Update from Wadena, MN
Long Way to Go, Short Time to Get There
Great attendance at the Kittson/Roseau Convention on Thurs. Feb 27th – lots of first-timers too! The Rural Revival is real.
Long way to go, short time to get there
Put a lot of miles on the campaign vehicle this week – 888 to be exact. I’m now at 21,622 since we announced March 11, 2025. Closing in on 25k miles, which is the equivalent of a trip around the circumference of the Earth.
Our week started in Ivanhoe for the Lincoln County DFL Convention on Tuesday. This was our 3rd visit to Lincoln County since launching our campaign almost 1 year ago. The room was packed and the energy was great.
One of the most compelling moments came when the CEO of a local hospital talked about the impact the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act, H.R. 1 (aka the Big Billionaire Bailout) could have on rural health care systems. He talked about economic realities & the role Medicaid plays in ensuring access to health care. Diminished funding could cause significant damage to our systems. He added that nursing homes are highly dependent on Medicaid, and without funding, our elders could be without care. He warned of preventative care becoming emergency care and talked about provider burnout. Once elected, one of the goals of this campaign is to lead an effort to repeal the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act (aka the Big Billionaire Bailout). In addition to damaging rural health care systems, according to the CBO the legislation adds over 3 trillion dollars to the national debt.
Overwhelmed by the support for our campaign in Lincoln County on Feb. 24th.
On Thursday, campaign manager Andy Evenson joined me for a road trip up to Greenbush for the Kittson/Roseau County DFL Convention. Connie Lindstrom did a FANTASTIC job running the meeting. She and her husband Brent handled the larger than usual turnout very well. Senate District 1 candidate Bjorn Solberg was on hand as well as other candidates. Wonderful to see so many people throwing their hats in the ring for the first time.
Kudos to a well-run convention for Kittson-Roseau. Great to see SD1 Candidate Bjorn Solberg again.
Saturday was a busy day, with 3 county conventions all happening at the same time: Sibley, Swift, and Traverse. But with the team we’ve built, we had a strong showing at all 3 conventions. As Lori Krenik put it, “Through rain, wind & snow, Team Erik gets it done.”
I began Saturday in Swift County, greeting attendees at the door and addressing the crowd before leaving to head out to the next stop. After I left, our team in Swift County got to see the second walking subcaucus of the convention season, which followed a pretty fun live demonstration of how a walking subcaucus works using candy in place of candidates. Kudos to Jim & Karen Falk for their creativity organizing the demonstration. SD12 candidate Kari Dorry was also on hand to address the crowd.
Swift Co. Convention had the second walking subcaucus of the season and a speech from SD12 Candidate, Kari Dorry.
From Swift County, we headed over to Wheaton for the Traverse County Convention. The snow slowed us down a bit, but we got there before the convention ended. Grateful to the chair, Christeen Borsheim, for allowing me to address the crowd and answer a couple questions.
Traverse Co. Convention on Feb. 28th.
In Sibley County, newly announced candidate for SD17, Julie Kelzer was on hand to greet folks and got a hearty welcome from those in attendance. Hope to meet you on the trail soon, Julie. There was a more unwelcome guest in Sibley County in the form of 4” of fresh snow that fell before and during their convention.
SD17 Candidate Julie Kelzer was on hand to address the Sibley Co. Convention.
After Saturday, 12 of the 36 local unit conventions have been completed. There are Senate District Conventions on the horizon as well. Here’s the schedule of upcoming conventions through March 14.
CD7 DFL Convention schedule through March 14th.
Huge thanks to all the DFL County chairs, committees, volunteers, and of course the delegates/alternates and other candidates/guests for showing up. Big shout out to Team Erik who showed up in force at all 5 of last week’s conventions – beyond grateful for everything you do day in and day out to keep this campaign moving. In the words of the Jerry Reed classic song, East Bound & Down: “We gonna do what they say can’t be done. We’ve got a long way to go, and a short time to get there.”
Beyond grateful for this dedicated team that traveled all corners of CD7 this week. #teamworkmakesthedreamwork
Protecting the BWCA
Click here to view our statement on our current congressperson’s vote to lift the mining ban in the BWCA.
View our statement on the BWCA here.
Upcoming Visits
No mid-week conventions this week, but we’ll be hittin’ the road for a few non-convention related events. Also planning a celebration up in Crookston for the 1 year campaign anniversary. 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 5th – Meet the Candidate Forum – hosted by Alexandria Area Indivisible
March 6th – Stearns Co./SD12 delegate meet-up – Sauk Centre
March 6th – Meeker Co. delegate meet-up – Litchfield
March 8th – Becker Co. delegate meet-up – Detroit Lakes
March 11th – One Year Campaign Anniversary Celebration & delegate meet-up – Crookston
WE > ME #9 – Dan Skogen
This week we’re introducing two more team members: Dan Skogen & Breeanna Riordan.
First up is our Finance Lead, Dan Skogen. Dan’s top 5 strengths from the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment are: Woo, Harmony, Positivity, Communication, and Adaptability.
Dan’s hometown is Battle Lake and he currently lives in Hewitt (both in Otter Tail County). He is a former State Senator who served 1 term in the legislature from 2007-2011. In the State Senate, Dan served on the Agriculture and Veterans Committee, the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, the Education Committee, and the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
When Erik decided to run for Congress, he knew one of the key positions that needed to be filled on his team was Finance Lead/Treasurer. Dan & Erik knew each other from church so Erik knew Dan had prior political experience that would be useful as he started the campaign. As the story goes, when Erik asked Dan if he’d take on the role of Finance Lead, Dan said he’d do it “for a while, to get you started.” Well, here we are almost a year since the campaign officially launched, and Dan is still here. The reason for that is Dan’s belief that we can do better and that Erik is the candidate whose approach is most likely to lead to a different outcome for CD7 in the 2026 election.
Team Erik’s Finance Lead, Dan Skogen.
WE > ME #10 – Breeanna Riordan
Next, meet our Digital Marketing Director, Breeanna Riordan. Breeanna’s top 5 strengths from the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment are: Relator, Activator, Learner, Positivity, and Strategic.
As Erik said recently, like it or not, a key part of a successful campaign is building brand recognition. By early October, he felt the campaign was doing fairly well on Facebook but he knew there were other audiences we needed to reach and we could use someone on the team who had experience building brands on other platforms. Enter Breeanna.
Breeanna is a native of Dickinson, ND, and currently lives in Sartell (Stearns County). She has an extensive background in marketing and currently owns her own marketing consultancy firm. She joined our campaign in late October as a paid consultant after being introduced to Erik by her husband, Luke. Since joining the team, Breeanna has been particularly focused on getting this campaign on platforms like YouTube, Instagram & TikTok, with an intentional goal of reaching younger potential voters.
Breanna was initially impressed by Erik, describing him as “literally the nicest and most hard working guy ever,” but the longer she worked with the campaign and the more she got to know the team, the more she was inspired by what this campaign is doing. In fact, she was so inspired that she transitioned from paid consultant to volunteer team member earlier this year. When asked why she wanted to continue with the campaign in a volunteer role, she said, “I care deeply about building strong communities and honest conversations. This campaign is about both, and that’s something I’m proud to support.” This campaign is incredibly humbled by your support, Breeanna – so glad our paths crossed.
Team Erik’s Digital Marketing Director, Breeanna Riordan.
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