Campaigning is like running through the streets naked...

Thanks to those of you who were able to attend the candidate forum on Sunday! And thanks to those of you who helped organize that event! 

In case you don’t receive the SD49 activist bulletin, I want to share my reflections on the forum with you. Not because they are super profound, but because I was very inspired by the conversation and audience engagement (and because I spent a fair amount of time writing it, and I really hate wasting time, so I want to make sure people see it. ) 

Throughout our lives, opportunities to see who we can collectively be at our best come rarely. Too frequently, those moments are borne of trauma, such as what we have seen with the inspiring way Minnesotans, and especially Minnesotans in SD49, rallied to support our neighbors and protect them from ICE. Other times, those moments come from a shared commitment to our future, which is what we saw on Sunday with the SD49 candidate forum.

This is what politics can look like at its best. Different people with different perspectives coming together to have civil discourse and share ideas respectfully. I am so grateful to the committee who worked hard to bring this event together, and to my fellow candidates for creating an environment where we could each show up authentically and share our ideas honestly. We truly have high-quality, collaborative, and compassionate candidates ready to serve this community.

Thank you for trusting us with this opportunity to serve you, and please know you will always have a champion in me. Whether as your Senator, through my work with the school district, or just being an advocate for the things that matter, I believe there are so many ways to keep doing good, together.

If you’re looking to do some good right now, our neighbors need you. Eden Prairie Mutual Aid is only 12% of the way to their $100,000 goal to offer housing stability to those most affected by immigration enforcement. Please consider donating or helping spread the word.

There are only a few weeks left before you have to make a decision about who you will support. Reach out, ask questions, push us (respectfully), and find out who you think will best represent the values and needs of SD49 in the State Senate. 

Someone I really respect said that campaigning is like running through the streets naked. I’m not an exhibitionist, but I am laying it all bare for you in this race. You deserve to know who I am and what I stand for, and you deserve for that to be the same whether it’s in public or behind closed doors. 

Thanks for letting me share this moment with you. Forward, together. 

Dirk

Dirk Tedmon
Candidate for State Senate, SD49
forwardwithdirk.com