This article is the sixth in a series called “Swing-District Spotlight” in which Alpha News examines competitive state legislative seats across Minnesota.
Elliott Engen is running for a second term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Republican, Engen is keeping his campaign message to a simple, two-word phrase: “restoring sanity.”
“The past biennium was more reckless, expensive, and out-of-touch than I could have imagined when I got elected,” Engen told Alpha News. “The DFL trifecta spent the entire $18 billion surplus while raising taxes by nearly $10 billion, including increasing the gas tax automatically every year with inflation.”
Engen’s legislative seat, House District 36A, is located primarily in Anoka County, but also stretches into a northern portion of Ramsey County. The district includes Lino Lakes, Circle Pines, North Oaks, Centerville, and a large section of White Bear Township.
In 2022, more than 22,000 votes were cast in the race for the seat; Engen won by just 642 (2.82%).
Running against Engen is Janelle Calhoun, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party. Calhoun is a resident of Lino Lakes and previously led a cancer research foundation. Describing herself as a “fervent supporter of women’s reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights,” Calhoun is endorsed by various labor unions and conservation groups.
Currently, the Democrats have a slim majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives; 70 Democrats, 64 Republicans. As such, a change in just four seats could give the majority to the GOP. Given the close contest in House District 36A last time, Engen’s seat will undoubtedly be one of the few elections that will determine who controls the chamber.
Should the GOP win a majority in the House, Republicans in that chamber would have to contend with a Democratic governor and, potentially, a Democratic state Senate.
Alpha News reached out to both Engen and Calhoun to ask the candidates about the race and other legislative topics. Engen responded; Calhoun did not.
Restoring balance
Asked about the three most important bills a House GOP majority should pass, Engen said Republican lawmakers should pursue tax relief, a comprehensive public safety plan, and education reform.
Specifically, the first-term lawmaker wants to eliminate state taxes on Social Security and “essential items such as infant care products and school supplies.” On public safety, Engen says lawmakers should pass legislation that helps recruit more first responders and holds local prosecutors accountable when those prosecutors “fail to serve victims at the behest of career criminals.”
Regarding education reform, Engen’s priorities include “fixing our reading and math proficiency rates, closing the achievement gap, giving local control back to our independent school districts, and funding teachers and students in classrooms rather than bureaucrats in MDE boardrooms.”
Furthermore, Engen believes a House GOP majority would give voice and representation to millions of Minnesotans who have been ignored during the last two years of DFL control.
“A House Republican majority would restore balance to the state and work across the aisle to pass necessary legislation to keep our state moving, while blocking the most radical ideas that have gone unchecked over the past biennium,” Engen said.
Should Calhoun defeat Engen, she would be serving alongside other Democratic lawmakers who have proposed, supported, and authorized many far-left ideas. During the last 20 months, Democratic lawmakers in St. Paul approved new laws which gave illegal immigrants the ability to obtain Minnesota driver’s licenses and access a state-run insurance program.
Additionally, several DFL legislators supported a proposal to make Minnesota a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants.
Among other questions, Alpha News asked Calhoun if she supports giving state services to illegal immigrants, and if she supports making Minnesota a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants. As mentioned previously, Calhoun did not answer any questions for this story.
“I’m worried that [Calhoun] would have taken those votes to increase the budget by 40% in one year, to increase the gas tax and tie it to inflation, to give public benefits to illegal immigrants, and to allow felons to vote while still serving their sentences,” Engen told Alpha News. “Our district does not want a representative who is a rubber stamp for the DFL’s agenda.”
Asked how he intends to win what could be a close race, Engen described many of his campaign’s activities.
“I’ve been working tirelessly with my team over the past few months to engage with as many voters directly and personally as possible. We have been knocking doors, holding town halls, meeting with local officials, and participating in forums. I think voters appreciate my authenticity and recognize that I wouldn’t just be a rubber stamp for my party.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
