Candidate Questionnaire: Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative District 62A

Hodan Hassan

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor

1. I have been a friend and ally to the Asian community as they have been facing mistreatments.
2. Host conversations around the issues that impact young people.
3. I will fight for this issue as this is the issue of our time.
4. Absolutely!!! I support any way we can support our youth as they are our future.
5. As a representative who has served during COVID, I have been a champion of vaccine distribution equity as well as testing availability for all of our communities especially those with lesser resources. I have fought for economic and health investments. My plan is to continue combating inequities whether COVID is here or not. We owe it to our communities to invest and provide resources to be thriving in this life.

State Representative District 64A

Dan Walsh

Party: Republican

1. Woke ideology challenges the Asian community. This is why Supreme Court will be taking up a case of Asian students vs Harvard University. Standards and meritocracy matter and the Democrats are eliminating that. Asian community was the impetus for running the DA of San Francisco out of office because their cultures values counter the woke ideology and helping them in this mission is absolutely how I will support them.
2. My campaign has been about restoring law and order to district 64A because if you do not have a safe community within which to live and learn you don’t have opportunity. Young voters have been done a disservice from leaders who have allowed for a degradation in our way of life and safety that is needed.
3. First, in Minnesota access is not limited from the data I have seen so you would need to produce information that would support your statement. In fact Minnesota is touting itself right now as a sanctuary state for abortion. Second, it is in the constitution of Minnesota so protecting is not necessary. This false narrative that is being put out is a good example of how communities of color need to strive for factual information and not follow misleading disinformation from the media.
4. Having been born and raised in St Paul and growing up in the parks system could not agree more with the value of these resources. I don’t see any challenges with access or servicing of these institutions or people being denied access to them. So healthy spaces exist and will continue once we can stop the increase in crime that does challenge these spaces and resources.
5. Again you would need to get into the facts of the situation in order to have a comprehensive plan. We are seeing more and more data that is very alarming in how the institutions of power completely mismanaged this whole process. From lockdowns that did not work to remote learning and masking children which has set them back and created a group that will be left behind moving forward because of these policy decisions. Objective and honest debate is not possible so we have only touch the surface of the true damage caused to our children and our society. As we have seen in history time will provide clarity and it will not be good for those who championed these non-scientific or non-empirical ideas. As the saying goes the treatment was far worse then the disease.

MN State House District 65B

María Isa Pérez-Hedges

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor

1. The issues impacting Asian and Asian American communities are similar to those impacting Latinx and other immigrant families. We lack equal access to healthcare, quality education and housing, and ladders for sustainable economic initiatives. We are also challenged by a failure of language access and crimes of hatred and white supremacy. Asian constituents are students in my mentorship program, family and friends. I will continue to build strong relationships of trust and communication with our Asian and Asian American neighbors.
2. A core focus of my campaign includes the students that I currently mentor, and those that have gone through mentorship and cultural arts education opportunities in my circles. Young voters lead my campaign and have codeveloped our platform and will continue to be key voices for me in the legislature.
3. Yes, and I support specific targeted investments from the state in increasing abortion access and education for communities of color. We also need policy that uplifts the specific needs of cultural groups.
4. Yes. In fact, my professional work has operated primarily through park and recreation centers, with a focus on youth who are Black and Brown. I will continue to uplift the perspectives of my impacted young people and the professionals and mentors that work in those spaces.
5. We need state policy to reflect the guidance of our medical community. We also need to fully invest in the infrastructure that should have best protected all communities from the worst impacts of the pandemic.

State Representative District 66A

Leigh Finke

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor

1. My district has a large contingent of Asian and Asian American residents, and it’s very important to me as a potential representative to understand the needs of this community. From my perspective, the primary concerns of the Asian community are those that many others are facing: housing stability, inflation, access to healthcare and good paying jobs. This is on top of the unique challenges that every minority community faces, and I will make every effort to listen and support our Asian neighbors. For what it’s worth, I have friends, colleagues, and deep relationships with leaders in the Asian American community in St. Paul.
2. The reason I’m running is to create more space in politics for young LGBTQ+ people. Being in touch with young people is crucial to that effort. My campaign is anchored in the work of LGBTQ activism, and our staff and the vast majority of our volunteers come largely from the 18-35 year old community.
3. I support expanding and protection abortion access in Minnesota. Healthcare autonomy for women for LGBTQ people is essential. Culturally-responsive healthcare is equally necessary, and I would ensure that the Asian community has a voice in determining what that care should look like. I will listen, and advocate for my constituents based not their needs.
4. I support funding for libraries, parks, and other gathering spaces for young people. Third spaces for communities to meet in-person are so important to the health of individuals and societies.
5. While I do not have a plan to combat this disease, I believe in following the science on COVID. We need to take seriously preventative measures, from masking to continued education around vaccination. We also must ensure that COVID does not become an economic burden to those who have had COVID, are suffering from long COVID, or are suffering from economic hardship as a result of COVID-related deaths.

State Representative District 67A

Liz Lee

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor

1. Our district has one of the highest, if not the highest concentration of AAPI voters in Minnesota. I do not take it lightly that I will be the first woman, and the first Asian person to EVER represent the district once elected. With this responsibility, it is my goal to lead with people-centered approach so that our entirely community is part of the policy-making process. Specifically, important issues to our young people on the Eastside that I want to address are: education equity, gun violence, and ending the school to prison pipeline.
2. Most of our volunteers are under 35! Our community in 67A is very young, so I hope to continue to work with our volunteers and engage more with them and their friends. My goal in life, has been to show everyone – especially young people – that “politics” affects EVERY aspect of their life. And sometimes, while politics might seem foreign and/or scary, engagement is as easy is finding out how and to whom, to make a suggestion to fix or change something that is important to you.
3. I absolutely support measures to expand and protect abortion access in Minnesota. We can invest more in our reproductive health care system to ensure that all students receive the health education they need so they know their options. I hope to support more community health centers, and programs like Face to Face.
4. I fully support investing in public spaces for our youth. The legislature has a large surplus, which can be used to increase access to public spaces like rec centers and parks for our entire community.
5. As someone is not a public health official, I do not have a comprehensive plan. However, I know enough to trust the scientists and public health experts on what steps we need to ensure that we continue to manage the risk of COVID-19 in our communities – especially our communities of color. As a former health policy staffer who managed a portfolio during the height of the pandemic, I would always ensure my team tracks the latest findings and is able to push out the most accurate and helpful information to constituents.

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