DISTRICT 29A and District 29B

In District 29A and 29B, there are two candidates in each, facing off for the position of Minnesota state representative.

In 29A, incumbent Republican Joe McDonald of Delano is being challenged by Democrat Chris Brazelton of Delano.

In 29B, incumbent Republican Marion Rarick of Maple Lake is being challenged by Democrat Colton Kratky of Monticello.

DISTRICT 29A

Chris Brazelton

Name: Chris Brazelton

Position you are seeking: Minnesota State Representative for District 29A

1. Tell us about yourself:

I worked full-time while attending college in my 30s to get a bachelor’s degree and managed to graduate with high honors and BA in Social Science. I still managed a household in ways most women understand. My husband and I raised our two children and became foster parents to children with special needs. We want our grandchildren to have the same opportunities we had. I was born and raised in Minnesota. We have lived in Delano since 2001. I am a Child Support Officer and community volunteer.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people:  

I have worked in the private, non-profit, and public sectors and believe I was put on this Earth for a life of public service. I have led community improvement committees in places where I’ve lived. I have been blessed and do what I can to make life better for others.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for this office:

I am running because many issues are challenging us today. Discord in our politics makes finding solutions difficult. Finding real, lasting solutions means listening to all members of our community. Compromise in solutions does not mean compromising our values, but finding solutions that people can live with.

4. What do you consider to be the most important issues facing Minnesota now? 

I think some top issues are affordable housing, access to affordable childcare, and access to affordable, comprehensive healthcare, including mental health care.

I am a member of the Affordable Housing Committee in Delano. The supply of affordable housing is extremely low. Young people who grew up in the area can’t afford to return to raise their families here. Seniors ready to downsize have few options to remain in the area. Local businesses want to expand but entry-level workers can’t find housing they can afford. We must get creative with housing options including land grants, TIF financing, multi-family options, and housing in a range of sizes.

Many childcare providers closed during the pandemic. Those who provide childcare deserve living wages, yet families can’t afford the cost. Most families need two incomes to make ends meet. If we want young couples to have children, we may need to provide childcare assistance and make licensing easier, keeping children safe and making it possible for new childcare providers to get started.

Laws require healthcare coverage to provide parity for those with mental illness as we do for physical ailments. The reality is that mental healthcare is sorely lacking providers and space for intensive treatment. Failure to provide services results in lost productivity, community endangerment, suicide, incarceration, and other behavioral crises that cost us dearly. Providing comprehensive care may mean smaller bonuses paid to insurance company CEOs. The lives of our residents depend on doing better.

Joe McDonald

Name: Joe McDonald 

Position you are seeking: Minnesota State Representative for District 29A

1. Tell us about yourself:

My wife Rachel and I live in Delano and have three boys, one sister-in-law and two grandchildren. Rachel and I own McDonald’s Photography Studio that I opened in Delano in 1988. I graduated from Watertown Mayer High School in 1985, attended HTC and earned my degree in commercial photography. In 2000 I earned my Master’s degree in photography. For 35 years I’ve been active in various organizations in my community. I have been an active member in the Catholic Church in Delano. I’m a member of the Delano Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, Sons of the American Legion and the Delano Chamber of Commerce. I’m a past president of the Delano Chamber. I served on the Delano City council and as its Mayor. I am currently serving in my seventh term in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people:  

My experience serving as Delano’s Mayor and City Council for 10 years and serving as your State Representative for 14 years – not to mention my experience as businessman for over 30 years, having been active in various organizations in leadership roles throughout my community – has given me the experience and qualifications to serve the people of Wright County as your State Representative.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for this office:

I am seeking re-election to continue the work on important issues facing our state including quality education, rising healthcare costs, reckless spending and high taxes. In 2023, Minnesota had a $18 billion surplus. Not only did the Democrats spend every dollar, they raised taxes by $10 billion and increased state spending 38 percent. We went from a $52 billion budget to a $72 billion budget. That’s unsustainable and irresponsible.

4. What do you consider to be the most important issues facing Minnesota now? 

The high cost of living and high taxes. Minnesota is one of the highest taxed states in America. We must get a grip on state spending and reduce income tax rates for Minnesotans. We need to be competitive with our neighboring states to be more affordable for families and businesses that invest in our state.

DISTRICT 29B

Colton Kratky

Name: Colton Kratky

Position you are seeking: Minnesota State Representative for District 29B

1. Tell us about yourself:

I was born in Fort Worth, TX in 1991 and raised in the country outside of it. I joined the Marines in 2013 shortly after marrying my wife, Jaycie. After deploying on the USS Essex and finishing my active duty service in 2019, we decided to move to Minnesota to be closer to her family. Since then, I have absolutely fallen in love with the state and everything it has to offer. From ice fishing, to camping, to attempting to snowboard, I have enjoyed so many wonderful things here. In 2022 we were blessed with a wonderful son, Jack LaWayne, who is the reason I have decided to run for office and make the world a little better for him and the future generations. 

