Tom Dippel and Jen Fox are no strangers to the communities they live in and are running to represent at the Minnesota Legislature.
Dippel, a dental surgery business owner and school board member, and his wife Carrie are raising their six children in Cottage Grove, the southeast metro suburb Dippel has called home his entire life.
Fox is a Hastings City Council member and part owner of a brewery in the town where she was raised.
That the two candidates for District 41B are both leaning into their hometown status as they vie for an open seat in the Minnesota House is where their commonalities begin and end.
Outgoing Rep. Shane Hudella, R-Hastings, won his only term to represent 41B by just 418 votes in 2022. He announced earlier this year he wouldn’t seek reelection.
The race this cycle between Fox, a Democrat, and Dippel, a Republican, has been one of the most closely watched out of 134 seats up for grabs in the state House on Tuesday.
DFL political connections boost Fox’s fundraising
While Dippel carries with him name recognition that came from his narrow loss for a state Senate seat in 2022, Fox is leaning into support from a DFL political machine that has helped her raised more than $113,000, according to a pre-general election report all legislative candidates must file by Oct. 21. Those totals are near the top of any legislative candidate fundraising this cycle.
By comparison, Dippel has raised $65,000, but nearly half of that came in the form of a loan he took out for his campaign. Dippel received about $700 from two out-of-state donors.
Of those donations for Fox, around $10,000 came from individual donors or political action committees outside Minnesota, according to a review of campaign finance reports. Several donations came from individuals or PACs based in California, and one individual max contribution came from San Juan, Puerto Rico-based Democrat megadonor Jon Borschow.
A difference in emphasis on state spending, taxes, schools
While money matters, the candidates believe their message is what will get them across the finish line with voters.
Dippel has said his years of small business ownership in the dental surgery industry have prepared him to advocate for a more friendly environment for small businesses and taxpayers who have been overburdened in recent years by “unsustainable” growth in state spending.
“I know what it’s like to balance a budget,” Dippel said in a recent video for a local TV station. “Unfortunately, many politicians in St. Paul do not. They voted to increase government by 40 percent in one legislative session. They also created a new delivery tax, increased sales tax and created automatic yearly increases for the gas tax. Minnesota also has the highest business tax in the entire country. Taxes are not something we want to be known for … This kind of tax-and-spend policy is unsustainable for residents and businesses alike.”
In her own video, Fox avoided directly discussing the DFL trifecta’s increase in government spending, but she said she has “firsthand experience being fiscally responsible” and will work to “spend our tax dollars wisely.”
She also pointed her audience to her website for her policy positions. On her “Issues” webpage, Fox limits her topics to general comments about “infrastructure,” “clean water” and “pro-business” policies but doesn’t mention taxes or state spending.
However, during a Hastings candidate forum, both candidates were asked if they would cut state spending or increase taxes when faced with a budget deficit. While Fox said she believes it is the “most fundamental responsibility of a state government to have a balanced budget,” she did not directly answer the question.
“We need to rely on bigger, better funding than one-time revenue streams for generations to come to ensure our finances are set up for future prosperity,” she said.
Dippel made his position clear: “We absolutely have to cut spending. It is not sustainable the levels that we have right now in Minnesota.”
Both candidates have said they will advocate for improvements in schools, but while Dippel said he believes the legislature needs to focus on improving standardized math and reading test scores for students, Fox said she is eager to fight for “strong funding for public school teachers.”
Endorsements Fox has received include: Education Minnesota, Pro-Choice Minnesota, Planned Parenthood, Climate Cabinet, Gender Justice and Progressive Turnout Project.
Dippel has been endorsed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the Minnesota Farm Bureau, National Federation of Independent Business and Associated Builders and Contractors of Minnesota.
This article is part of a series called “Swing-District Spotlight” in which Alpha News examines competitive state legislative seats across Minnesota.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
