Update from Wadena, MN (6/30/25)

26 counties visited, 12 to go

The Hubbard County DFL Walleye & Wild Rice Dinner was inspiring.

by Erik Osberg on 6/30/25

For many years, the Hubbard County DFL has been throwing a Walleye & Wild Rice Diner. They host one in June and August. I attended my first one last week. They sure know how to have a fish fry up there. The crew worked like a well oiled machine. The lead fish fryer kept the secret recipe under wraps. And the crowd showed up in force.  There was a buzz, an energy and joy in the American Legion in Park Rapids, MN that night. 280 tickets were sold and connections were made. I was fortunate enough to address the crowd and am grateful for the work they do in their neck of the woods. 

On Saturday I made stops in Meeker & McLeod Counties. There was a great turnout at each event. I got to connect with 80+ concerned citizens and listened as they shared what was on their hearts and minds. The really good news is some of those in attendance said they were independents. This means we are making progress in our quest to create a shared reality. One that welcomes all and celebrates who we are right now. I even brought the Get out the Vote Boat and managed to do some fishin’ on my way home. 

A packed house in Hutchinson, MN.

Earlier in the week, we unveiled our newest way to connect with people in western Minnesota. We call it our Coffee Talk Tour. Shorter visits that allow for smaller, more intimate conversations. Round 1 of our Coffee Talk Tour kicked off in Sibley County. We then visited Brown County and Cottonwood County. Some very deep, heavy and emotional subjects were discussed.  

A billboard in Windom, MN

While I was chatting with people in Windom, they told me about a billboard in town. I made sure to stop and see it. The sign reads; “We many not see eye to eye, but we can still talk heart to heart.” We are deeply committed to our core belief that face-to-face conversations is what needs to happen in order to create the change we seek. 

Round 2 of our Coffee Talk Tour is this Wednesday, July 2nd. 

We will be visiting Murray County, Pipestone County, Lincoln County & Chippewa County. If all goes according to plan, we will have visited 30 of the 38 counties in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District by week’s end.  We can make a difference by dedicating ourselves to the actions we take. If we focus on the things we can control, like our intent & effort, we can create a different path to a different outcome. 

Upcoming schedule:

July 2nd - Coffee Talk Tour Register here

July 4th - 4th of July parade - Warroad, MN

July 9th - our 1st Community Fish Fry, Eagle Bend, MN Register here

Thank you for all the support & keep up the good work! 

Thanks to our generous donors, we have raised over $47,000 so far. Our campaign relies on donations from folks like you. If you have already donated, THANK YOU! If you have set up a recurring donation, even better.  If you would like to host a private party fundraiser, click here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/SKQtMANaY0W8nGqHcpukXA2

Please share our announcement video.

Help fuel our campaign

Update from Wadena, MN (6/23/25)

turning tragedy & turmoil into triumph

by Erik Osberg on 6/23/25

This is our task at hand. Figuring out a way to navigate tragedies & turmoil while balancing the need to grieve and do the work which must continue. Over the weekend, storms ravaged portions of Minnesota & North Dakota. Lives were lost. Property, businesses & crops were destroyed. Landscapes were changed forever. The community of Bemidji was hit hard. While not in our Congressional District, Bemidji is a regional hub in northern Minnesota. Our hearts go out to them. 

On Saturday evening, the U.S. launched an attack on Iran. Drawing the country deeper into another conflict in the Middle East. The results remain to be seen. Stack these events on top of last week’s political violence and you’ve got plenty of reasons for despair.

We are faced with a choice. Do we curse the darkness? Or light a candle? Do we find reasons for hope and hold onto them? Or throw our hands up? While each of us works at our own pace, this campaign believes we must keep taking actions each & every day to ensure our democracy does not drown in the despair. 

Action can & must be taken now. We are less than 500 days from the midterm elections. We are encouraging folks to keep showing up and keep showing out. “Showing up” could mean many things. Could be as simple as forwarding this email to someone you know and asking them to learn more. You could go to a local DFL unit meeting. You could attend a demonstration. You could reach out to your local elected officials. You could start a committee in your community to search for candidates to run in your local elections. Or you could call a long lost friend to connect. 

