Update from Wadena, MN
Showing Up & Showing Out
Thanks to the organizers of the CD7 Congressional Candidate Town Hall.
Showing Up & Showing Out
After a busy day of conventions on Saturday, I spent the evening finishing my prep for the CD7 Congressional Candidate Town Hall, which was held yesterday, March 22, in Willmar. A great crowd of over 150 showed up, demonstrating the energy & enthusiasm of the DFL throughout CD7 this cycle. Huge thanks to Rep. Keeler for sharing the stage and for the conversation. As I said in my opening remarks, whatever the outcome of the CD7 Endorsing Convention on April 25th, the good news is the DFL will be in a better position post-endorsement than we have been in the last 2 election cycles.
Special thanks to CD7 Chair Jennifer Cronin for moderating the forum, to timekeepers Mary S. & Tim O. for keeping the forum moving along, to CD7 executive committee members Bonnie B., Dyna S., and Terry V. for being on hand, and to organizers from Kandiyohi Co. led by Deb O. & Mary S. for putting together an efficient and well-run event. Super grateful for all the purple I saw in the auditorium as I was on stage. I was also fortunate to have such a tremendous Team at my side, cheering me on yesterday. Evan M., Chris R., Lori K., Andy E., Dan P., Alissa E. & Chris Y. brought their A game again. Grateful & humbled doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Our team & the crowd at the CD7 Candidate Town Hall on March 22 in Willmar.
Following yesterday’s MN DFL CD7 Town Hall, we ventured over to Spur’s Bar & Grill in Willmar for the Senate District 16 fundraiser/meet the leaders event. Spur’s has become a place that’s near & dear to our hearts. I was able to address the crowd at the fundraiser & I told the story of the 1st time I walked into that place, which was EXACTLY 1 year ago to the day. We had thrown together a meet-n-greet at the last minute for my return from Wood Lake in Yellow Medicine County. I was expecting 5-10 people & mentally prepared for less. When I walked in the door, roughly 50 people were waiting. I was floored.
Spurs Bar & Grill in Willmar on March 22, 2025, & March 22, 2026. Great job showing up & showing out, CD7.
What I told those in attendance yesterday was that when we announced 377 days ago, we asked people to show up & show out. For the last 377 days, we’ve seen you do that time and time again. Job well done, CD7. Job well done.
It’s been a pretty frenzied pace lately. 15 events in the last 17 days. 40 in the last 71. This team is taking nothing for granted, and we’re going to continue putting in the hard work all across the district. The support we get when we are out-n-about is what refuels our tanks & keeps us movin’. Appreciate all of you!
Thoughts on the SAVE Act
The SAVE Act, which CD7’s current representative co-sponsored and voted for in the House of Representatives last month, was debated in the Senate last week and is scheduled to come up for a vote in the Senate this week. I was asked about my position on this bill at the Alexandria Area Indivisible forum earlier this month. Click here to view my response. Long story short, voting is a fundamental constitutional right, and I would vote against any legislation that, at its heart, is voter suppression legislation, as I believe this is.
Check out my response to a question about the SAVE Act at the Alexandria Area Indivisible forum on 3/5/26.
Convention Recap
Last Saturday was the busiest single day of convention season with 6 conventions all across the district, from Elbow Lake to Pipestone, Hutchinson to Morris, and Little Falls to Slayton. THANK YOU once again to our incredible Team for the effort they are putting in. From pre-convention phone calls to convention detail prep to table set up to on-site convention leg work, I’m just so grateful for & proud of the team we’ve built & all the hard work they’re doing.
Saturday’s Pipestone County DFL Convention was one of the most efficient we have attended so far. It was so efficient that our Campaign Manager Andy E. was able to make time to check out Pipestone National Monument. HUGE thanks to Wendy & Gen for lending a hand setting up & tabling. Special thanks to Wendy for presenting on our behalf. MN DFL Vice Chair Marge Hoffa was in attendance, as well as some other honored guests.
Scenes from McLeod, Morrison, & Pipestone County Conventions.
Over in Morrison County, the Osberg Family women showed out in force to support our campaign. Thanks again to my wife, Jena, for speaking on the campaign’s behalf. Thanks to the organizers, delegates, and alternates for showing up & showing out.
Supporters at the Murray County Convention in Slayton on March 21.
Our Southern Team Lead Dan P. worked his magic once again, this time in Murray County, and had a big crew of volunteers on hand, including Mike & Eric, who helped table, and many others who came decked out in their purple shirts to represent the campaign. Super grateful for all the support we received down in Slayton. Truly humbled.
Our team & volunteers in Pipestone, Grant, & McLeod counties on March 21.
