Senate District 21 Freedom & Potato Salad Picnic on a farm near Fulda, MN
8 days to the primary
July was a whirlwind. 37 stops across the district, covering over 5,000 miles. That put us at 37,555 since we started this campaign. We’ve already added stops in August. Most of those miles ended at a county fair, a parade, or a picnic table somewhere. Creating & deepening relationships at scale. There is no better feeling I get on the road than walking into a room, a barn, a booth, and shaking hands with some who’s name I know. I don’t ALWAYS remember; however, I do my best to ask questions and listen. My intent is to learn & understand, not judge. It’s a core tenet of this campaign. Aligns with our values of hard work & empathy.
What sticks with me about this quest isn’t the mileage, it’s the conversations. Down near Fulda at the Senate District 21 Freedom & Potato Salad Picnic, I sat at a picnic table with my new friend Ian as things wound down. Two people in their twentiess joined us and said they wanted to learn more about me. I asked if they had any questions for me, and before long we had a nice back-and-forth visit going. Ryder & Everly told me about the cost of college & wondered if they’ll ever afford a house. We chatted about environmental issues too, & I told ’em the simplest way I can say it is I believe we need to put the planet over profit. It took me a few tries to remember their names, but as I said goodbye & finally got their names right, they said, “You got my vote.”
Earlier in the week, I spent an hour on a video call with three people who work in technology for rural public school districts. Budgets are already tight, and now they are wondering if federal dollars attached to the E-Rate Program are coming or not. One of them called it playground bully tactics. That’s the thing: when we start with listening, we can move to problem solving. That’s the whole idea (more on these below).
Of course, none of this happens without you. Folks worked booths at the fairs, put up signs, and opened up their farms so neighbors had a place to gather. That’s grassroots, & that’s what wins elections. We’ve got 43 events on the calendar for August, so if you’ve got a spot for a sign or an hour to give, we’d be grateful for it. Gratitude is a cornerstone of this campaign. We continue to improve. We continue to take the “earned no given approach.” We’ve come a long way this summer & I still believe WE CAN DO BETTER.
If you are wondering how you can help, here are some actions you can take.
- Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/erik-osberg
- Write postcards.
- Talk to your neighbors
- Forward this email to a friend.
- Put up a yard sign.
Get Involved – https://www.erikosberg4congress.com/get-involved/
The Road Ahead
Festivals, county fairs, fish frys, parades, phonebanks, doorknocks and more. Our summer is jam packed with events. Hope you can find one (or more) to attend! Keep an eye on this space each week or for more info or visit our website events page. Events with links are to sign up via Mobilize:
- Today! August 3 – Moorhead Mondays with Team Osberg
- Today! August 3 – Doorknock in Grey Eagle
- Today! August 3 – Doorknock in Wheaton
- Tuesday, August 4 – Turnout Tuesdays with Team Erik (Online)
- Tuesday, August 4 – Farmfest Forum!
- Wednesday, August 5 – SD15 Corn Feed
- Wednesday, August 5 – Doorknock in Hallock
- Thursday, August 6 – Doorknock in Springfield
- Thursday, August 6 – Doorknock in Sauk Centre
- Saturday, August 8 – Glyndon Days Parade
- Saturday, August 8 – Doorknock in Olivia
- Saturday, August 8 – Kandiyohi County Fair
- Saturday, August 8 – Upsala Heritage Days
- Saturday, August 8 – Eggstravaganza Parade
A Look Back
Community Parades & County Fairs, Neighbors Coming Together
Shoulda brought the “get out the vote boat” to the Catfish Derby Days Parade in Franklin, MN. Thankfully, the local DFL unit & candidates let me walk/run with them. The last half of the parade was a pretty steady jog/run. Great to see the MN State candidates putting in the work. Enjoyed seeing Senate District candidates Andrea Boettger (SD15) & Kathy Jorgenson (SD16), House candidates Keith Klawitter (15B) & Dave Torgelson (16A) again.
It was a warm one, but worth the effort. Huge thanks to all those who showed up to help get the word out.
Carter, Angela, and Charles were out in Moorhead last Monday for Moorhead Mondays (they’ll be out again tonight). Great connections, conversations, and got the word out about how we can do better.
That’s the work. That’s grassroots. That’s what wins elections.
Huge thanks to Carter, Angela, and Charles. This campaign runs on people like you willing to put in the effort when it matters.
