To the editor:

I am heading into my second year SMSU and this election is the first time I get to vote for President of the United States. That is an honor I take seriously. But there is another race that has drawn my attention. It is the race for the Minnesota House of Representatives. Chris Swedzinski is our current official and Doria Drost is challenging him. I read up a little on them.

Swedzinski seems like a nice guy. Then I found out he voted against the Equal Rights Act and Marriage Equality. He also voted against multiple COVID-19 relief packages and the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act and then proposed cutting funding to public schools.

Drost, on the other hand, seems to actually want to find a positive future for Minnesota. She is developing a Veteran’s Bill of Rights to propose to the Legislature. I think her emphasis on including mental health education in schools is very important. And I really like her stance on holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for price gouging consumers.

I know the vote for President is an important vote. But for the future of rural Minnesota, the House of Representatives election is critical. And the pick has to be Doria Drost.

Megan Busman

Chandler