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people:

I finished my time in the Marines as a Sergeant and serving as the Communications Chief for my detachment on deployment. Being a non-commissioned officer taught me many valuable leadership skills such as judgement, decisiveness, tact, dependability, loyalty, unselfishness, and integrity. Working as the Communications Chief and working as a senior network and security administrator afterwards, has allowed me to learn how to view the big picture, while not forgetting about the details that are needed. It also has given me the ability to read and understand government documents and writings, which is not always a straightforward process. One of the things that I think will be most helpful in serving people is the ability to talk to and understand people of differing viewpoints. I believe that this will give me the ability to work across the aisle and within my own party to do what is best for the people of Minnesota and our district. 

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for this office.

I have chosen to run for this office because I believe it is the lowest level to accomplish what I wish to accomplish. I believe the state should work to support its citizens, local communities, businesses, and natural resources. I want to go to the capitol to advocate for our district and others like ours. We do not have the same issues and needs as the large cities, but that doesn’t mean we are not important. I wish to make sure that our cities, schools, and counties are getting the support they need to take care of our citizens. 

4. What do you consider to be the two most important issues facing your district now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

The most important issues I see is our education budget and community support. I believe that we need to go and do the boring work of sifting through the education budget. I see it as the same as going through and cancelling that streaming service you got for one show and now have paid for it for a year. We need to streamline our budget to make sure money is getting where it is needed, our students, teachers, and support staff. When I speak of community support, I mean services being in place to help our most vulnerable. Shelters for homelessness and domestic violence. Food shelves and help centers. Job training services and whatever else is needed. The state needs to work with local governments and non-profit organizations to build up these services to ensure that everyone can have a second chance in life when they need it.

Marion Rarick

Name: Marion (O’Neill) Rarick

Position you are seeking: Minnesota State Representative for District 29B

1. Tell us about yourself:

I was born and raised in Minnesota. In 1992, I moved to Virginia Beach, VA to earn my Masters in Counseling at Regent University and after a decade moved back to Minnesota in 2001. I lived in Buffalo until 2014 when I then moved to Maple Lake, which is where I currently live and own a home across from the city park. I have two adult children, James and Olivia and six grandchildren. James and his wife Elise and their six children live in Buffalo. I married Senator Jason Rarick on July 4th, 2023. I have worked at various non-profits including Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, where I was the Development Director and the Buffalo Food Shelf. I also owned my own small business for several years. Just before running for the Minnesota House of Representatives, I worked in the Majority Leader’s office of the Minnesota Senate.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people:

I have been honored to serve this district for twelve years and during that time, have served in several leadership positions: Vice-Chair of Higher Education, Chair of the Sub-Committee of Employee Relations, an Assistant Majority Leader, Minority Lead on the Sub-Committee on Corrections, and the Minority Lead on the Higher Education Committee. One legislative accomplishment was working across the aisle over several years to rewrite the sexual assault laws to close loopholes, hold rapists accountable and get justice for victims. Even the Minnesota Supreme Court, in one of the cases that they ruled on, referenced my many years of work (Hannah’s Law) regarding the definition of “involuntarily intoxicated” and how I had been working to change the definition so those who were heavily intoxicated, of their own doing, would also be protected by our rape laws. 

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for this office.

I have become a highly respected senior member of the House of Representatives because I dig deep into bills, policies and budgets. I ask the tough questions and challenge bill authors on both sides of the aisle when provisions in their bills have issues and flaws. With the Democrat trifecta, spending was increased by 40%, the entire $19 billion dollar surplus was spent, and the most extreme far left agenda was passed into law. My hope is to restore balance back to the Legislature by helping to elect a Republican majority and be an integral part of the solution to reign in this out-of-control state government.  

4. What do you consider to be the two most important issues facing your district now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

The most important issue is the ever-increasing economic burden on each Minnesotan. Increasing costs of gas, groceries, and energy are being compounded by increases in state taxes, fees and out of control government spending. Under the Democrat trifecta, the Minnesota general fund increased from $52 billion to $72 billion (a 40% increase) and taxes were raised another nearly $10 billion. The next Legislature needs to dial back spending across the board and cut back the massive tax and fee increases to reduce the burden on every Minnesotans. Another issue costing Minnesota taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, is the rampant fraud and lack of agency oversight by the Walz Administration. The Legislative Auditor has published long and comprehensive reports with advice for the Legislature to follow, which I am more than happy to do.