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I was back down south again last Monday. Super grateful for the invite to the Senate District 21 Freedom & Potato Salad Picnic on a farm near Fulda. I was at this same event last year and attendance was double what it was last time. The conversations/connections were plentiful. And the potato salad(s) were scrumptious. I really liked the “old school” version. State Senate candidate Caitlyn Sanow-Minett continues to impress. I always enjoy hearing her talk about “balance.” House candidate Jon Wilson shared his real world experience of long-term care costs and stressed the need for access to health care in rural places. House candidate Rusty Nelson offered his perspective and solutions to rural issues as well. Perhaps my most enjoyable moment was sitting at a picnic table as the event wound down and talking with longtime connections (Ian, Mary, James, et al.) and a couple of other young people I was meeting for the first time. Ryder & Everly (not sure on the spelling) shared their concerns about the cost of college and trying to be able to afford a house someday. We also chatted about environmental issues. I told them the best way I could sum up my positions on the environment is we need to put the planet over profit. I told them I was a self described “tree hugger” who believes in a safety first approach to our resources. The moral of the story is when we center our conversations about common concerns, rather than wedge issues, we can eventually get into problem solving mode. Huge thanks to local leadership for organizing & executing the event, and huge thanks to the hosts for opening up their farm as a place for us to gather. |
The Lincoln County Fair was worth the trip. Had some great conversations with voters in the area and local media as well. Always enjoy visiting with MN State House candidate Rusty Nelson (21A) Huge thanks to everyone working the booth to help get the word out. If you’ve never been, this fair has some super cool buildings. Highly recommend the horse barn. Appreciate everyone out there doin’ the work.
Had a chance to meet with folks at the Becker County Fair this week. These are my favorite days. Meeting folks, hearing their stories, understanding the real struggles & the hope they carry.
Here’s what I’ve learned: change doesn’t start in Washington. It starts right here. At places like the county fair. In conversations with neighbors. When we actually listen to each other & decide we’re tired of how things are and ready for something different. Something better.
County fairs remind us what we’re fighting for. It’s about the hard work, community, people who care about each other. That’s where we do better. That’s where it all starts.
We shut down the Pope County Fair in Glenwood on Friday night. I was running late, but decided better late than never. Some folks were waiting for me when i got there at 8pm and the conversations continued till pert near 10pm. Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat and huge thanks to the Pope County DFL for all the work they do.
Signs of the times.
Huge thanks to everyone who has put up one (or 2 or 3) of our signs. We especially love seeing them next to the American flag. If you have a sign displayed, we’d love to see a pic. Feel free to send any as a reply to this email. If you need a sign, you can order a 24×18 inch here: https://store.erikosberg4congress.com/erik-osberg-24-x-18-coroplast-yard-sign/
The 4×8’s are special delivery, but if you have a spot for one, let us know.
We Can Do Better when it comes to funding education
Last week I had an hour long video conference with 3 people who work in public education. While our current Congressperson reverts to fear mongering & scare tactics, this campaign remains committed to listening to the people who live/work/vote here while solving real world problems that have real world consequences here in western Minnesota.
The three individuals I met with work in technology at their respective rural school districts. What I heard them say was that budgets are already tight and anything that has to do with federal funding, they just don’t know if it is coming or not. “Play ground bully tactics” is how one of them described the situation.
Funding that was put in place by Congress in 1996 as part of the Telecommunications Act is being reviewed to be limited or sunset by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). If our current Congressperson was doing their job, they would be the ones talking with educators about the impact of these programs. In addition, she would be standing up for the Constitution and not allowing partisan politics to have negative impacts on the very people she was elected to represent.
This campaign stands in solidarity with our education professionals. We stand with our rural school systems. We pledge to protect and expand federal funding for PUBLIC education to make sure we, as a nation, are investing in the future.
Our Core Priorities
Our team started rolling out shareable snippets around our top priorities this past week. You can find them on our Facebook and Instagram pages and we’d love to see you sharing them with your friends and neighbors. It’s a great way to let people know what we stand for.
The first one was our #1 priority to Defend The Constitution. Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BwnjifN28/
I haven’t fished much this summer. Been kinda busy. Click the image to see the full message on YouTube.
Visit our swag store!
All our products are union-made right here in the U.S.A.! Go to store.erikosberg4congress.com to place your order today. You can also find the link on our website erikosberg.com
Orders will ship in 1-2 weeks. You should get a receipt when your order is placed and a tracking number once your order is shipped. Orders are considered a campaign donation, so be mindful of the $3,500 limit per individual. ✌
Our swag store is open: store.erikosberg4congress.com
Actions you can take
We’re committed to investing our campaign dollars into people power. We now have 6 full-time staffers and Erik himself has put on over 37,000 miles in our efforts. Your financial support can help us secure more boots on the ground. Please give what you can today: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/erik-osberg
We have well over 600 volunteers already signed up, and we always have room for more. Join the movement to help us Do Better: https://www.erikosberg4congress.com/get-involved
