Update from Wadena, MN (11/24/25)
- knyreen
- Nov 24
- 5 min read
hope floats
by Erik Osberg on 11/24/25
Tis the season for hope. We kicked off our holidays at Holidaze in downtown Willmar this weekend. Even participated in a lighted parade. Huge thanks to everyone who joined us. Kandihoyi County has re-filled our “hope tank” on a number of occasions. This visit was no different. We were "tabling" before the parade and got to mingle. We met a longtime supporter & her family for the 1st time. While talking with another couple for the first time, one of them asked who I was running against. I told her & she gave me a hug. We made new friends. Those moments, those connections are what differentiates this campaign from others. We aim to be authentic, honest & grateful.
And that is what Thanksgiving week means to me. Practicing gratitude and service of others. Throw in food, family, friends and football and you’ve got the recipe for reason to hope. We hope you are able to spend time with loved ones in the coming weeks. These are divisive times we are living. I believe there is common ground to be found.
Huge thanks to our new Campaign Manager Andy Evenson & his wife Alissa for helping us out that day. As well as my wife & cousin Laura.
Pizza, Pints & Politics
We were in Barnesville for an event dubbed Pizza, Pints & Politics earlier in the week. Congrats to MN DFL Senate Districts 4 & 9 on a fantastic fundraiser. It was great to see so many familiar faces and create new connections. We were honored to be part of such a great speaker lineup which included MN Senate Majority Leader Sen. Erin Murphy & former ND State Sen. Joel Heitkamp. To see/hear our speech from Monday night, click here.
Rhetoric vs. Reality
I met with a Human Services Director at one of the counties in Minnesota's 7th Congressional District this week to hear firsthand what their department & staff are dealing with. One of the main takeaways for me was that the rhetoric at the federal level has real life impacts at the local level. "We all lose in the political climate we have right now." they said. "Taking care of our most vulnerable people matters."
Or at least it used to. The chaos, uncertainty & cruelty coming out of Washington, D.C., can wreak havoc on people who are just trying to do their jobs & serve their communities. This person went on to say they very rarely go 2 or 3 weeks without some form of unexpected change. As a reminder, SNAP is a federal program that has had funding cut at the federal level. The feds are abdicating their responsibility to administer & fund the program and passing that on to taxpayers at the county level.
The work our county Human Services Departments do goes well beyond SNAP. They handle child protection, child support cases, licensing for day care & foster care, nursing home assistance, disability, mental health case management & more. An already stressed system needs stability & support, not lies & uncertainty.
I believe we need to start treating ALL our neighbors with dignity & compassion. We need to re-humanize issues to remind ourselves there are real people being impacted by the demolition of our safety net systems. I believe we need to stop listening to & spreading the toxic rhetoric those in power peddle. I believe we could start to trust people we know rather than podcasters. I believe we can challenge the misinformation machines that flood the zone with garbage. This campaign has dedicated our efforts to create what we call a shared reality. A reality where we create common ground to solve our problems with common sense.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE - Commit to Caucus
One of our goals is to get first time caucus goers to mark Feb. 3rd on their calendar. It is a Tuesday, so you may need to make plans. Caucus day is the first step in awarding the DFL endorsement for the U.S. House of Representatives race in MN-07. Not sure what a caucus is? That’s ok, we can help you. There are hundreds of precincts throughout all of CD7’s 38 counties. On February 3rd, 2026, people will attend these meetings and use their voice to decide who is on the ballot in 2026. There is more to explain, but for right now, we just need everyone to block off the evening of Feb. 3rd. At caucuses, you can also commit to participating in two additional events between March & April - that’s 3 days to help decide who earns the DFL endorsement. Remember all the hard work I’ve mentioned? This is part of it. You, yes you, have to commit to caucus for Erik Osberg if you want to flip a seat. Click here to register.
There was a headline from this week I wanted to respond to.
I believe nursing is a noble PROFESSION.
I have biases as a member of my family is studying to be a nurse. I have also heard stories from, and built relationships with numerous nurses over the past 8 months on the campaign trail.
The current administration is proposing to redefine the amount of money students can borrow in their quest for professional development. In addition to nurses, “physician assistants, physical therapists, educators, social workers, audiologists, architects and accountants were also on the list of degrees that were not classified as ‘professional’ by the (current) Administration.” Source: The Independent.
Our health care & education systems are already under threat. These callous moves by out of touch elite policy makers are widening an already massive gap between the ultra wealthy and the working class.
I believe we need representation in Washington, D.C., that is beholden to the people not the powerful. I believe #wecandobetter
Events
We will be making our first college campus tour stop in December. Other events are developing.
Nov 27th - Thanksgiving
Dec. 2nd - meet-n-greet - Marshall, MN
Dec. 3rd - meet-n-greet/fundraiser - Hutchinson, MN
Feb. 3rd - Caucus for Erik - District wide.
Thank you for all the support & keep up the good work!
Thanks to our generous donors, we are closing in on $125,000 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
