Minnesota House 15B candidates Tom Kuster (left) and Paul Torkelson shake hands before weighing-in on the issues during the League of Women candidate forum.

NEW ULM — The League of Women Voters Minnesota House District 15B candidate forum was dominated by discussion of government spending and the threat of Project 2025.

State House District 15B candidates were Republican incumbent Paul Torkelson and Democratic challenger Tom Kuster. The two answered questions from the LWV and submitted questions from voters.

The opening statement set the tone for the forum. Torkelson emphasized experience, serving eight years in Minnesota’s House and his record of supporting a pro-life agenda, second amendment rights, agriculture, rural schools and making Minnesota a business-friendly state.

DFL challenger Kuster focused on preventing and protecting constituents from Project 2025.

Project 2025 is a proposed presidential transition overseen by the Heritage Foundation. The project is a blueprint for the next Republican president to overhaul the executive branch.

Kuster described Project 2025 as a semi-barreling down on the public and he was concerned Torkelson would offer no warning.

Early in the forum, the candidates were asked for their top priorities for funding the next biennium when the next legislative session began.

Torkelson said it was important to fulfill promises from last year, specifically tax rebates for all and the elimination of the tax on social security. Torkelson said the rebates and social security tax cuts promised last year were only given to a select few instead of everyone. Torkelson also wanted to rein in the growth of the state government and remove costly mandates.

Torkelson wanted to provide assistance to emergency services and nursing homes, and pass a bonding bill that failed to pass last session.

“We need to invest in our infrastructure,” he said. “It takes state help to do that, so we need to prioritize fixing our infrastructure.”

Kuster said his biennium priorities would depend on the presidential election. He said if Donald Trump wins he would need to focus on damage control caused by increased tariffs and Project 2025.

“We will have to make up for a gutted Farm Bill, a loss of foreigner markets, loss of federal environmental and climate support, the loss of crop insurance protection, the loss of the weather service…and much more,” Kuster said.

The candidates were directly asked if they thought any of the ideas in Project 2025 would influence work in the legislature.

“I don’t think Project 2025 can be ignored,” Kuster said. He feared if the project were implemented it would give Trump the power to run the United States like a New York City crime boss.

Torkelson said he did not believe Project 2025 would influence his work in the legislature. Torkelson said he had never read Project 2025 and it was not a topic of conversation among his colleges. He said it is not an official document of the Republican party or an official document of the Trump campaign.

“[Kuster] is trying to focus this discussion on what is happening on the national level,” Torkelson said. “I am running to represent District 15B. The issues of 15B are important to me and the citizens.

Torkelson said he doubted many of the ideas in Project 2025 would ever become law even if Trump were elected because it would need to pass through the legislature in Washington, D.C.

“The odds of that happening are really slim,” he said. “It is hard to pass laws in this country; especially those that are controversial.”

Asked how they proposed addressing the housing shortage in southern Minnesota, the candidates agreed the shortage was caused by rising costs of materials making it hard for builders to turn a profit for moderate-income families.

Torkelson said the government could help remove some of the red tape for smaller homes and help the market grow again.

Kuster said the cities could help by incentivizing housing projects, but believed the state needs to help with the financing problems connected to housing.

Asked what was the number one piece of legislation needed to be passed in Minnesota, Kuster said he would not head to St. Paul with a list of legislation. He plans to head to the Capitol to learn from people and find solutions. He would focus on economic development for towns and farms. He repeated that rural Minnesota needed housing, day care, and broadband job training. These were the areas he would work the hardest.

Torkelson said he wanted to pass a balanced budget and the key to that is the tax bill. He said the spending initiated by the DFL will create a deficit. He was most concerned about avoiding a government shutdown.

With the impact of climate change on agriculture, the candidates were asked how the legislators could collaborate with farmers to adapt.

Torkelson said he was not certain that Minnesota could have an impact. He acknowledged climate change was happening but was uncertain any state legislation could impact it in a significant way. He suggested people consider how to use less energy and be more efficient.

Kuster said farmers are the experts on climate change.

“They know what they are doing to deal with those challenges,” he said. “If I am in the legislature, we need to listen to them.”

Kuster and Torkelson reached a bipartisan agreement on the importance of taking care of the senior community in New Ulm.

“We need elder care policy,” Kuster said. He praised the Republican effort to get extra funding for elder care last year. “We need more of that.”

He also supported worker training for nursing homes and assisted living. He supported elderly care and had economic development potential.

Kuster said they needed to stop facilities from closing and they needed them to stay nearby.

Torkelson agreed that funding nursing homes was a priority. He said last session the legislature got some funding for nursing homes but it wasn’t enough. He also agreed that nursing homes were sources of economic development. He said nursing homes are often among the largest employers in small towns. When nursing homes are forced to close, senior citizens need to seek a community outside of their communities away from their families.

“That’s just not healthy,” Torkelson said.

In their closing statements, Kuster acknowledged that based on demographics, most people in the area had only voted for Republicans, but he argued that the former Republican party no longer existed. He said the party of Eisenhower and Reagan was gone and replaced with Trump’s ideals.

“You owe no loyalty to the MAGA “R” on the ballot,” Kuster said. “Voting Democrat this time does not make you a Democrat, it makes you a patriot doing your part to reclaim the Republican party by removing the stain at the top.”

Torkelson said one-party control had allowed the passage of a very liberal agenda in the state that he believed was irresponsible. If re-elected he wanted to rein in wasteful spending and allow constituents to keep more of what they earned.

“I want to unite, not divide,” Torkelson said.

Torkelson also urged the public to vote. He said there were many methods of voting and he believed people could be confident in the system.

“Whether you vote through the mailbox or the ballot box or the ballot box I hope you all take the time to vote,” Torkelson said.

The Minnesota House 15B candidate forum will be available on New Ulm’s YouTube channel, accessible through the city’s website. New Ulm Community Access Television (NUCAT) will also periodically broadcast the forum before the election.

The City Council election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5 as part of the general election.