Update from Wadena, MN
232 days until the midterms
Shout out to Hugo’s for making this amazing cake & to the Team for surprising me with it for our 1-year celebration in Crookston last week!
Actions we have taken
One of the goals of this campaign is to build a process to connect with, motivate, and organize people in all 38 counties in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District. I feel like we are doing a pretty good job. If you opened this email & are still reading, thank you.
As I’ve been traveling throughout western Minnesota recently, I’ve asked crowds to consider the ACTIONS necessary to win the midterm election. Opening this email was an action. People showing up for county conventions is an action. People signing up to volunteer is an action. Donating to the campaign is an action. Still humbled every time we go somewhere by the support we see. Every purple shirt, every button, every handshake and/or smile. We’ve all come a long way together. Let’s stay focused on the process and keep taking action.
Here is a summary of some of the work we’ve done:
152 stops in the past 370 days.
Put on 22,859 miles.
Raised pert near $200k.
Registered over 360 people as volunteers.
Built a campaign team that is 25 strong.
Actions we have taken together since March 11, 2025. The work is the reward.
When we embarked on this mission over a year ago, we saw this campaign as a quest to connect the dots & unite 38 counties. We couldn’t have gotten this far without your support. But this campaign has become bigger than that original quest thanks to the relationships formed along the way. It’s been nothing short of life-changing for us & for our team. Transformational rather than transactional. Doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you feel the same.
Our Path to Victory
This video was our opening statement at the Alexandria Area Indivisible forum on 3/5/26 and it does a pretty good job explaining our WHY & our HOW. Part of our mission is to shape a new narrative about what it means to be a Democrat here in western Minnesota, especially in rural places. If this campaign feels different than others, that is by design. Please share with someone who could use some hope & subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos.
Check out the video of our opening statement at the Alexandria Area Indivisible forum on 3/5/26.
Convention Recap
Had another busy week of organizing unit conventions, but we are now officially more than halfway done. We believe we are right where we want to be to secure the DFL endorsement on April 25th. We continue to take an earned, not given, approach and had strong showings at all of the 7 conventions held last week.
First up was the Wilkin County Convention last Tuesday in Breckenridge. Huge thanks to Colleen Engebretson, Mark Engebretson, Jeff Hart, all the delegates/alternates, guests and candidates/surrogates for the energy you brought to the event. Grateful for the support we received that night.
Wilkin & Douglas Co. Conventions March 10th & 12th.
On Thursday, we headed down to Alexandria for the Douglas County Convention. Our team was out in full force and our campaign had another strong showing that night, which marked the halfway point of convention season. Huge thanks to the delegates who participated that night. All 4 State Auditor DFL candidates were also on hand. We are fortunate to be a part of this movement. Great to see so many folks getting involved.
Team Erik in Douglas & Lyon Counties.
Saturday was a big day, with conventions for Lyon, Becker, Marshall/Pennington & Polk/Red Lake Counties as well as SD29.
Our team down in Lyon County was 7 strong and included Lori K., Eric M., Linda K., Dan P., Keith, Mike R., & Al K. Grateful to all of you for puttin’ in the work to support our campaign. Thanks to the 39 delegates & 70ish attendees who participated in the process in Marshall. In addition to doing convention work, the attendees celebrated Pi Day with a Pie Fundraiser & had live music too. Huge thanks to local organizers for running a great convention.
March 14th Conventions for Lyon, Becker, Marshall/Pennington & Polk/Red Lake Counties.
We had a strong team up in Becker County also, including Dan S., Christopher M., Evan M., Carter R., and Aaron W., as well as my wife, Jena, who by all accounts did a heckuva job speaking for the campaign in my place. Grateful for all the delegates who showed up & for the organizers who put on a great convention.
SD29’s convention was held in Buffalo. Most of this unit is part of CD6, but there’s a tiny portion of the SD that is in Meeker Co., which is in CD7. Thanks to volunteer Jaycie K. for making sure our campaign was represented. Appreciate the support.
