MARTHA'S COOKIES.

>> Cathy: WE'RE SO HAPPY, BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.

>> Eric: NEW CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS SHOW MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE POURING INTO COMPETITIVE LEGISLATIVE RACES ACROSS THE STATE.

THIS WEEK MARY LAHAMMER'S RACE TO WATCH TAKES US TO THE St.

CLOUD AREA.

>> THIS IS GOING TO BE DAVID AND KATHERINE.

DAVID IS A HARD REPUBLICAN AND KATHERINE IS AN INDEPENDENT.

>> WHAT IS THEIR LAST NAME?

>> Mary: IN DISTRICT 14A IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA, VOTER DATA IS SPECIFIC AND PROLIFIC N A TARGETED RACE WITH A REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT TRYING TO HELP HER PARTY TAKE BACK CONTROL AT THE CAPITOL.

>> I'M REPRESENTATIVE BERNIE PERRYMAN.

>> Mary: OVERLOOKING THE LAKE IN St. AUGUSTA'S HE AREA'S INDEPENDENT HISTORY IS WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR LOVE OF INDEPENDENCE PARTY GOVERNOR JESSE VENTURA.

WANTED TO RENAME THEIR NAME VENTURA.

SO IS IT STILL IND OF AN INDEPENDENT LIBERTARIAN-TYPE COMMUNITY POLITICALLY?

>> A LITTLE BIT SHIFTING SINCE VENTURA DAYS BECAUSE THIS IS AN AREA THAT PEOPLE -- THERE'S MORE HOUSING, THERE'S MORE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MOVED HERE SINCE VENTURA DAYS.

SO THEY'RE BRINGING DIFFERENT POLITICS WITH THEM HERE.

CONSERVATIVE, YET A LITTLE BIT OF SPICE OF MODERATE THROWN IN.

>> Mary: IN THE POPULATION CENTER OF St.

CLOUD, THE NEW DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE KNOWS HIS COMMUNITY WELL.

>> St.

CLOUD IS A BIG PART OF THE DISTRICT, IT'S ALSO PART OF THAT -- OF THE DISTRICT THAT'S GROWING RAPIDLY, DIVERSELY.

MY DISTRICT, FOR EXAMPLE, HAVE ABOUT 20% PEOPLE OF COLOR, A LOT OF IMMIGRANTS.

I WAS PRIVILEGED ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM BETTER THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT PROBABLY COULDN'T.

WHEN I CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, I HAVE NO HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, NOW I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION.

>> IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR, YOU KNOW?

AND COMING BACK AGAIN.

>> OKAY.

>> SHOWING YOU SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE.

AND WILL DO.

>> Mary: LAST TIME, THE REPUBLICAN REACHED OUT TO HER CHANGING COMMUNITY.

SHE HAS HER LITERATURE TRANSLATED INTO SOMALI AND IS HIRING STAFF FROM THE GROWING ETHNIC GROUP.

>> St.

CLOUD IS A SMALL TOWN, BUT IT'S A BIG TOWN.

IT'S GROWING AND PEOPLE STILL HAVE THAT PERCEPTION OF BEING A SMALL CENTRAL MINNESOTA TOWN.

BUT IT'S BECOMING A RURAL CENTER.

DIVERSITY'S HERE AND WE HAVE TO EMBRACE IT.

IF YOU DON'T REALIZE IT, THEN YOU'RE KIND OF PUTTING BLINDERS ON.

SO, FOR ME, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN I SAW THE LANDSCAPE CHANGING, I REACHED OUT.

>> MY BROTHER, HOW YOU DOIN'?

>> I DON'T KNOW, NECESSARILY, IF SHE APPEALS TO THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL.

BUT I THINK AS A NEW CANDIDATE, SHE HAS TO MOVE AROUND, TALK TO PEOPLE.

WHAT I DO RIGHT NOW IS MOSTLY TELLING PEOPLE THAT I'M A BETTER OPTION, I'M A BETTER CANDIDATE.

I WILL BE MORESPECTIVIVE.

I REACH OUT TO -- MORE EFFECTIVE.

I REACH OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE AGAIN, TALK TO THEM, LET THEM KNOW I'M RUNNING THIS TIME AROUND.

