Q&A: Meeting a Few of the Women Running for Office Statewide

We gathered four women candidates together in conversation to discuss their motivations and challenges in running for political office in Minnesota:

• Jen Fox, a small business owner and city council member, emphasized clean water, health care, and economic disparity. She is running for the Minnesota legislature to represent the Hastings/Cottage Grove areas.
• Edie Barrett, an Ortonville-based artist with a public affairs background, highlighted rural living complexities and environmental issues. She is running for Big Stone County commissioner.
• Tracey Breazeale, with a background in finance and consulting, focused on infrastructure, affordable housing, and public safety. She is running for the Minnesota legislature to represent the Excelsior/Mound/Orono areas.
• Huldah Hilstley, a businesswoman, stressed the importance of equitable education and health care, and the challenges of running as a woman of color. She is running for the Minnesota legislature to represent the Brooklyn Park/Osseo areas.

They all noted the partisan divide and the importance of authenticity and community service in their campaigns.

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Jen Fox

I’m running for the House of Representatives in District 41B, which includes Hastings and Cottage Grove and a couple townships. I’m a small business owner, I’m on the Hastings City Council, and I have a master’s degree in public policy. I used to work for the State of Minnesota and wanted to be a policy wonk my whole life. I love thinking about how to create opportunities and resources for the people around me. I opened a small brewery in downtown Hastings, which is majority women-owned and majority women-operated. That eventually prompted me to leave my dream job as director of outreach with the State of Minnesota Department of Commerce in order to run my other dream job — my own business, leading sales and distribution. I believe in public service, so I ran for city council and have been serving for four years. 

We’ve been doing well as a community — but need resources from the state to continue to do well, including resources for clean water, access to clean water, and access to sustainable infrastructure. We need someone to fight for us in this district. A few local farmers, political leaders, and environmentalists encouraged me to run.

 

Edie Barrett

I’m a fifth-generation Minnesotan, but  lived on the west coast for 26 years. I moved back 14 years ago. I have a background in high-level nonprofit management and graduate education administration. When I returned to Minnesota, I wanted to have less stress after many years in high-intensity jobs. I got involved in the arts as an exhibiting fine artist and writer. When I moved to Ortonville — a community of just over 2,000 people, near the South Dakota border — I got a dose of rural living, and how complex it is. This  led me to go back to school. I’m a recent Humphrey School of Public Affairs graduate, with a minor from the Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. 

I did my capstone project in soil health practices and behavioral change. A focus in my coursework was in agriculture, sustainable food systems, ethics of  factory farming, well water contamination, and rural culture narrative. Two years ago, I ran for Minnesota House. No Democrats were coming forward in our district as candidates. I received about 30 percent of the vote, which was typical of  Democrats in this region. Currently, I’m running for county commissioner.

I am a huge supporter of women in leadership. I think we need to be at the table. Here, rurally, it’s been 22 years since there was a woman county commissioner. I’m invested in our rural quality of life, and I want to be part of the decision making of how our community evolves, changes, and grows.  I believe that being involved in leadership is a calling for me.

Tracey Breazeale

I’m running for the MN House in District 45A. I received degrees in psychology and economics and have my Masters in Business Administration — so, I have always looked  at both the human side and the business side. Post-college, I worked  in finance, strategy consulting, and was a senior executive with the Sleep Number company. My husband and I chose to move back to Minnesota when we were about to start our family largely for the schools, the wonderful outdoor amenities, and to be near family. 

I’ve spent a lot of my volunteer time on issues pertaining to underserved women and youth, and have seen the extra challenges many women have in their lives as the primary caregivers — making sure that their homes and their children are thriving. I decided to run for state office, feeling that with so many decisions having been pushed from the federal to the state level, it was more important than ever who our representatives are and what they are voting for particularly in regard to reproductive health care and other democracy-oriented, freedom-related measures.

Minnesota has been a leader in making sure women retain the right to make our own health care choices and I will work to sure this remains the case. We need pragmatic people in the legislature who have  balance, who are looking at  the future we want for the next generation, and are willing to fight for that.  My background in business is an asset and gives me the skills to bring people together, incorporating the input from those with different areas of expertise and viewpoints to develop fiscally responsible solutions.

