Priorities
Affordable and Abundant Housing
Everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to call home. I will fight for more affordable housing, sustainable land use, and housing along transit corridors to build vibrant, connected communities. Learn more
Climate Action & Environmental Justice
We face a worsening climate crisis that will hit the working class and people of color the hardest. I have worked with organizers and policy makers to achieve historic wins in Minnesota that meet the moment, and we have more work to do. Learn more
Transit Options for All
Whether commuting to work, taking kids to school or getting groceries, transportation is essential. We need affordable and flexible ways to go about our day that help our environment. Learn more
Early and K-12 Education
Minnesota has some of the worst disparities in the nation between white people and people of color. The good news is that research proves that racial disparities can actually be prevented in early childhood before they ever arise. Learn more
Higher Education
Student loan debt is today the fastest growing personal debt in America. I’ve met with college students at the U of M, Augsburg, Hamline and St Thomas. Students want to build a sustainable economy big enough to include them after they graduate. We can do that.
Living Wages and a Fair Healthcare System
Every worker deserves a living wage and access to quality healthcare. I am committed to fighting for higher wages, affordable healthcare, and protecting gender-affirming care. Learn more
Holistic Community safety
All people deserve to feel safe in their own community. Safety is about creating conditions where everyone’s basic needs are met, and everyone has access to the resources they need to live a healthy, thriving life. Learn more
Tax Fairness
My first value in designing a fair tax system is that it must be based on ability to pay. Those who have more should pay more, not just higher in total dollars, but at a higher percentage. That means we should utilize a progressive income tax at the state level. Learn more
Affordable and Abundant Housing
I believe that housing is a human right, and everyone deserves a safe, dignified place to live. We are in an affordable housing crisis, evidenced by people living in tents across the city, which is unacceptable in a country with so much financial wealth. That’s why I’m committed to making sure everyone in SD60 has access to affordable housing. Specifically, I will:
Work to expand naturally occurring affordable housing and build more housing along transit corridors to create vibrant, accessible communities where people can live, work, and thrive.
Advocate for land-use policies that support missing middle housing, striking a balance between affordability and density to ensure that housing is available to all, regardless of income.
Address the energy burden that many families face by supporting programs that reduce utility costs, lower pollution, and make homes more energy efficient.
Push for policies like People Over Parking that prioritize the needs of people over unnecessary infrastructure, helping to build stronger, more livable neighborhoods.
Renters deserve protections. No one should have to worry about unsafe living conditions, unfair evictions, or unaffordable rent increases. I will fight for stronger renter protections, ensuring that everyone can live in a safe, dignified space without the fear of being displaced.
I was proud to help pass the 2040 Plan in Minneapolis, a bold step toward addressing our housing crisis, and I’m ready to bring the fight for affordable housing to the Senate. Everyone in SD60 deserves a place to call home, and I’ll work tirelessly to make that a reality.
Climate Action and Environmental Justice
I fought for historic achievements in Minnesota like the 100% Clean Electricity and the Frontline Communities Protection Act. We need to build on that with bold policies that not only address climate change but provide good-paying, union jobs, lower our energy bills and protect marginalized communities. I want to:
Streamline permitting for rooftop solar to make it easier and more affordable to put solar panels on your house
Get fossil gas out of our homes and buildings by promoting thermal energy networks that will improve indoor and outdoor air quality and are far more efficient than tradition gas powered furnaces
Work with Minnesota’s indigenous peoples to protect our precious wetlands and forests from sulfide mining with legislation like Prove It First and creating Lowland Carbon and Habitat Reserves
Put Minnesota on a path towards a zero waste economy, enabling us to shutdown toxic trash burners like HERC that are poisoning our black and brown neighbors. It will also help us meet the mineral needs of a clean energy economy without relying on harmful mining practices
I also recognize that environmental protection goes hand in hand with affordable housing policy and diversifying our transportation options. Denser housing means less development in our wild spaces, is more energy efficient and needs less material to build and can support less carbon intensive ways of getting around, including biking and walking.
Advance Transit Options for All
I’m proud to have helped to pass increased funding for public transit that has just enabled Metro Transit to reduce fares, improve bus and train schedules and routes. This will speed up the rollout of more Bus Rapid Transit lines. I also advocated for legislation that requires MNDOT to offset the climate impact of major highway projects with projects that will reduce climate pollution from transportation. We need to protect and build on these victories by:
Pushing MNDOT to bring back consideration of the Twin Cities Boulevard that would support public transit, biking and walking and repair the harms done by I-94’s destruction of Rondo and other neighborhoods
Working to reform the Met Council to make it into a more accountable and responsible body
Accelerating the rollout of EV charging infrastructure and electric busses, especially those produced here in Minnesota
Owning and maintaining a car can be an expensive suck on our finances. Some of us can’t afford to do it, and others can’t drive because of a disability. We should ensure that we can all meet our daily needs without having to rely on one.
Early and K-12 Education
Minnesota has some of the worst disparities in the nation between white people and people of color. Sadly, those disparities start early in life. I saw it first hand. Early in my career, I worked at an educational theater company called CLIMB, teaching social skills including violence prevention, embracing gender equity, combating sexual harassment, and providing accommodations for children with learning challenges.
Moving to a different school each week all around Minnesota showed me the disparities in stark terms. The good news is that research done right at the University of Minnesota proves that racial disparities can actually be prevented in early childhood before they ever arise. One way we can do it that I will fight for is universal, culturally-specific, free preschool. Another is equitable funding of our public schools based on the children’s needs.
