Candidates from Minnesota Senate District 38 and House districts 38A and 38B answered many of the same questions during the League of Women Voters candidate forum on July 14, 2026. Here’s a comparison of where they stood on several of the evening’s major issues.
Editor’s note: This guide summarizes candidates’ responses during the candidate forum. It is intended as a quick reference for voters and is not a comprehensive summary of each candidate’s platform. You can read our full story on the forum here.
| Minnesota Senate District 38 | ||||
| Candidate | Fraud & accountability | Taxes & affordability | Public safety | ICE / Metro Surge |
| Nehemiah Garley (DFL) | Called for stronger oversight, investigations and accountability for taxpayer dollars. | Favored cutting wasteful spending and easing the property tax burden on homeowners. | Emphasized addressing root causes of gun violence and getting illegal guns off the streets while investing in education and mentoring. | Said more legislative assistance is needed for businesses and families affected by ICE enforcement. |
| Brad Olson (Republican) | Argued Minnesota has failed to prevent widespread fraud and called for major reforms and greater accountability. | Proposed reducing government spending and reevaluating state programs to lower taxes. | Focused on stricter prosecution of offenders and stronger enforcement rather than additional gun restrictions. | Said better cooperation with federal immigration authorities could have reduced the need for large-scale ICE operations while also criticizing some enforcement tactics as overly aggressive. |
| Susan Pha (DFL, incumbent) | Pointed to creation of the Office of Inspector General and stronger coordination among state agencies while acknowledging additional reforms are needed. | Defended investments in public services while advocating closing tax loopholes benefiting corporations and wealthy individuals. | Highlighted passage of universal background checks and the state’s red flag law while calling for additional gun violence prevention measures. | Said the Legislature responded with rental assistance and other measures but argued more support is needed for communities and businesses impacted by the federal operation. |
| Minnesota House District 38A | ||||
| Candidate | Fraud & accountability | Taxes & affordability | Public safety | ICE / Metro Surge |
| Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley (DFL, incumbent) | Supported recent Democratic anti-fraud measures while cautioning against unfairly stigmatizing entire communities because of fraud cases. | Said government should evaluate programs for effectiveness while asking corporations and wealthy taxpayers to contribute more. | Backed additional gun violence prevention legislation and investments in youth, housing and health care. | Said immigrant-owned businesses suffered significant economic harm from the operation and called for continued legislative assistance. |
| Wynfred Russell (DFL) | Called for stronger oversight while also helping organizations build the capacity to properly manage public funds. | Supported controlling spending and eliminating waste while maintaining funding for essential public services. | Emphasized youth investment, diversion programs and community partnerships with law enforcement. | Said the Legislature should provide additional assistance to businesses and nonprofits still recovering from the operation’s economic effects. |
| Richard Klatte (Democratic Socialists of America/DFL) | Said government corruption persists because voters continue electing the same political establishment. He argued Minnesota should look to Nordic-style social democracies with stronger unions and greater public accountability. | Proposed a dramatic redistribution of wealth, including what he called a 90% “freedom fee” on the wealthiest individuals and large corporations, arguing trickle-down economics has failed working families. | Supports the Second Amendment but also backs what he described as common-sense gun safety laws. He argued military-style weapons are unnecessary for civilians and criticized the gun lobby’s influence on lawmakers. | Condemned defenses of ICE enforcement during the forum and argued that voters should reject those positions. He did not outline a detailed Metro Surge response but was clearly critical of ICE’s role and framed the issue as part of broader systemic injustice. |
| Charlie Kistler (Republican) | Said recent reforms were a start but called for broader accountability for both fraud perpetrators and government officials responsible for oversight failures. | Favored spending restraint and eliminating fraud to relieve pressure on taxpayers. | Opposed new gun restrictions, emphasizing enforcement, accountability and addressing repeat offenders. | Said both state and federal officials shared responsibility, arguing greater cooperation with ICE could have avoided broader enforcement actions while also criticizing some federal tactics. |
| Yelena Kurdyumova (Republican) | Called for stricter anti-fraud laws with no loopholes, arguing penalties should be certain and enforceable so offenders cannot avoid accountability. | Supports lowering taxes, particularly through greater tax credits for homeowners and reduced taxes for seniors. She also advocated property tax limits and financial protections for homeowners. | Opposes Minnesota’s red-flag law, arguing it lacks sufficient due process protections. She supports a Stand Your Ground law and stronger legal protections for lawful gun owners’ right to self-defense. | Did not directly answer the Metro Surge/ICE question during the forum. In her opening statement, she emphasized public safety, affordable health care, lower taxes and limiting corporate influence in politics, but she did not articulate a specific position on Operation Metro Surge or ICE enforcement. |
| Minnesota House District 38B | ||||
| Candidate | Fraud & accountability | Taxes & affordability | Public safety | ICE / Metro Surge |
|
Highlighted creation of the Office of Inspector General and previous grant oversight reforms while arguing government services need less privatization. | Supported higher taxes on top earners and corporations while opposing tax increases on working families. | Backed bans on high-capacity assault-style weapons and additional gun violence prevention legislation. | Said Democrats responded with rental assistance and other proposals but said legislative action was delayed because the Legislature was not in session when the federal operation began. |
|
Called for continued investigation of fraud and greater accountability throughout government. | Argued state spending is too high and said reducing waste would help lower taxes. | Emphasized enforcing existing laws and holding violent offenders accountable. | No major policy proposal beyond broader concerns about economic impacts and government response. |
District 38 Candidate Websites
|
Minnesota Senate District 38 |
|||
| Candidate | Incumbent or Challenger? | Party | Website |
|
C | DFL | https://www.nehemiahgarley.org/ |
|
C | Republican | https://www.olson4mnsenate.com/ |
|
I | DFL | https://susanphaforsenate.com/ |
|
Minnesota House District 38A |
|||
| Candidate | Incumbent or Challenger? | Website | |
|
I | DFL | https://www.huldahforhouse.com/ |
|
C | Republican | https://www.kistlerforhouse.com/ |
|
C | DFL | No Known Website |
|
C | Republican | https://www.vote4yelenakurdyumova.com/ |
|
C | DFL | https://wynfred.org/ |
|
Minnesota House District 38B |
|||
| Candidate | Incumbent or Challenger? | Party | Website |
|
C | Republican | https://marvinforhouse.com/ |
|
I | DFL | https://www.samanthavang.org/ |
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About Mshale Staff
The byline “By Mshale Staff” is used for stories that involve limited or no original reporting by our newsroom. These stories are often based on press releases or information provided by official sources, including corporations, government agencies and public institutions. The byline also may be used for reports compiled from multiple contributors, wire services, previously published material or aggregated sources when listing individual authors is impractical. Outside sources are generally identified within the story.
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