Mary, Renea & Jenelle rolled out the red carpet for a private fundraising party in Little Falls, MN.

We showed up at a few places last week. We were in Little Falls, MN on back-to-back evenings. We sat in on the Morrison County DFL Unit meeting Wednesday night & participated in another private party fundraiser Thursday. Super grateful for our hosts at each location and for the robust discussion about the state of affairs and a new path forward. If you would like to host a private party fundraiser, click here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/SKQtMANaY0W8nGqHcpukXA2

We also participated in our 1st two parades. The 1st one was in Willmar, MN as part of their Willmar Fests celebrations. Huge thanks to Al Boyce for coming out to be our driver & huge thanks to the Kandiyohi County DFL for their help too. Thanks to Lauren Tonn for capturing some pics of us in the parade. After the parade we had a great meet-n-greet at Intuition Brewing (they do NOT endorse any political candidate or party). Huge thanks to those who came out for that as well and offered their support. We then headed to Atwater for their parade. Another great experience in a great community. It was a hot day, but we managed to keep our cool. 

We’ve got 2 official stops on this week’s calendar and are working on more. 

Upcoming schedule:

June 25th - Coffee Talk Tour (tentative)- locations & time TBD

June 27th - Hubbard County Walleye & Wild Rice Dinner 4pm-7pm American Legion

June 28th - Meeker/McLeod County Town Hall

Thank you for all the support & keep up the good work! 

Our campaign relies on donations from folks like you. If you have already donated, THANK YOU! If you have set up a recurring donation, even better. If you haven't donated, please share our announcement video.

Help fuel our campaign

Update from Wadena, MN (6/16/25)

never surrender

A sign at a No Kings demonstration in Fergus Falls, MN on Saturday. June 14th

by Erik Osberg on 6/16/25

This weekend our party, our state & our country lost a public servant. We mourn the loss of MN State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. We also hope for a full recovery for MN Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Our hearts go out to their families, friends, colleagues & supporters.  We are all grappling with the tragic events in our home state. The suspect was reportedly apprehended in Sibley County Sunday evening. Sibley County is in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District. Please use a trusted, reliable and free press when getting updates & details about the case. Local media is a great place to start. Subscribe to local newspapers if you can. Pay for their online content if you need to. A press that is free from censorship is important to our democracy. Please support good journalism. 

We weren’t able to be out in force on Saturday for the demonstrations in the area. We were able to make it to the end of the one in Fergus Falls, MN. While there,  I came upon a women holding a sign saying “Honor Rep, Melissa Hortman Sen. John Hoffman.” It stopped me in my tracks. 

We pledge to honor Speaker Emerita Hortman, her husband Mark, Sen. Hoffman and his wife Yvette as we continue our quest to unite those we seek to serve. We must stand together and wholeheartedly denounce political violence, reject the forces of hate & condemn division.

We had another home party fundraiser last week. This time we were on Lake Miltona (shoulda brought the boat). Jay & Debbie hosted 40+ guests in their home. Jay is retired and Debbie works in health care. We mingled, broke bread and had a healthy conversation. I learn so much every time I get to chat with a room(s) full of concerned citizens. We talked about women's rights, immigration, connecting with our neighbors, the economy, our natural resources, our challenges and the need for action. One gentleman summed it up pretty well when he said, "Actions speak louder than words he said." I couldn't agree more. I believe we laid that out as one of our core values when we launched. 

So far the campaign has raised a just under $40,000. Thank you to all who have been showing up and chipping in.

If you would like to host a private party fundraiser, click here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/SKQtMANaY0W8nGqHcpukXA2

Upcoming schedule:

June 19th - Private Party Fundraiser - Little Falls

June 21st - Willmar Fest

June 27th - Hubbard County Fish Fry

Thank you for all the support & keep up the good work! 

Our campaign relies on donations from folks like you. If you have already donated, THANK YOU! If you have set up a recurring donation, even better. If you haven't donated, please share our announcement video.

Help fuel our campaign