City/Town: Rochester

Legislative District: Senate District 25

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

Candidate responses in italics.

Q1: Housing plays a critical role in economic stability, health, and quality of life for individuals and families. However, disparities in housing continue to affect communities of color, people with disabilities, rural communities, and other historically underserved populations. What meaningful actions should be taken to acknowledge, address, and eliminate housing inequities and advance housing opportunities for all Minnesotans?

Housing inequities in Minnesota are well‑documented and deeply rooted. Statewide data shows that cost burdens fall disproportionately on communities of color, seniors, people with disabilities, and extremely low‑income households. In Olmsted County alone, 14,600 households are cost‑burdened, and Black renter households experience higher cost burdens than white households. There is a shortage of 3,135 homes affordable to extremely low‑income renters, and eviction filings have more than doubled since before the pandemic. These pressures mirror national trends identified by Harvard’s State of the Nation’s Housing 2026, which found rising rents, record‑high home prices relative to income, and persistent racial gaps in homeownership.

Meaningful action requires acknowledging housing as essential infrastructure for health, stability, and economic opportunity. First, Minnesota must increase the supply of deeply affordable homes and preserve aging housing stock, which makes up nearly a third of units in counties like Olmsted. Second, we need targeted strategies to close racial homeownership gaps—Minnesota ranks among the worst in the nation—through down‑payment assistance, fair lending practices, and support for first‑generation buyers. Third, strengthening renter protections, expanding eviction prevention, and investing in supportive housing will reduce homelessness and keep families stable. Finally, aligning housing policy with workforce needs is critical; many of the state’s most in‑demand jobs do not pay enough to afford local rents or homeownership.

Advancing housing opportunity for all Minnesotans requires intentional, data‑driven policy choices that center equity, dignity, and long‑term community wellbeing. I’ve carried and supported bills to do this as the Vice-Chair of the MN Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee and I am committed to continuing to lead that work.

Q2: Supportive housing combines affordable housing with support services that help people who face the most complex challenges to live with stability, autonomy, and dignity. Supportive housing provides better outcomes and is fiscally responsible. What will you do to ensure community members who are unhoused or unstably housed receive the support they need to obtain or keep their own homes?

Supportive housing is one of the most effective and fiscally responsible tools we have to help Minnesotans who face the greatest barriers to stability. To ensure people who are unhoused or unstably housed receive the support they need, Minnesota must expand supportive housing paired with services like mental health care, substance‑use treatment, employment support, and case management. These interventions reduce shelter use, hospitalizations, and justice‑system involvement—improving outcomes while lowering public costs. We also need stronger eviction‑prevention strategies, including rental assistance, mediation, and legal support, to keep people housed before they reach crisis. Preserving aging affordable units and increasing deeply affordable homes will ensure people have options once they stabilize.

Q3: Homeownership is a way to build generational wealth, provide family and household stability, and support community vibrancy. More and more Minnesotans are priced out of owning a home because of rising housing costs, including purchase price, homeowners’ insurance, and property taxes. What steps will you take to increase opportunities for renters and first-time homebuyers to purchase homes, condos, or cooperative ownership models?

Homeownership is one of the most effective ways for families to build stability and long‑term financial security, yet rising costs are shutting too many Minnesotans out. Habitat Minnesota’s affordability report shows that a median‑priced home now requires an income of about $117,000, while the median renter earns around $50,000. In Olmsted County, home values have risen 24% over five years, and for every one home affordable to low‑ and moderate‑income buyers, there are 11 renters competing for it.

To expand homeownership opportunities, Minnesota needs a comprehensive approach. I’ve supported policies that increase the supply of affordable starter homes, preserve aging housing stock, and reduce barriers for first‑time and first‑generation buyers. That includes down‑payment assistance, fair lending practices, and programs that help families build credit and navigate the homebuying process. I’ve also backed efforts to expand cooperative ownership models and community land trusts, which keep homes affordable long‑term and give families a stable path to ownership.

We must also address rising insurance and property‑tax costs that make homeownership harder to sustain. Finally, aligning housing policy with workforce realities is essential; many of Minnesota’s most in‑demand jobs do not pay enough to afford local rents or home prices.

Homeownership should be within reach for working Minnesotans, and I’m committed to advancing policies that make that possible.

Q4: In the last several years, bipartisan action to streamline building of new homes and apartments has passed in several states, including: allowing for multifamily buildings in select commercial areas, limiting parking requirements, allowing smaller homes on smaller lots, and more homes per lot in residential areas like duplexes, fourplexes, and accessory dwelling units. What reforms do you support to modernize zoning to both enable homes to be more affordable statewide and improve city tax bases?

Minnesota’s zoning framework needs modernization to meet today’s housing realities. Across the state, rents and home prices have risen faster than incomes, and we continue to be short over 100,000 units of housing to meet the needs of all Minnesotans.

I support zoning reforms that allow communities to grow in ways that meet workforce needs, expand affordability, and strengthen local tax bases. That includes allowing duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in more residential areas; enabling accessory dwelling units; reducing excessive parking requirements; and permitting multifamily housing in appropriate commercial corridors. These changes create more homes near jobs, schools, and transit while reducing infrastructure costs for cities.

I’ve supported efforts to increase the supply of starter homes, preserve aging housing stock, and expand community‑based ownership models like land trusts and cooperatives. Modernizing zoning is a necessary next step. It will help communities welcome new residents, support employers who struggle to recruit workers due to housing shortages, and ensure that families of all incomes can find a stable place to live.

Updating our land‑use rules is one of the most effective ways to make housing more affordable statewide and strengthen the long‑term fiscal health of Minnesota’s cities.

Q5: Despite housing being the largest cost in the average household budget, housing receives only a small fraction of the total state budget at just 0.3%. A lack of ongoing reliable funding for housing in Minnesota’s state budget has resulted in an undersupply of stable homes affordable to our workforce, our elders, and our families. In recent years, a constitutional amendment for housing, which would dedicate revenues from a sales tax increase to housing, has gained momentum at the legislature. What revenue options will you champion to more adequately meet our need for reliable funding for homes we can afford?

Minnesota’s housing challenges are the result of years of underinvestment. Housing makes up the largest share of most families’ budgets and in Olmsted County alone, 14,600 households are cost‑burdened, and there is a shortage of 3,135 homes affordable to extremely low‑income renters.

To meet Minnesota’s housing needs, we must create reliable, ongoing funding that matches the scale of the problem. I support exploring dedicated revenue options, including a constitutional amendment for housing, which would provide stable, long‑term funding for affordable homes across the state. I also support expanding state investments in rental assistance, preservation of aging housing stock, and programs that help first‑time and first‑generation homebuyers—work I’ve already supported in the legislature.

Reliable funding is essential for building and preserving homes, strengthening supportive housing, and ensuring communities can meet the needs of workers, elders, and families. Without sustained investment, Minnesota will continue to fall behind. With it, we can create a stable, healthy, and affordable housing system that serves every community.

Q6: If you have other housing policy priorities, especially specific to your district’s housing needs, please share them here.

In addition to what’s already been addressed, my priorities focus on preserving affordability, expanding supply, and protecting families from displacement. I’ve led legislation to limit private equity firms from purchasing single‑family homes, because when large investors buy up starter homes, families lose access to the very housing that builds stability and wealth. I have also led the work in the Senate on the Manufactured Homeowners’ Bill of Rights, strengthening protections for residents who often face some of the highest housing insecurity despite living in one of the state’s most affordable homeownership pathways. I’m deeply committed to this work and doing everything possible to ensure ALL Minnesotans have a safe, affordable place to call home – housing is a human right and should be treated as such.