Minnesota's 7th Congressional District elections

Healthcare should be about care, not profit. Our healthcare system is broken. Erik has been told by multiple providers that the current model isn’t sustainable. It is too expensive & too complicated. Families are paying more in premiums, deductibles, copays, and prescription drug costs while still worrying about whether insurance will actually cover what they need. Rural communities depend on access to clinics, hospitals, providers, and mental health care. Doctors, nurses, and support staff are being asked to do more with less while too much money flows to insurance bureaucracy, drug company profits, executive pay, billing systems, and shareholder returns. That is not a responsible healthcare system. A responsible healthcare system should help people get care early, stay healthy, avoid financial ruin, and live with dignity. Erik is running because we can do better. Healthcare makes up 18% of our economy. It is a $5.3 trillion industry. We need to be honest about the need to get corporate money out of politics before we can bring about systemic change. That is why we have prioritized true campaign finance reform on this campaign. Click here to see that section.

In their own words·As of October 2026

Everyone needs a safe, stable place to live. In a Minnesota winter, a roof over your head is not a luxury. It is the foundation for health, family, work, school & the ability to build a life. That foundation is getting harder to reach. Rents are rising. Home prices have pushed first-time buyers to the sidelines. Seniors on fixed incomes are watching housing costs eat budgets with no room to give. Young workers spend so much on rent that putting down roots feels out of reach. Erik believes homelessness is not a moral failure. People land in crisis for many reasons: job loss, illness, family breakdown, domestic violence or a run of bad luck that compounds faster than anyone can recover. In Otter Tail County, Erik's department developed "The Big Build," helping build & refurbish more than 3,000 housing units, putting a dent in the supply crisis. Local solutions like this need federal help. USDA Rural Development must have the resources to loosen housing supply. Lifting up people who are struggling makes the whole community stronger. We can do better by building more housing, supporting first-time buyers, protecting renters & addressing homelessness with real services.

In their own words·As of October 2026

A fair day's work should mean a fair day's pay. The forty-hour work week. Overtime pay. Workplace safety standards. Employer health benefits. Paid leave. The minimum wage. Nearly every protection working people count on was won by organized labor. Erik knows an honest day's work. He's never been a union member, but he's worked in the trades on stucco, concrete, window & siding crews. He drove a box truck overnight delivering auto parts to provide for his family. As a small business owner, he also knows the balance between treating workers fairly & meeting a bottom line. Erik's family has benefitted from organized labor, & he understands its role in Western Minnesota. Unions helped build the American middle class. That is not a political opinion. It is history. For decades, corporate interests have worked to weaken unions, restrict collective bargaining & make it harder to organize. The result: wages that lag behind costs, power concentrated at the top & working people asked to do more for less. We can do better by protecting the right to organize, strengthening collective bargaining, enforcing labor law & making sure federal investment supports good local jobs.

In their own words·As of October 2026

Treat people the way you want to be treated. The Golden Rule is not complicated. It does not change based on who someone loves, how they identify, what their family looks like or where they were born. Erik believes every person in Western Minnesota should be treated with dignity, respect & equal protection under the law. LGBTQ+ Minnesotans are part of every community in this district. They are neighbors, farmers, veterans, teachers, small business owners, parents & friends. Erik will represent every person in this district, not just those who vote the right way, worship the right way or live the way someone else thinks they should. Race, religion, creed & national origin are protected under the Constitution & civil rights law. The "othering" used by career politicians needs to stop. Erik pledges to fight for the individual liberties of all those he seeks to serve. The reports of racism's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Federal agents have targeted Americans based on the color of their skin. The GPS coordinates of your mother at the time of your birth should not determine your worth as a human being. Equal rights means equal rights. No exceptions.

In their own words·As of October 2026

Personal medical decisions should stay personal. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly fifty years of federal protection for reproductive rights. That decision did not affect everyone equally. It created a patchwork of state laws where a woman’s access to reproductive healthcare depends on where she lives, how much money she has, and whether she can travel for care. Erik believes that is wrong. The decision to continue or end a pregnancy is one of the most personal decisions a person can face. It can involve medical risk, family circumstances, faith, finances, trauma, and deeply held values. That decision should be made by a woman and her doctor. Not politicians. Not judges responding to political pressure. Not the federal government. Not the state. Erik believes reproductive freedom is about privacy, dignity, and personal liberty. The same principle that says government should not interfere with your land, your business, your home, or your medical decisions applies here too. Some decisions are too personal for politicians to make. We can do better.

In their own words·As of October 2026

Dignity in retirement should not be up for debate. Hubert Humphrey said the moral test of government is how it treats "those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life." By that standard, we have serious work to do. Erik was raised to respect his elders. Too often, seniors are treated as a cost to be cut or a market to be monetized. That is wrong. At an empty chair town hall in Lake Bronson, Kittson County, in April 2025, 75+ citizens gathered to share what was on their hearts & minds. Someone stood up & asked, "What assurances do we have that the elderly in rural places won't be forgotten?" That question has been a driving force behind Erik's campaign. The people who built this country, raised families, paid taxes & served their communities should be able to retire with security & dignity. That means protecting Social Security & Medicare, making sure senior care is safe, accountable & staffed, & protecting seniors from corporate profiteering, food insecurity & isolation. Our obligation to seniors does not shrink as people age. It deepens. We can do better.

In their own words·As of October 2026

The promise does not end when the uniform comes off. The men and women who serve in our military make a promise to this country. This country makes a promise back. That promise does not end when the uniform comes off. It follows veterans home - into their families, their communities, their work, their healthcare, and the rest of their lives. Right now, too many veterans are coming home to find that promise has not been fully kept. Too many struggle to access healthcare. Too many wait too long for mental health support, PTSD treatment, or substance abuse care. Too many have a hard time finding work that matches their skills and experience. Too many are left navigating a system that should be easier to use than it is. Erik believes caring for veterans is not charity. It is an obligation. We can do better by fully funding the VA, protecting veteran care from privatization, expanding mental health and substance abuse treatment, strengthening housing support, and making sure every veteran has a real path forward when they come home.

In their own words·As of October 2026