Huldah Hiltsley

I graduated from Bethel University with three undergrad degrees. I did international business, international relations, and reconciliation studies. I also went on to get my Master’s in global business management. Currently, I work at Boston Scientific, managing their global privacy program. I thoroughly enjoy my job — the complexity and changing landscape of cyber security, privacy, regulatory space. 

I’m also passionate about my community. My family migrated here from Kenya when I was nine years old, so this country has been my home. I now have my own family here. When I was about 12, my family was 48 hours away from being deported back to Kenya. My parents fought the immigration system for 11 years. It was Senator Paul Wellstone who lobbied for our family, and it was overturned within those 48 hours. Back then, I didn’t realize what that moment did for our family. As I came to my own identity as an immigrant in this country, I understood the magnitude of that moment. To be sitting here, 22 plus years later, running for office, is definitely a testament to American democracy. That’s part of why I jumped into the politics space. 

Some of you mentioned never seeing yourself as a politician — I never thought I would be, either. Here we are: very diverse backgrounds, very passionate about our communities, and really wanting to see our communities thrive. That’s the fire pushing every one of us. 

Like Jen said, as women we wear multiple hats a day. I’m a mother, I’m a businesswoman, I’m a nonprofit owner, and here I am running for office. Managing all of that can sometimes feel overwhelming. Creating this space at Minnesota Women’s Press, to have this conversation about what that means to be women in leadership, is so important, because sometimes it can get lonely here. I’m so happy to have the space to have this conversation. 

 

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What are the main priorities that you’re running to address?

 

 

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What challenges have you faced in your campaign?

 

Jen: I’m worried because I think people don’t know the severity of some of the races that are going on in Minnesota right now. The reproductive freedom conversation is critical, but it’s also workers’ rights, the opportunities for small business to thrive, access to strong public education systems. The other thing that’s challenging is the national narrative. There is no normal day in campaigning this cycle. It is wild out there, which often has nothing to do with our local races. It’s been really interesting to try to get the vibe of my constituents. Are we hugging or are we fighting? That’s been an interesting tidal wave to circle through.

Edie: The current county commissioner here has been in that position for over 20 years. He’s retiring, so I’m not up against an incumbent. My opponent is a bank president, and has served on a number of boards. It will be  interesting to see how this plays out. He and I each have our own strengths, but I do wonder about gender. Are we ready  to welcome a woman to the table who will have decision making power when it comes to tax dollars? We will find out on November 5.

Tracey: One of the biggest challenges I’m facing is that my opponent does not say what he actually does. If you search his votes, he votes against things that he says he supported. Like Jen said, it’s this tightrope balancing, trying to expose those facts in a way that doesn’t come across as negative or disparaging of his character. I think there are advantages to being a woman in politics. We are able to get things done in a collaborative way, able to work together toward a common cause, without ego getting in the way.

Huldah: Oh, my goodness, I’m over here saying ditto, ditto, ditto, snapping my fingers, clapping, sending all positive vibes your way. You have all definitely voiced everything we experience, especially as women. My campaign will never be about mud-slinging politics, but there is frustration seeing unethical practices. Sometimes taking the high road is hard.  

As women, we have to second-guess everything that we are doing and how that’s going to be perceived. That’s exhausting. I am trying to represent the most diverse districts, racially and economically. I get a lot of challenges in terms of my policy stances, including from members of the African immigrant community who are not pro-choice. Then there are the stereotypes and micro-aggressions, direct or indirect. The double standards. The questioning of my qualifications, even after I have told somebody about my resumé. Especially me as a woman of color, it will never be enough for some people. I’ve worked in corporate board rooms, leading the meeting, and have been asked to get the coffee. Getting above that noise has been a huge mental game for me. I have a self-talk every time I step out of the house.

I applaud each and every one of you, because we’re doing it. 

Edie: One thing that helps me is that running for office is about living a meaningful life, embracing who I am, and believing in my capacity to make a difference. Regardless of what happens  in the election, I am going for it, and I care about that.

