- [Greg] Next is House District 8B, made up of neighborhoods in the city of Duluth, roughly to the east of seventh Avenue east and Kenwood Avenue extending up to the northern city limits and as far west as the airport.

This is an open seat, as incumbent Jen Schultz is not running for reelection to the legislature.

The Republican running to be the new 8B House member is Becky Hall.

- Hi, I'm Becky Hall running to represent Duluthians in the Minnesota House of Representatives in district 8B.

Unlike city races, state races are partisan, meaning candidates are identified by a party affiliation.

If you're someone who votes strictly for the Democrat ticket all the time, my message won't mean much because I'm a Republican.

But if you're someone who wants to elect a person whose priorities matches yours no matter what party they're from, then please consider what I have to say during the next three minutes.

State government is and at least should be pretty simple.

It should help you and me as citizens lead better, safer, healthier lives.

It should provide roads and other infrastructure, and it should do so while taking as few of our tax dollars as possible.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple, especially the taking fewer of our tax dollars part.

As Minnesotans, we should all be proud that we wanna provide excellent education for our kids, protect the environment, and help those less fortunate than we are, but we have to be smarter about it.

We can't keep throwing large amounts of dollars at every unnecessary program that comes along.

Remember where those funds come from: your tax dollars.

How much extra do you have in your family budget to send to the state once you're done paying higher prices for gas and groceries, once you've seen how far your retirement savings has shrunk, and once you've gasped over your latest property tax statement.

It doesn't have to be this way, folks.

We talk about runaway government spending, but we never do anything about it.

Well, let's start now.

When I represent you and St. Paul, I will constantly remind elected officials that government should only do what its citizens truly need and what we can afford.

In addition to protecting your tax dollars, three major areas of my focus will be on increasing public safety and giving our brave law enforcement professionals the tools to keep us and themselves safe, on supporting development of proven homegrown energy resources, and on removing roadblocks that hinder job creation.

As a former economic development representative for the state of Minnesota, I worked often with the state legislature.

I know what we can do for job creation if we put our collective minds to it.

What else am I committed to?

First and foremost, my family, my husband, and our five wonderful kids, and I'm running to make our lives better as well as yours.

I'll work harder than you can imagine to improve the lives of you and your family affordably.

Does this sound like a Democrat, an independent, a Republican, or a Green Party person talking, or does it sound like someone whose priorities line up with yours?

I'd appreciate your vote on November 8th to put a Hall in the house, Becky Hall, and I invite you to visit HallInTheHouse.com to learn more about how I can serve you.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

- [Greg] Also running for election to House District 8B is Democrat Alicia Koslowski.

- I'm Alicia Koslowski, and I'm proud to be the DFL endorsed candidate running for the Minnesota House in district 8B.

This is so much more than an election.

It's more than a moment.

It's a movement for a shared future that's at stake.

As someone who's no stranger to struggle here in Duluth from violence to housing insecurity, I'm living proof of what's possible when we have the audacity to insist on our rights and to our dreams.

Against all odds, I'm here now as a dealer of hope.

It's precisely the Latinx, Ojibwe, and two-spirit in me that are the embers that blaze for our people, the embers that push me to rise as a first gen college grad from UMD and to go on to earn a master of business administration from CSS.

From running the streets of Lincoln Park to a business developer, a higher educator, and now helping run the city on the executive leadership team, I'm here because I am driven by a mission to ignite power in the people so our entire community can rise.

And through my work and on the doors, I've had thousands of conversations with our neighbors, and I am unafraid and ready to fight for Duluth at our capital.

That's why I'm making affordable housing for all a priority when I get there, because in 2020, my mom died battling addictions and waiting for affordable housing.

I'm deeply committed to addressing the roots of homelessness, public and private investment in affordable housing, home ownership for all income ranges, and creating policies to protect renters of all ages, races, and abilities.

I'll fight for healthcare for all just as I fought with my dad, a navy veteran, to get the care that he desperately needed.

I'll fight for you and your loved ones too, and I'll support the Minnesota Health Plan to ensure everyone has full healthcare access, reigning in rising costs of prescription drugs and advancing paid family medical leave.

I'll stand up for reproductive freedom because abortion is healthcare, economic justice, and racial justice.

And I'll fight for climate justice.

Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our communities, and this movement demands a labor-led transition to a clean energy economy that's already creating work industries and new jobs.

And I'll support legislation that rapidly moves us towards our carbon-free future.

Electrify transportation systems, invest in green infrastructure, and expand resources for lead-safe home and energy efficiency.

And I'll support the strongest environmental regulations to protect and restore our clean water, air, and soil, while also making state investments in our labor-led clean energy future that leaves no one behind.

And I'll fight for an inclusive economy.

As a product of unions, I'm incredibly proud to have the backing of labor unions, and I'll strongly support them in our shared fight to lift all people.

You deserve elected officials who will have your back, your support to lose small businesses in our industries, bring home bonding and infrastructure dollars for family-sustaining jobs, and unleash the power of a diverse workforce so that we can all have economic opportunities for every Minnesotan.

And I'll do that fighting for fully funded and equitable education thanks to my grandmas who raised me who you'd know in Myers Wilkins Elementary.

I'm here today with a generational commitment to youth and to families, and I'll fight for early learning and affordable childcare, mental health support, border to border broadband, and ensure educators and curriculum are responsive to our diverse families and students.

I'm confident that, as people who call Duluth home, that we share audacious visions and relentless commitment to our youth, to elders, to this place and to each other.

Struggle is not just a tagline for me, and I don't wanna just represent you in St. Paul, I wanna bring you with me to the halls of power.

Our time is here and our time is right now to rise together, so I hope to see you at the polls on November 8th and also to see you in our shared movement for our just future.