State Representative District 11A Candidates

Jeff Dotseth (I)

Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications.

I am a husband, father, grandfather, farmer, realtor and small business owner who, as a state representative, has delivered for the people of District 11A during my first term in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

What made you decide to run for state representative?

I represent a district that previously lacked a strong voice. Local residents deserve better so I ran to solve local problems and get things done.

Please describe where you stand on the following issues in 35 words or fewer:

• School funding, public and private

We need to provide schools with flexibility to maximize the effectiveness of the tax dollars they receive. To the contrary, Democrats handcuffed our schools by putting 65 more unfunded/ underfunded mandates on them this budget cycle.

• Precious materials mining

I am committed to unlocking opportunities here; including rich reserves of minerals, abundant timber, and skilled laborers. Let’s tap our full potential, making this an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

• Making MinnesotaCare available to all

It should concern us all when the proposed solution to any issue is more government. Let’s revisit government mandates and other true drivers of rising prices before adding astronomical new expenses with more government programs.

• Funding ambulance services in rural areas

Fellow Republicans and I advocated for more EMS funding this biennium. Democrats put up roadblocks at every turn, making it impossible to get the full funding amount and reforms they need.

• Making long-term care facilities sustainable

Despite an $18 billion surplus, Democrats grossly underfunded long-term care facilities in their 2023 budget proposal. Republican legislators demanded more, and I am proud we delivered an additional $300 million nursing home relief package.

The legislature failed to pass a bonding bill this year, essentially because the two parties can’t seem to work together. What do you think needs to happen to stop this cycle of government paralysis?

Minnesotans want a government that is in touch with their issues and concerns, and works for all the people of our state. Instead, Democrats have treated a paper-thin majority as a sweeping mandate for passing a far-left agenda at the expense of crucial infrastructure funding and other legislation that would benefit all Minnesotans. Last session, Democrats rolled dozens of unrelated bills into a massive 1,400 page omnibus package, used procedural motions to shut down debate, and then forced a vote of the body just minutes before our deadline to adjourn. Unfortunately, Minnesotans were the real losers when Democrats chose dysfunction over Democracy, completely shutting out the elected voices of Greater Minnesota. We must do better because Minnesotans certainly deserve better.

What are two other issues facing the state of Minnesota and Carlton County that you think are important and how should they be addressed?

1.We need to restore balance in St. Paul to stop the Democrats’ gross mismanagement of taxpayer dollars, including ending the rampant fraud that continues taking place with one party in control. We also must reduce violent crime by supporting law enforcement, fully prosecuting criminals and stopping the revolving door in our courts.

2.Minnesotans want meaningful tax cuts to ease the pain inflation and rising costs of living are causing Minnesota families and businesses. Instead, Democrats raised taxes by $10 billion and increased the budget by 40 percent last year despite an $18 billion surplus. They increased taxes beyond what many can afford, increased state spending to unsustainable levels and passed extreme legislation – including ending e-pull tabs as we know them and putting our abortion policy on par with radical regimes in North Korea and China. They also made our energy grid more unaffordable, unreliable and dangerous. That’s just the start of the damage this Democrat trifecta is causing and why local residents want a government that serves all the people of our state instead of catering to the extreme left. Let’s get a grip on state spending with common sense and respect for taxpayers.

Why should people vote for you?

I will continue to be a leader who will do the right thing for local citizens. We must restore balance at the Capitol after one-party control the last two years has left Minnesotans suffering from the Democrats’ reckless spending, needless tax increases, extreme policies and broken promises.

Pete Radosevich

Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications.

I’m a long-time lawyer in Carlton County; owned Esko Pizza Pies in Esko, and publisher emeritus of the Pine Knot News in Cloquet. Husband to Tara and dad to Tommy (17); Patrick (15) and Ellie (10), and step-dad to Austen Kovac, comprising my awesome family.

What made you decide to run for state representative?

The current rep simply isn’t doing a good job. Between bumbling the jail funding, strict partisanship and conspiracies, he’s not right for us. I am.

Please describe where you stand on the following issues in 35 words or fewer:

• School funding, public and private:

A quality public school system has made Minnesota great; funding the public schools is a core government function. The state has no business funding private schools.

• Precious materials mining:

I know we can mine copper-nickel safely; I’m just not convinced that we’re able to do it right now. But I’m confident we can figure it out. Until then, we should proceed cautiously.

• Making MinnesotaCare available to all:

This is a great, long-term goal. Imagine the economic development we’ll see in rural Minnesota if people had access to good schools; transportation, internet, and health care.

• Funding ambulance services in rural areas:

Like police and fire protection, having an ambulance show up when you need one is a core government obligation. If the ambulance isn’t available when there’s an emergency, we’ve failed. We need dedicated ambulance service.

• Making long-term care facilities sustainable:

There’s a solution to the child care and elder care problem. We need to make those jobs desirable, so people who want to make a career out of them can make a decent living.

The legislature failed to pass a bonding bill this year, essentially because the two parties can’t seem to work together. What do you think needs to happen to stop this cycle of government paralysis?

Politicians should represent the district who elected them; not the political parties. When elected leaders like me start putting the needs of all the people of House District 11a first, instead of just the Republicans or the Democrats, we’ll see progress. Our current rep only represents the Republicans of 11a; that’s why we lost that jail funding and didn’t make any progress on the fire district’s building or the Northern Lights Academy expansion. I would not have let that happen.

What are two other issues facing the state of Minnesota and Carlton County that you think are important and how should they be addressed?

My biggest issue is rural economic development, and I think that starts with finding a solution to the child care and elder care problems. Then, we work on policy that favors rural growth and stability, so we can raise our families here and our children can find decent opportunities to raise their families here, too. It’s proven that strong Democrat policies create growth among the middle class, where Republican policy favors the wealthy.

The second issue is infrastructure. We have several Carlton County projects that have waited long enough, like Highway 73, the fire district building, and the Northern Lights Academy.

Why should people vote for you?

Because I will represent the entire district: not just Democrats or Republicans. Jeff said he’d do that, but he was a rubber-stamp for the Republicans and was ineffective in his job. That won’t happen with me. The job is representing 11A, not a political party. And that’s what I’ll do.