>> Mary: THE St.

CLOUD AREA HAS A DEMOCRATIC SENATOR, A DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE AND ONE REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE, WHO WON IN AN UNEXPECTEDLY CLOSE RACE.

>> AFTER THE REDISTRICTING TWO YEARS AGO, I THINK IT SHOCKED A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT IT BECAME 50-50.

SO IT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF 50-50, OT A GIVEN.

AND AS YOU KNOW, I ONLY WON BY 199 VOTES.

WHAT I WAS BEING TOLD GOING INTO THE ELECTION, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A RED WAVE ANYMORE, IT'S ORKING HARD, TALK TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND CONNECT.

>> WE LOST ONLY LESS THAN 200 VOTES IN THIS SEAT.

SO THEY DO KNOW THAT.

I DO EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THAT.

THEY KNOW THAT IT'S A REALLY CLOSE CALL.

THESE PEOPLE ARE EXCITED.

SOME OF THEM, THIS IS THEIR FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIFETIME VOTING FOR SOMEONE.

DEMOCRATIC, RIGHT?

SO THEY'RE EXCITED TO ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.

>> I'M ABDI.

>> I'VE HEARD ABOUT YOU A FEW DIFFERENT TIMES.

>> Mary: THEY'RE BOTH BUSINESS OWNERS AND INCREDIBLY ENGAGED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.

HIS DAY CARE COMPANY HAS HAD ISSUES WITH REGULATIONS.

>> CHILD CARE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, WE HAVE BEEN REGULATED.

BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING CARE OF LITTLE KIDS, AND I TOOK MY JOB AS A CHILD CARE OWNER VERY SERIOUS.

IT'S A BIG ISSUE, ESPECIALLY IN GREATER MINNESOTA.

WE DO HAVE A VERY FEW SLOTS OF CHILD CARE AVAILABLE IN OUR REGION.

AND I HAVE BEEN PERSONALLY PART OF LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAVE BEEN TRYING TO INCREASE THAT.

>> HAVE YOU DECIDED ON THE INDIVIDUAL -- >> STILL FIGURING IT OUT.

>> STILL FIGURING IT OUT, OKAY.

>> Mary: PERRYMAN TRIES TO RESIST POLITICAL LABELS EVEN IN THE PARTISAN ERA.

>> I HAVE A SAYING, I WATCH MY OWN BOBBER, I CAN'T WORRY ABOUT THE EXTERNAL NOISE THAT'S BEING CREATED BECAUSE OF AN OPPONENT.

AT THE DOORS, THEY'RE NOT REALLY TALKING ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC.

THEY'RE JUST STILL SPEAKING ABOUT LIVABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, OUR WORKFORCERS AND -- OUR WORKFORCE, ND QUALITY OF VALUES.

>> I'LL PRETTY MUCH VOTE FOR ANYBODY WHO TELL ME THEY HATE WHAT TRUMP IS DOING.

>> OH, I'M YOUR GUY.

>> Mary: IN A COLLEGE TOWN, EDUCATION IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE AS WELL.

>> WHEN I'M IN THE MAINSTREAM COMMUNITIES TALKING TO FOLKS, EDUCATION FREQUENTLY COMES UP.

WE DO HAVE A SHORTAGE OF WORKERS, WITHOUT IMMIGRATION, WITHOUT HAVING THE RIGHT PEOPLE HERE TO WORK FOR THOSE JOBS, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO FILL IN THOSE POSITIONS.

WHEN POLITICIANS TALK ILL F OTHER PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IMMIGRANTS, WE DO FACE BACKLASHES.

>> IS IT ALL GOOD OR DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS?

>> ALL GOOD.

>> ALL GOOD.

ANYTHING TO -- ANYTHING I CAN ANSWER FOR YOU TO KEEP THAT?

>> WE NEED AN ABSENTEE BALLOT.

>> I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE OF THE 25 YEARS THAT THIS COMMUNITY GAVE TO ME, WHAT THEY OFFERED TO ME, I WILL NEVER FIND AGAIN.

I'LL TELL YOU WHAT REALLY HIT HOME, I GOT DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER IN 2018.

AND YOU THINK YOU'RE ALL