Through his experience as a member of the Cottage Grove Police Department, Dan Schoen witnessed firsthand the dangers of synthetic marijuana. Working with DFL Sen. Katie Sieben and GOP Rep. John Kriesel, Schoen helped build support for legislation outlawing such substances.

This year, when Rep. Bruce Anderson moved to run for an open Senate seat, O’Neill took it as yet another invitation to the Capitol, and one she couldn’t pass up.

JoAnn Ward decided to run when Rep. Nora Slawik, DFL-Maplewood, decided to retire. Redistricting pushed the new House District 53A farther to the east and across I-494 into Washington County. Even though partisan voter indices still pegged the new district as DFL-leaning, the race caught the attention of Republicans.

The election of Steve Green marks one of the few bright spots for the Republican Party of Minnesota from the 2012 legislative elections. Facing a fundraising disparity and an uphill battle in terms of name recognition, Green managed to defeat former DFL Rep. Brita Sailer for the open seat in House District 2B.

Yvonne Selcer got interested in the Legislature while working as a teacher and serving on the local school board, but she was brought up in a small business environment.

Getting to the Capitol is likely one of the easier things Nicholas Zerwas has done in his life. The former Elk River City Council member encountered a stumbling block on his way to winning the Republican endorsement, heading to not one but two endorsing contests, but he easily sailed to victory in his general election bid.

In with the new (and old) as Capitol Report continues to profile all 65 of the newly elected members of the Minnesota Legislature.

House vets join first-timers in Senate GOP fold as Capitol Report continues profiling all 65 of the newly elected members of the Minnesota Legislature.

As he talked about meeting with thousands of potential voters on the campaign trail, Jason Metsa found himself using a certain word, and paused to acknowledge what it meant. “Those people are now my constituents,” he said.

Foung Hawj’s initial run for a Senate seat didn’t suggest that he had a bright future in electoral politics. In a crowded, nine-candidate DFL primary field in 2010, Hawj won just 10 percent of the vote.