I spent the day up in Crookston for the Marshall/Pennington & Polk/Red Lake conventions, which were held at Bede Ballroom on the campus of UMN Crookston. Our team on hand included Pia, Jim, Sue, Bob, Kim, Tom & Lenore and they did an absolutely fantastic job representing us. Lots of special guests appeared via the internet. Other candidates & a surrogate spoke in person as well. Kudos to Kip Fontaine & others for well-organized conventions.
Team Erik in Detroit Lakes & Crookston on March 14th.
There are now only 13 organizing unit conventions remaining before the CD7 Convention on April 25th. So proud of the effort our Team & volunteers are putting into these events. I’ve been saying one of the goals of this campaign is to build power to keep power in check, and the work of our Team & volunteers over this last month of conventions has been a testament to the power this campaign is building throughout CD7. Super grateful for everyone who is putting in the work to make this campaign successful.
Remaining CD7 DFL Organizing Unit Convention schedule through April 11th.
My experience
Previous role: Small Business owner.
One of my childhood dreams was to have my own “fishing show.” I grew up watching Saturday morning TV with hosts like Roland Martin & Babe Winkelman.
In 2010, I started a business called Whiskey Creek Media located here in Wadena. It began as a side gig. We specialized in producing outdoor-related video content for hire. The business model combined my passion for the outdoors with my fondness for storytelling.
I was a cameraperson/editor for hire and most of our clients were in the outdoor recreation industry. Eventually, I had built enough of a book of business to make this my full-time job. Shortly thereafter, I hired a small staff. One FT employee & some part-timers along the way. We also started to offer broader social media marketing services.
Images from my previous role as a small business owner.
In 2014, we produced a full-length TV show for another brand. After that, my childhood dream came true. We had our own TV show called The Outdoor Report. It aired Saturday mornings at 8:30 am in the 3rd quarter of 2016 on a network formerly known as Fox Sports North & Fox Sports Wisconsin. We had built that brand from scratch with a ton of sweat equity and help from friends/family.
The reason this matters in this election is that I know what it is like to make payroll. I know, first hand, many of the challenges small business owners face here in western Minnesota. I know what it’s like to own & operate a business. I understand finance. I also know what it is like to jump in with both feet and take some risks. I know what it is like to chase a dream to the fullest extent, to take a “no regrets” approach.
I’ve come to believe that we need SYSTEMIC change in Washington D.C. The kind of change only an outsider can create. I also believe this campaign is the change you seek. We are grateful for the support we’ve gotten along the way & look forward to earning the trust of voters to flip Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District.
Upcoming Visits
We’re hittin’ the road this week for a couple delegate meet-ups and then will be out at the March 21st Conventions. Also participating in the CD7 Candidate Town Hall in Willmar on March 22nd. The best place to find info about each of these events is to go to our website and click the events tab or follow the links below for each event.
Upcoming campaign visits. Learn more by clicking the links below or going to our website.
March 18th – Morrison Co. delegate meet-up – Little Falls
March 19th – McLeod Co. delegate meet-up – Glencoe
March 21st – County Conventions – schedule above
March 22nd – CD7 Candidate Town Hall – Willmar
Actions You Can Take
Join the Team!
Sign up to get involved with Team Erik if you haven’t already. There’s room for everyone and plenty of opportunities to join the fun. No experience necessary! Head over to our website to get involved & choose your own volunteer adventure.
Invest in the change you seek
Our campaign is fueled by gratitude and grassroots organizing – and 100% of our donations are from individuals who have decided to invest in the change they want to see. Check out our video on getting corporate money out of politics and our commitment to ending Citizens United.
Help us hit our next target of $200k!
If you have already donated – or even better, set up a recurring donation – THANK YOU! If you haven’t, please help us reach our next target of $200k by making an investment today. If you would like to host a private party fundraiser, click here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/SKQtMANaY0W8nGqHcpukXA2.
Please share our Path to Victory Video
