Who I Am, and
Why I'm Running

I wasn't planning to run. I supported Jake Johnson early on, even donating to his campaign. I wanted him to be the DFL candidate.

What changed my mind was healthcare. In March 2026, health insurance executives hosted a fundraiser for my opponent in St. Paul. That told me everything about which side of the healthcare fight he'd be on. You don't take the insurance industry's money in March and then take on the insurance industry in Washington.

I'm originally from Minneapolis. I worked as an analyst at Accenture, got my MBA from the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota, and bought a six-unit apartment building as a side project. From 2006 to 2012 I worked a day job at Target HQ and ran the business on nights and weekends, buying another multi-family property about once a year. I've spent the years since growing my property management business to where it is now, with over 20 properties, 1,400 rental units, and more than 30 employees. I know what a W-2 and a second job feel like.

In 1999 I walked 100 miles through the Syrian foothills, and that walk is part of why I'm walking 277 miles across southern Minnesota now. The genuine, unplanned conversations I had with people just by walking through their towns gave me experiences I couldn't have gotten any other way. Throughout my adult life I've volunteered for the same causes I'm running on now. I served two years as president of the Minnesota Young DFL. I was a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention for Dennis Kucinich's campaign, the peace candidate before Bernie was the peace candidate. I co-founded Peace in the Precincts, a Minnesota movement against the Iraq War in the 2000s. And I co-founded a PAC with a fellow MN-01 DFLer called Pass MHP to help pass the Minnesota Health Plan, our state's single-payer bill. I didn't adopt single-payer for this campaign. I've been organizing for it since before this race existed.

In 2020 I decided I wanted to move to a rural area, which turned out to be a long process. I found a property by the Cannon River, built a driveway and a shouse (shed-house) in 2022 and 2023, and split my time there over the past four years. In early 2026 I made it official and moved to Vasa, MN, outside of Red Wing. When I bought the property it was actually in the 2nd Congressional District, but it was redistricted into the 1st in 2022.

I own and operate a property management business. I see tenants almost every day who work hard and still struggle to make ends meet, and that experience is a big part of why I'm running. The four things I'm fighting for (single-payer healthcare, no federal income tax on the first $80K, a $500/month UBI, and universal pre-K) would transform life for the working class, my own tenants very much included.