Huldah: For all of us, regardless of what happens, we are seeing that we have the big picture in mind. We care. We value getting things done. That’s the motivation. Entering into this, I didn’t realize it was going to be this bad, but I keep reminding myself that it’s bigger than just me — it’s for my kids, it’s for this community, it’s about electing good common sense candidates. 

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Are people in your communities receptive to a woman running?

Jen: I totally understand facing that country club mentality. During door-knocking, a woman indicated she was voting for another candidate because “he works at one of the banks, golfs with all the bankers, I’ve known him my whole life, and I grew up with his kids. He doesn’t like how the DFL regulates banks.” I asked her to explain a bit more. Was it because he doesn’t like that banks are regulated? I said it is an important securities issue that I think needs to have regulations. I asked if it is a banking issue, or because I am a woman. She said, “It’s because he doesn’t like how the DFL regulates things.” I kept prodding, “So he wants unregulated banks? Or is it because I’m pro-choice, or because I am much younger than him?” She said, “No, it’s about banking.” My partner was sitting by me and said, “This is not about banking.” It was a good reminder that we need to actually talk about what we’re talking about.

People cannot be allowed to hide behind bigotry and misogyny, even if it’s a generational gap.

Tracey: In my talking points I have to say a lot more about my background in business. You don’t want to be bragging about  degrees or where you went to school, because it’s not focal to who I am, but for some people it is necessary because they assume, “A mom of four must just be a wife.” At one door a guy said to me, “What kind of business does your husband have, what does he think about you doing this, and how will he vote?” I felt like saying, “My husband’s not running. What does it matter?” It is frustrating.

Huldah: I am in agreement with you, Tracey. I get that a lot. You don’t want to brag about yourself, but I have to, because my experience is automatically in question as soon as I step to that door. Time and time again, we find ourselves over-communicating my qualifications, what I’m bringing to the table, and not about “I’m married to a white man, and my identity is tied to him.” As soon as they see the picture of my family on my flyer, the conversation shifts to asking why my husband doesn’t run for office. It’s been an interesting journey, making sure that people respect me as an individual, as a woman, as somebody who is independent, and as someone who doesn’t need to be identified by who I’m marrying, or my status as a wife or a mother — but as somebody who is intelligent, deserving of this position, and who is actually overqualified for this position.

Edie: I am a single woman, no children, with cats. So we know the spin on that recently. One thing that came up when I ran for House, it was recommended that I  “dumb myself down a little.” This was after I was fresh out of the Humphrey School, and I heard that advice a few times. It started to seep-up again, running for county commissioner. I’m going to be authentically who I am, and if I get elected it will be for all the right reasons.

 

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Have you noticed more of the partisan divide?

Tracey: I’m hearing about people’s frustration with the partisan divide. Regardless of where they are on the political spectrum, they wish there could be more cross conversation, more coming together and agreeing on at least certain items that should not be partisan. They express frustration that so many votes are taking place that are all yes or all no. In those conversations, I feel like being a woman is an advantage. In my family, I’ve got four children and a husband, and it’s very rare that we all agree on anything as small as what we want for dinner. Just being able to have those conversations and respect one another is at the foundation of how we operate in life.

I believe women generally come together. We have so much in common, whether it’s how we see the world, how we are treated by the world, how we operate, how we support each other. I don’t think men tend to have that same level of support from others in the community, getting to that commonality of experience.

Edie: I’m curious about how the culture is going to shift with the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ticket. After Tim Walz got on that ticket, I had people texting me from around the nation, excited. He is capable  of working with a high-powered woman, without a personal agenda. There’s a change happening, consciously or unconsciously, and it’s going to affect all of us. As a woman in leadership, this makes me really hopeful that there could be a shift toward empowering women.

Huldah: I think I’m seeing already that ripple effect in my district. The energy has shifted since we were door knocking prior to Kamala coming into the spotlight as the presidential candidate. I am seeing a growing number of independent voters because people are tired of the two-party system. They want the government to work for the people.

There’s a big population of Minnesotans who don’t care whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, but also “I just want you to do what’s right for my community.” That’s what I’m hearing at the doors.

I will always champion DFL values, but we are elected to serve everybody. How we reach out to voters is important, to make sure that we are welcoming. We are being inclusive to as many people as possible.

 

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