I support guaranteed increases on the school funding formula that keeps pace with inflation. We must also address the cross subsidy in special education.
Another specific set of policies I will fight for is to reduce our schools utility bills in various ways where the state pays for an upfront efficiency and other clean energy improvements and the schools get the benefits by redirecting funds from utility bills to the classroom instruction. Examples include energy efficiency improvements to buildings, solar for schools (many of which have flat roofs) and matching funds for battery electric school buses. Because of the plummeting cost of solar and batteries, this can save our school a lot of money over time.
We should aggressively use bonding bills to relieve budgetary pressure on schools. Both the bonding section of a bonding bill and the “cash for bonding” section of the bill (when there is a surplus of one-time dollars) should be fully utilized to benefit our schools. I learned the details of public sector budgeting when I was a point person on City of Minneapolis budgets in the Mayor’s Office. I am eager and prepared to advance this in the Senate and we already have allies in the House.
Higher Education
Student loan debt is today the fastest growing personal debt in America. It has been suggested that this debt could be the next financial bubble, just like the housing bubble, to pop and damage the economy as a whole. I’ve met with many college students at the U of M and at Augsburg. I’ve also spoken on environmental policy and politics to classes at the U of M, Hamline and St Thomas. Students want to build a sustainable economy big enough to include them after they graduate. We can do that.
We’ve made changes on scale before. It is easy to look back and see the positive long lasting impacts of the GI bill. We must get people to agree to replicate the kind of effort that was made for earlier generations. I will make that case and include a lens of climate action and environmental justice.
With thoughtful policies in place, the clean energy economy we are moving toward will have plenty of good paying jobs. We must invest in trade schools for young people who might want another path from college. This can offer the chance for a thriving career in the clean energy transition.
In the short term, Legislators need to apply all the pressure possible on higher education institutions to keep tuition as low as possible. Over the next year DFL legislators must organize to get back into the majority. We must allocate part of new revenue for financial aid.
Long term, let’s remember that for some the economy is not stressed at all. There’s no substitute for making the wealthy pay their fair share to support higher education because they have benefited financially the most from our world-class university system.
Living Wages and a Fair Healthcare System
Every worker deserves a living wage, and every person should have access to quality healthcare. That’s why I’ve fought for policies that prioritize people over profits. Here’s how I’ll continue that work:
I’ll fight for higher, dignified wages so workers can provide for their families and live with dignity.
I’ll push for a fair and affordable healthcare system that ensures everyone has access to the care they need, no matter their income.
I’ll stand up for gender-affirming care and make sure everyone in Minnesota can access the healthcare they need to live authentically.
I helped pass the $15 minimum wage in Minneapolis, and I’m ready to bring that same determination to the Senate to fight for economic justice and fairness for all.
Holistic Community Safety
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own community. Safety is about creating conditions where everyone’s basic needs are met, and everyone has access to the resources they need to live a healthy, thriving life. I’m committed to:
Decriminalizing non-violent offenses so that people are not punished for behaviors that do not pose a threat to public safety. This is about focusing on the root causes of issues like poverty, addiction, and homelessness, and addressing them with compassion and support.
Making transportation affordable and accessible for everyone, which helps people get to work, school, and healthcare appointments—improving quality of life while reducing inequities.
Supporting strong legislation that ensures every Minnesotan has access to housing, healthcare, and living wages. Meeting these basic needs is the foundation of safety for our communities.
I also believe that not all safety concerns need to be addressed by police. That’s why I support community-based safety initiatives, particularly those that focus on addressing mental health issues. We need to ensure that people who are experiencing mental health crises are met with care, not criminal charges. Crisis response teams and trained professionals should be available to help those in need, without escalating situations unnecessarily.
Finally, I’m committed to police accountability to the communities they serve. We need to ensure that officers who abuse their power are held accountable, and that systemic changes are made to transform how people are protected. I support efforts to end qualified immunity, which shields officers from personal responsibility, and I believe officers should be required to carry their own liability insurance. This would ensure that they are held financially accountable for their actions, making them more responsible to the communities they serve. Safety is not just about reacting to crime, it’s about proactively creating a society where all people feel valued, supported, and protected. I’m dedicated to building that future for SD60 and Minnesota
Tax Fairness
My first value in designing a fair tax system is that it must be based on ability to pay. Those who have more should pay more, not just higher in total dollars, but at a higher percentage. That means we should utilize a progressive income tax at the state level. We should also strongly advocate to our federal partners for both a progressive income tax and a wealth tax on the ultra-wealthy.
Property taxes are not based on ability to pay. They have the greatest impacts on seniors and others on fixed incomes. We should reduce our reliance on property taxes in favor of the fairer progressive income tax. Since our schools and local governments are still too reliant on property taxes, the state must continue to support tools that ensure greater fairness like Local Government Aid and Fiscal Disparities. The quality of Minnesotans’ schools and local services should not depend on their zip code.
Sales taxes are not ideal and we need to be deliberate about their use. There are very limited cases where sales taxes are appropriate. For instance sales taxes are useful when we are funding a service with a particular geography. For example, I was proud to help pass the ¾ cent sales tax specifically in the metro area, for transit in the metro area. While the funding stream is not perfect, the most regressive outcome was never funding transit, which has the greatest impact on people who are dependent on public transit. Overall, we should rely more on progressive taxes like income taxes and less on sales taxes.
Finally our tax policies should not help destroy the future by subsidizing polluters. “Making the polluter pay” for their pollution is a necessary criteria of a fair tax policy. There are too many examples where taxpayers have had to pay to clean up pollution rather than the polluters; taxpayers should not have to pay their bills.