Meet the two candidates battling for Minnesota House District 4B

Questionnaires were emailed to the registered addresses of each of the 2022 state legislative candidates for House District 4B. Each candidate was given word limits for each response and nearly two weeks to return the questionnaire with a profile photos. Responses may have been edited for style and grammar.

Contributed / Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State

Jim Joy (GOP):

Contributed / Jim Joy

Name: Jim Joy
Age:45
Home: Hawley
Education:12
Family members (name/age): Stephanie 47, Anika 21, Jaden 16, Amelia 16
Past offices held, if any:  Mayor of Hawley 
Most recent employment: DMI Car And Truck Wash

What makes you the best candidate to represent your party in the November election?

As a mayor, reserve police officer, and small business owner in Hawley, I know I have the public service and real-world experience to bring our rural values to Saint Paul and fight for northwestern Minnesota.

What are the main issues you will focus on when you are elected to the Minnesota Legislature?

Inflation is crushing families in our community as it has risen to levels we haven’t seen since 1981. That’s why a top priority of mine will be to provide historic tax relief to all Minnesotans so that you can keep more of your hard-earned money as we mitigate the impacts of inflation.

I am also committed to working on addressing rising levels of crime—making sure that law enforcement has the resources they need to keep our communities safe. We need to empower parents to be involved in their childrens' education as we work to recover from learning loss caused by Gov. Walz’s heavy-handed school shutdowns in 2020-2021. Agriculture is important to our area, and farmers are good stewards of their land. They don't need government micromanaging how they tend to their crops.

How would you describe your position on:

• Abortion?

I am proudly pro-life and will work to protect the unborn. Minnesota has a long history of passing bipartisan, pro-life legislation and I look forward to carrying on that tradition if elected.

• Spending the $9 billion state surplus revenue?

$9 billion is the largest budget surplus in history, meaning that state government has never had more of your money than it does right now. This is unacceptable at a time when millions of Minnesotans are being crushed under the weight of historic inflation. That’s why the vast majority of this surplus should be returned to you, the hardworking taxpayers. Having more money in your pocket will help combat soaring gas prices, expensive grocery bills, and everyday costs that are rising through the roof thanks to the failed economic policies of the Biden/Walz administrations.

• Was the 2020 election stolen? Why do you believe that? What, if any, changes would you recommend for how elections are conducted in Minnesota?

While the election wasn’t stolen, there were serious issues with states — including Minnesota — making massive changes to election laws through the courts instead of through the legislature. In 2020, Minnesota’s Secretary of State used a court settlement to strike down an important election integrity measure that requires witness signatures for absentee ballot. I would consider commonsense election reforms to ensure that Minnesotans are confident in the results of our elections, including Voter ID, ending ballot harvesting, and stopping cities from being able to selectively choose "pop-up" voting sites that can be used to drive partisan turnout.

• What changes, if any, would you make to how local government aid is distributed to Greater Minnesota?

As the mayor of Hawley, I understand the importance of local government aid and the crucial role it plays helping provide critical services for communities across Minnesota.
John Hest (DFL):

Contributed / John Hest

Name: John Hest
Age: 29
Hometown: Glyndon
Education: BA History/Political Science, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; MA History, North Dakota State University
Family members (name/age): Natalie Hest (29, wife); Eleanor (Ellie) Hest (2, daughter)
Past offices held, if any: N/A
Most recent employment: Academic advisor at M State CTC

What makes you the best candidate to represent your party in the upcoming November election?

As a farm-grown educator, dad, and union member, I have a blend of experiences that would help me to reflect the values of District 4B in a way that few others could. I grew up as the fifth generation on my family’s farm, and my dad and brother continue to farm.

My wife and I have a young daughter, so I know the challenges accessing childcare, education, and other necessities for families. I work for a living, and appreciate the challenges facing working people in our district, including union members like myself. I’m also willing to work across the aisle and would not let extremism within either party derail my attempts to get legislation passed that will help Minnesotans. My personal experience, policy knowledge, and ability to work across party lines will ensure the legislature will better serve all Minnesotans, including my family, friends, and neighbors in District 4B.

What are the main issues you will focus on when you are elected to the Minnesota Legislature?

My top 3 priorities are defending family farmers, fully funding our public schools, and reinforcing rural healthcare and eldercare. Between growing up on a farm and my advocacy with Minnesota Farmers Union, I understand how hard it is for family farmers to make a living; if we want family farming to continue to exist and avoid consolidation, we need action now. I support an expansion of the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit and incentives to help older farmers support the next generation of farmers.

I also support Right to Repair legislation. I pledge to support our state living up to its constitutional obligation to fund public schools and ease the burden on our property tax base. I support additional investments, from early childhood to university, in public schools, including to close the so-called cross subsidy that stems from unfunded mandates for necessary services including special education.

I know how hard it is to access healthcare in our rural communities and support training more providers and supporting rural hospitals and clinics. Finally, our seniors are an irreplaceable community resource and I support efforts to help them stay in their homes and provide additional rural senior living options.

How would you describe your position on:

• Abortion?

I am pro-choice. Healthcare decisions should be made by a person and their healthcare provider, not by an overreaching government. Instead of focusing on the issues impacting our families most, some in government are intent on restricting freedom and banning abortion in Minnesota.
If elected, I will work every single day to ensure that every person has access to the healthcare they need, and that includes reproductive healthcare. Minnesota is about to become the only state in our region where people still have the right to make important reproductive healthcare decisions, and I will fight to protect that right.

• Spending the $9 billion state surplus revenue?

Our first priority should be helping those in need, including by equalizing tax policy. My predecessor, Paul Marquart, helped craft what would have been the biggest tax cut in Minnesota history in his last session in St. Paul; however, despite agreeing to the deal, Senate Republicans instead opted to obstruct and refused to pass a bill that would help put money back in the pockets of working Minnesotans.
I support many of the provisions of that tax bill, including cutting the unfair taxes on Social Security income, providing additional tax credits to families with young children to offset ballooning childcare costs, and providing additional tax credits for Minnesotans paying off student loans, particularly those who choose to work in high need fields like rural healthcare.

Additionally, we can leverage that surplus to make significant investments in public education, infrastructure, agriculture, and affordable/veteran housing. Along with targeted tax relief, public education would be my No. 1 investment priority. Minnesota’s chronic under-funding of our public schools has led to skyrocketing local property taxes, and we can take action to ensure that our schools are funded adequately by the state — relieving the burden on seniors and families.

• Was the 2020 election stolen? Why do you believe that? What, if any, changes would you recommend for how elections are conducted in Minnesota?

No, the 2020 election was not stolen. All of the returns were in line with trends and conducted as normal by our county election officials. There is simply no evidence of a stolen election. Minnesota runs some of the fairest and most secure elections in the world and any charge of a stolen election is nothing more than a conspiracy theory. We consistently rank among the highest in voter participation and I would not take any steps to discourage citizens from exercising their sacred, constitutional right to participate in our democratic process.

• What changes, if any, would you make to how local government aid is distributed to Greater Minnesota?

Local government aid (LGA) is a crucial piece of how local governments fund vital services. I support regular increase to the LGA formula, including to combat inflation, as well as ensuring that local governments aren’t hit with retroactive adjustments to LGA or negatively impacted in the event of a government shutdown. I also support efforts to ensure that LGA money is distributed fairly to rural governments and not disproportionately directed to urban centers.