Update from Wadena, MN (11/17/25)
- knyreen
- Nov 17
- 3 min read
15,000 miles & 100 events
by Erik Osberg on 11/17/25
We crossed more milestones this week. We have now put on over 15,000 miles and made 100 campaign stops along the way. According to our math, we’ve been in the same room as 3,700+ people. While we haven’t shaken every hand, we have created connections with thousands of people throughout western Minnesota. And we’ve been doing this in places often ignored. We’ve been listening to people who feel they haven’t been heard. The result is that our voice is their voice. So grateful for all the support we've gotten along the way. You are the fuel for this campaign.
We made our 3rd visit to Roseau County last week. We stopped at the Warroad Veterans Day Program and had a lunch-n-learn with local voters. You can read more about our time in Warroad here.
From there, we went to the City of Roseau. We attended another Veterans Day Program & stopped by the local food shelf to learn about their local program. We also learned a new word: fika (fee•kuh)
Fika is a Swedish word. It is both a noun & a verb. It means to take a break, have some coffee, conversation & some sweets. Cookies or coffee are the custom. I took a fika at a local business in downtown Roseau. They gave me a tour of their Scandinavian Shop. Works of art lined the walls & shelves. There was jewelry, real Norwegian wool sweaters, books & more.
I was able to meet with some voters there as well. We shared a fika. We talked about chaos, cruelty & uncertainty. We talked about our past, our present & our future. I told them about our quest to connect the dots in all 38 counties in Minnesota's 7th Congressional District.
What I have been trying to display over the past 8 months is the quality of my character. I've been trying to model our values of hard work, integrity & empathy. My belief is that principles & ethics are going to matter a whole heck of a lot in the next election. I believe in giving everyone an equal opportunity to succeed. I believe all are welcome. I believe people are suffering & I am willing to do my best to be the change we seek.
One headline that caught our eye last week was the talk about 50 year mortgages.
As a former financial advisor and former banker, I don't believe 50 year mortgages are a good solution for our housing affordability issue. In addition, I believe a 50 year mortgage is NOT in the best interest of the borrower. In my public sector experience over the past 8 years, I have seen multiple public-private partnerships provide solutions on the supply side of housing. Each of these solutions was tailored to the rural communities it benefited. These solutions require collaboration between city, county, state & federal agencies. These forward looking solutions are examples of public investment leading to public good. As your representative in Congress, I would pledge to make sure rural places had access to the federal resources necessary to thrive.
I made time for outdoor recreation for the 3rd weekend in a row. Not very often you get night time temps in the upper 40’s in November. I loaded up the Get Out The Vote Boat Friday night and tried to catch some walleyes. I got skunked. But at least I scratched the itch and got in one more cast. Grateful for the opportunity to have public access to so many lakes here in our District.
We will be in Barnesville, MN for the Senate District 4 & 9 Fundraiser tonight. Here is a look at some other upcoming events.
Nov. 20th - Health Care for All summit - Melrose, MN
Nov. 22nd - Holidaze Lighted Parade - Willmar, MN
Nov 27th - Thanksgiving
Dec. 2nd - SMSU college campus tour stop - Marshall, MN
Thank you for all the support & keep up the good work!
Thanks to our generous donors, we are closing in on $124,000 raised. 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
