Update from Wadena, MN – 12/22/25
brighter days lay ahead
Had a full house for our event in Little Falls on December 17
Brighter days lay ahead. Literally…I promise!
Yesterday, Dec. 21st, marked the Winter Solstice. The shortest day of the year when you consider daylight hours. When this campaign launched back in March, we warned you that we were going to be annoyingly optimistic. 9+ months in and we are sticking to the game plan. I don’t think it is a stretch to say we have the best chance to win back Minnesota’s 7th Congressional since 2020.
In the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost writes;
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
We too have miles to go before we sleep & many promises to keep. Grateful for all the support we have gotten along the way. Stay focused, stay committed to the cause, and remember that the work is the reward.
Hope in the darkness
It might have been rainy, dark, and cold outside, but inside Ciao Thyme in Little Falls last Wednesday, December 17, our hearts were warm and full of hope. We joined 60ish of our neighbors in Morrison County to break bread, create connections, and celebrate community. After the event, someone thanked me for giving them a hope they haven’t felt in a long time. I told him that HE gave me hope. It truly is the people who show up to these things that gives me hope. The smiling faces, the poignant questions, the handshakes & hugs. The re-humanization of communication, one stop and one person at a time.
Nearly 60 supporters gathered in Little Falls to break bread and hear from our campaign.
We made many new friends that night in Little Falls while deepening relationships with old ones. Our Team put this event together in a week. Huge thanks to the local volunteers who helped out. Huge thanks to our Field Team Lead Chris Radel for the planning & execution. Huge thanks to our soon to be Communications Team Lead Alissa Evenson for addressing the crowd. Huge thanks to Wayne for sharing his gift of writing. Huge thanks to the staff at Ciao Thyme. If you missed us last week, we plan to be back in Morrison County on January 25 in Royalton.
This was our 115th event since announcing our campaign on March 11th, 2025. We have now put on over 17,000 miles traveling the district. Gonna slow down a bit over the next couple weeks to spend time with family & friends and do some fishin’.
You Did It
Just a couple weeks ago, we were at $132k raised. We issued a challenge to help us hit $150k by year’s end. Well, we crossed the $150k mark last Thursday. We would still like to raise as much as possible before Jan. 1st, but consider the goal met. Again, can’t thank everyone enough for their support.
With your generosity, our campaign met our end of year fundraising goal 14 days early! THANK YOU!
Strangers to Friends
One of the things that gives this campaign hope that brighter days are truly ahead are the people we’ve met throughout this district – especially people who quickly go from strangers to friends. One of those people is Jerry, who at 93 years young has more energy than a lot of people half his age. Jerry is a veteran, longtime Honeywell employee, author, artist, and idea man – and he still finds the time & energy to manage a herd of Scottish Highland cattle with the help of a hired hand. Jerry rode with us to & from our event in Little Falls last week. He’s a conversationalist with a gift for wordsmithing. We are hoping to lean into his near century’s worth of wisdom over the weeks & months to come.
Had coffee & conversation with our new friend Jerry on his farm last week
Actions You Can Take
Invest in the change you seek: We’ve met our end of year fundraising goal of $150k – thank you, thank you, thank you! We’re proud to say 100% of these donations are from individual people who have decided to invest in the change they want to see. If you have already donated, thank you. If you haven’t, please consider making an investment today.
Caucus: Don’t forget, Feb. 3rd is fast approaching. We are asking our supporters to Commit to Caucus to ensure our voices are heard and get this campaign on the ballot on Nov. 3rd. As a reminder, this commitment goes beyond just participating on Feb. 3rd, as there will also be county conventions and eventually a District-wide convention in April. We need your help to create the change we seek. Please, click here to register.
Click here to register to take an action and caucus for Erik
Making time
I was able to make time for some ice fishing this weekend. I spent way more time getting all the gear ready than I did actually fishing as I’ve been a little preoccupied lately. The good news is I got lucky and landed a few nice fish. The other good news is I worked the bugs out, so the next opportunity should be less labor intense. My plan is to spend more time in the great outdoors in the coming days, in addition to connecting with family & friends. Wishing you and yours all the best during the holiday season. We have a lot to be grateful for, and a lot of reason to be hopeful for what’s to come in 2026. May you too find reasons for hope.
1st fish of the 2025/2026 ice fishing season for me.
Upcoming Events
Dec. 25th – Merry Christmas!
Dec. 26th – Happy Kwanzaa!
Jan. 1st – Happy New Year!
Jan. 5th – Pope County DFL meet-n-greet
Jan. 8th – DFL Rural Caucus Annual meeting
Jan. 13th – Sibley County DFL meeting
Feb. 3rd – Caucus for Erik – District wide
Thank you for all the support & keep up the good work!
Thanks to our generous donors, we have raised over $152,000! 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: NGPVAN
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