We had a great showing in McLeod County as well, which is home to our Executive Assistant, Lori K. Thanks to Pia L. & Jim R. for being on hand to represent the campaign, and to Alissa E. for her strong speech endorsing our campaign. Kudos to Tony Amundson for a well-run convention. Great to have Ben Wieman, newly announced candidate for House District 17B, and Julie Kelzer, candidate for Senate District 17, on hand to address the crowd. Thanks to all the delegates who raised their hands and were elected to the CD7 convention to support our campaign.
Attendees at Pipestone & Grant County Conventions and our team at the Stevens County Convention.
I started the day in Morris for the Stevens County convention & was able to address the crowd there before heading up to Elbow Lake for the Grant County convention. Thanks to Chris R., Ginny B., Connie B., and Chris Y. for holding down the fort for the team after I left Stevens County. Great to have House District 12A candidate Talitha Anderson on hand in Stevens County and House District 9A candidate Nicholas Hanson on hand in Grant County to talk about their respective campaigns. Thanks to team member Dan S. for his heartfelt speech supporting our campaign at the Grant County convention before I got there & to Evan M. & Tim R. for also being there to support our team.
More scenes from Grant & Stevens Co., plus campaign manager Andy E., soaking in some sun at the beautiful Pipestone National Monument.
One of the actions I believe will be necessary to flip this district is Team building and Volunteer engagement, and I believe this campaign has displayed that trait & then some. Last weekend was a testament to the grassroots organizing we’ve been doing for over a year. This movement is meant to be transformative, not transactional, and our team is showing up all across the district with purpose, building relationships face-to-face & making connections that will yield dividends as we work to build our ground game & win in November.
There are now only 7 organizing unit conventions remaining, as you can see from the schedule below. Feels like we have some good momentum. We continue to take an earned, not given, approach to our work and remain confident we are right where we need to be to earn the DFL endorsement. We’ll be in Ada tonight for the Norman County Convention & then just 2 more Saturdays of conventions before the CD7 Endorsing Convention on April 25th.
Remaining CD7 DFL Organizing Unit Convention schedule before CD7 Endorsing Convention on April 25th.
My experience
Previous role: Financial Services Industry, 2004-2013.
Part of serving in the U.S. House of Representatives will require a complex understanding of finance. A fiduciary responsibility, if you will. My background in the private sector will serve me well in this responsibility. I was a financial advisor for Edward Jones Investments from 2004 to 2010. I was a branch manager/V.P. at a local bank from 2010-2012 & I had a “cup of coffee” at Farm Bureau Financial Services from 2012-2013.
This work, at its core, was sales. But it was also more than that: it was creating and maintaining relationships & trust, coupled with problem solving & interpersonal communication. Skill sets I feel are necessary in government.
Over nearly a decade in the industry, I can honestly say I did my best to put the clients’ needs above my own. I managed staff at each location, and I also had to stay within the rules of highly regulated/scrutinized professions & workplaces.
I’ve witnessed, firsthand, the impact corporate greed & recklessness can have on Americans’ daily lives. I worked for Edward Jones during the Great Recession. I watched the Dow Jones go from 14,164.53 on Oct. 9, 2007, to 6,547 on March 9, 2009. I started to refer to that period in time as a “greed bubble.” History doesn’t repeat itself, but the times we’re living in now sure do seem to rhyme with that past.
We could use real-world working-class experience in Washington, D.C. We could use representation that puts the needs of others over their own. And we could use politicians who have seen the aftermath of corporate greed on real people.
WE > ME #12
Meet Tait Butterfield, our Research Assistant. Tait’s top 5 strengths from the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment are: Responsibility, Positivity, Restorative, Self Assurance, and Ideation.
Meet Tait Butterfield, research assistant & member of the comms team.
Tait is a current student at St. Olaf in Northfield and is originally from Portland, OR. He’s another early adapter and has been with the campaign almost since the beginning. When asked why he wanted to get involved in the campaign, this is what he said:
“Congress needs reluctant politicians, people for whom politics was never the plan, but became so disillusioned at year after year of partisan bickering and a complete lack of progress that they threw their hat in the ring. Erik inspired me in this way. He showed how much people are willing to sacrifice to break this stagnant, repetitive constancy of Washington bureaucracy. Hearing the first announcement video sold me on Erik, and sold me on the necessity of the moment.”
Since joining the campaign, Tait has been Erik’s go-to guy any time he needs someone to research a topic, but he’s also helped out on the data team and, more recently, took over getting the weekly “Update from Wadena” newsletter sent out on Mondays. We appreciate Tait’s eagerness to contribute to the team and his “can do” attitude. When he’s not busy with college or the campaign, he enjoys watching the Wolves, biking, and swimming.
Thanks for your enthusiasm and hard work on the team, Tait – appreciate you!
Quote of the Week
Found this quote by the late, great Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week and felt like it really encompasses what we’re trying to do in this campaign. We will never, ever compromise our Democratic values in our quest to pave a different path to a different outcome in CD7.
“Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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
