by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

They worked to get there.

Jeremy Kalin, newly elected House Democrat from Lindstrom, went through five pairs of shoes and lost 22-pounds while knocking on 10,023 doors in District 17B, he said.

Kalin, a designer, was Spartan in his diagnosis of what people can expect from a DFL-controlled House.

“I think people expect us to just get to work,” said Kalin, who defeated Republican Pete Nelson.

The notion of getting to work, of avoiding the divisive, is a commonality heard among newly elected Democrats from our area.

“I think it will be orderly,” said Sen.-elect Jim Carlson of Eagan of the upcoming legislative session.

Rep.-elect Ken Tschumper, a dairy farmer from La Crescent, also sees the legislative process as running smoother — perhaps.

“I think the success of the Legislature will come down to the governor, without a doubt,” said Tschumper, who sees Gov. Tim Pawlenty emerging from the election politically wounded.

Some nine Democrats defeated local Republicans to strengthen the DFL lock on the Minnesota Legislature.

Some sensed the tang of change in the air during their respective races.

Sandra Masin of Eagan, former Eagan City Council Member who defeated Rep. Tim Wilkin, won by only 57 votes.

She was surprised, she said. She was surprised she hadn’t won by more, judging by the strong anti-incumbent sentiment she detected when knocking on doors, Masin explained.

Tschumper, who views his election a testament to the power of a single vote as his margin of victory works out to less than a vote per precinct, said he heard some voters say they normally vote Republican but not this year.

People more open to looking at Democrats

He may have picked up 50 to 100 votes the last day of the race out campaigning, Tschumper told his wife. “It (President Bush’s and Republican unpopularity) made people more open to looking at Democrats,” he said.

Some Democrats see their grip on their election certificate as tenuous.

Rep.-elect Paul Gardner of Shoreview, who narrowly defeated eight-term representative Phil Krinkie, sensed a lot of voters are supporting him on a trial basis.

“So I’m on a two-year probationary period,” said Gardner. “That’s how I look at it,” he said.

In talking issues, the Democrats often cited the Big Three: education, health care, transportation.

That’s what voters were talking about, they say.

“I think they’ve been heard (by elected officials) across the state,” said Carlson.

There isn’t a newly elected lawmaker who doesn’t assume there’s need for increased funding in transportation, Carlson opined.

Transportation is huge issue in his district, said Kalin.

Chisago County has the worst local and country roads in the state, he explained.

As for education, Masin, for one, believes there “definitely”  will be increased funding for schools.

Republican hostility toward public education

“It’s the (Republican) hostility toward public education that really bothered people,” Gardner said of a trait he perceived in the electorate.

Tschumper focused his campaign on health care, saying it’s a huge issue in Greater Minnesota.

“Middle class people can’t afford health care,” said Tschumper, who favors universal coverage.

But while a sampling of the new Democrats shows agreement on issues and direction, it’s a mistake to assume they all think alike.

They don’t.

One dividing line may be taxes.

The Democrats range from wait-and-see to philosophical to squeamish on raising taxes.

Although noting the state budget surplus projection, Carlson questioned whether it’s sufficient to cover state needs.

“I think they (lawmakers) will (raise taxes),” said Carlson. Local taxes are increasing, he explained. State taxes can lighten the local burden, and make taxation more fair, he explained.

Kalin, while saying he supports a five-cent gas tax increase, is reluctant to support any other tax increase.

Voters open to gas tax increase

Gardner indicated that voters in his district could be open to a gas tax increase — assuming the increase is well understood.

But, like Kalin, Gardner expressed hesitation to support other tax increases. “I don’t envision suburban Democrats going for an income or sales tax increase,” said Gardner. Indeed, he won’t be in office two years from now, said Gardner, if such tax increases take place.

Carlson, an engineer whose job has taken him to China — they have colleges everywhere, he said of the burgeoning Chinese economy — argues that global marketplace state investments have to be made.

China is not a donkey society anymore, he said. It’s a cell phone society, he said.

And it’s competitive.