Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 1A — incumbent John Burkel (R) and James Sceville (D) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Democratic Party controls Minnesota’s House of Representatives. Minnesota is one of 13 states with a divided government.
Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?
Burkel:
- “Those priorities include tax relief for families struggling to pay the bills with inflation not seen in their lifetimes, NOT California Car mandates and emissions standards imposed on us through MPCA rulemaking.”
- “Those priorities include fair funding for our nursing homes and rural schools, students and teachers, NOT bloated budgets for bureaucrats at the Minnesota Department of Education and Department of Human Services fostering fraud, corruption, and a lack of transparency.”
- “Those rural values include respecting our friends and neighbors, supporting our law enforcement, and holding criminals accountable, NOT demoralizing those who protect and serve…creating a revolving door, catch and release crime wave in Minnesota.”
Sceville:
- “Defending Democracy means that everyone that is able to vote is able to vote. Mail in voting and early voting should be the standard in Minnesota along with traditional day of cast ballot.”
- “Education reform doesn’t have to be drastic, but it does have to be effective. Paying our school staff a proper salary, providing incentives for keeping and hiring new rural teachers, creating a school supply trust fund from a cannabis tax, providing alternatives to traditional four year college. Small changes can make a large difference.”
- “Affordable housing is one of the biggest barriers to entry for becoming an adult. Many children end up growing up and moving to places that they can afford causing brain drain in our already small rural community. We need to get rural development funded and our towns growing.”
Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.
Additional reading:
- Races with a 100% Candidate Connection completion rate, 2022
- Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2022
