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Politics & Government

Thissen Says DFL Candidates 'Very Competitive' Following Redistricting

The House Minority Leader regrets that his current district will no longer represent Richfield.

Following Tuesday afternoon’s redistricting announcement by the state judiciary's Special Redistricting Panel, Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-Richfield) shared his preliminary thoughts about the redistricting’s implications for Richfield, his district and Minnesota in general.

Richfield Patch: Minnesota’s redistricting plan has been in the works for a number of months and you were previously critical of Republican redistricting plans: what were your thoughts about the process leading up to yesterday's map?

Rep. Paul Thissen: I thought it was a fair process. I thought the result looks like a map that’s very competitive, (that) very much positions the Democrats to retake the majority.

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Richfield Patch: Your district (63A) will no longer represent Richfield after 2012. Do you see any change to your own legislative agenda as a result of the shifting district lines?

Thissen: First, I’m really disappointed to not be representing Richfield anymore. It was a great honor to represent that community, (but) I don’t think the new district is going to cause me to legislate in any different way. The new and old district share the same values, and I look forward to working hard and trying to bring their voice to the Capitol.

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Richfield Patch: How do you see the redistricting affecting the DFL party's plans for elections in 2012?

Thissen: People are continuing to analyze the maps and the numbers. There certainly have been conversations I’ve had all across the state (about the redistricting), but at the end of the day, the redistricting lines this year are going to matter less than political lines that have been drawn. I think those political lines are going to drive the reelections this year more than the lines that have been drawn on this map.

I think people in Minnesota and the district continue to be focused on the right things—jobs and building the economy. Particularly in Richfield, how we’re funding schools is a growing concern. We need to continue to refocus on that. The other thing I heard from a constituent survey was concern over property taxes continuing to go up. I think as we move through the legislative session, we’d be doing the best for the folks who live in Richfield, Minneapolis and everywhere else if we addressed those issues.

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