot.

- [Voiceover] You can find more information online about Chris Swedzinski at his website, chrisswede.com.

(gentle music) Learn more about voting, how to register and what district you live in by visiting the Minnesota Secretary of State website, at mnvotes.org.

Remember, election day is Tuesday, November 5th.

Thank you for watching "Meet the Candidates" on Pioneer PBS.

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