This interview was conducted over email for accessibility and scheduling purposes

Southwest Voices: How has campaigning been going? What have voters been talking to you about?

Isabel Rolfes: We are feeling good about our campaign. We’ve connected with around 20,000 voters, and helped a plethora of new neighbors with registering to vote! The concerns of voters differ greatly by neighborhood, but nearly every concern expressed is rooted in a desire to feel safe. Some neighbors have shared that the possibility of further restrictions on abortion and reproductive care make them feel unsafe. Some neighbors have shared that with the impacts of climate change becoming more apparent in our state, they don’t feel safe in their homes during extreme weather. And, very often, we hear concern about Trump returning to office in November and how that will impact both Minnesota and the rest of the country. These are all genuine safety concerns.

At the same time, we hear a lot of hope and optimism at the doors. District 61A is one of the most diverse districts in the state. It has a large population of LGBTQ+ neighbors, one of the highest renter populations in Minnesota, and it’s a popular place for both short term residence and settling down for life. And when my campaign is able to talk about specific existing policies and policy proposals that meet the specific needs of the people we talk to, people get excited. Something we often hear from voters is “Thank you for running. I have never seen someone like you run for office before, and that gives me hope for the future,”

Southwest Voices: How has working in the state legislature for Jamie Long given you a unique view of the race for this seat?

Isabel Rolfes: Jamie Long (the State’s majority leader) and I haven’t spent time in the past campaigning together in Minneapolis, let alone in District 61, so I don’t believe working with him has given me much as far as running for this seat. However, working for him has shown me how to find consensus on bold, groundbreaking, and life changing legislation.

As our team worked to bring together the stakeholders for the 2023 100% Clean Energy Bill to create a new carbon-free electricity standard, I watched him build consensus with opponents in real time, while not backing down from his values or commitments to his constituents. Translating that experience to this race, it has shown me that even if you don’t initially agree with someone on an issue, you don’t abandon them– you find a way to make it work for everyone.

I will also add that my experience in Jamie Long’s office has given me firsthand experience with constituent services. As his legislative aide, I have developed a system for responding to constituent services that has led our office to having the best response rate in the DFL House. And I plan to bring that system to my office to ensure everyone's needs get met.

Southwest Voices: You spent more time than others at the public 61A forum talking about the rights of workers. Why is that such an important issue for you?

Isabel Rolfes: Time and time again, I have seen workers be left behind, especially in fields that take on caretaking roles. For starters, my mom is a paraprofessional at an elementary school. She told me she asked the superintendent for one small request to make their work more doable, and she was met with “You paras are like Wal-Mart stock: when you are off the shelf, we can easily replace you.” This response is reprehensible and undermines the important work of paraprofessionals.

Second, as a former professional care assistant to someone with a physical disability, I know firsthand that healthcare workers get left behind in having living wages, benefits, and job stability. As human beings we care for each other and it would be outright cruel to abandon a vulnerable person to protest poor pay. I think it is disgusting to take advantage of the good nature of people to make a profit.

Lastly, I believe it is naive to think that we will make any meaningful strides into the society we wish to be while mistreating our workers, because they are the ones who will get us there. If we want climate resilient infrastructure, we need quality personal protective equipment to ensure the construction workers building it are protected in the work zone. If we want to address the increase of people coming here for reproductive healthcare access, we need to guarantee our nurses the breaks they need so they don’t burn out on the job. If we want our students to have the robust education they need to succeed in this world, we need teachers to have the time and resources to meet each student's individual needs. If we want to meet our goals, we need to support the workers that will get us there!

Southwest Voices:  What is something that you haven’t been asked about yet that you want to talk about?

Isabel Rolfes: I haven’t been asked about how I plan to support Minnesota families.

Childcare affordability is at the top of the DFL's priority list for upcoming sessions, yet we aren’t hearing about it much in the district. This is one of the most important statewide investments we can make to help Minnesotans. Minnesota’s child care is often considered the most expensive in the country. With this, we are actually seeing higher rates of stay-at-home parents because it ends up being more affordable to be a single income household and forgo childcare expenses. This diminishes an already shrinking workforce in Minnesota.

Regardless of family status, policies surrounding children and families affect all of us. If elected, I will:

Continue making strides with the DFL to get childcare costs to be capped at 7% of a household income. I want to find ways that working families can catch breaks, like the child tax credit, and also find ways to make that additional financial support more accessible year round. I also want to work to connect the Farms-To-Schools grants for local produce to the Universal School Meals programs to ensure that every family has access to healthy, delicious food.

Cost should not be the deciding factor for starting a family and I want to change that.

Southwest Voices: In a race that has three DFL candidates that would likely have similar voting records in office, how do you stand out? Why should people vote for you?

Isabel Rolfes: I think of politics and government as a team sport. In the Minnesota House of Representatives, we have a big roster. When building a team, it's never helpful to stack your bench with people who all play the same position.

That's why I am a unique candidate in this race. Not only do I represent transracial adoptees, but I represent LGBTQ+ community members who grew up in rural areas. I represent young people, and would be the first member of Generation Z in the DFL House. I represent people who go to therapy to treat their anxiety. I represent renters who have had to deal with unfair landlords. I represent the children of laborers. I represent immigrants. I represent people who have directly felt the impacts of racism and homophobia in this world.

We know that the most successful policy comes from the people most directly impacted by it. In 2023, the DFL had the most successful legislative session in history. It was also done by the most diverse legislation in Minnesota history. And I want to continue that streak of success by carrying legislation that is focused on advocating for the people who have been forgotten.

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The primary election is Aug. 13. Voting information is available online.