Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Mike Christopherson
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Mike Christopherson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Minnesota House of Representatives to represent District 1B. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Christopherson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2024
See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 1B
Steve Gander defeated Mike Christopherson in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 1B on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steve Gander (R) | 67.2 | 13,939 |
 | Mike Christopherson (D)  | 32.7 | 6,791 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 14 | ||
| Total votes: 20,744 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Mike Christopherson advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 1B.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Steve Gander advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 1B.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Travis Johnson (R)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Christopherson in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mike Christopherson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Christopherson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I'm Mike Christopherson. I've been married to Michelle for 28 years. We have two grown sons, Ethan, 25, and Trey, 23. They have each launched successful careers in Crookston. I was born outside of Seattle 54 years ago, but my parents were from the Crookston, Climax and Eldred area. We returned to Crookston when I was in elementary school, and, other than the time I attended Moorhead State University and then lived for a couple of years in Minneapolis, I have called Crookston and District 1B home. I met Michelle at MSU and we both have communications/broadcast journalism degrees.
I worked at the Crookston Daily TImes from 1994-2001 as a reporter/photographer/opinion writer. From 2001-03 I worked at the University of Minnesota Crookston as assistant director of service learning/student engagement. I also taught a composition writing lab as a teaching specialist. I returned to the Times in 2004 as managing editor and remained there until the summer of 2021, when I resigned due to my frustrations with corporate media's lack of effort when it came to supporting small-town journalism. I then secured a short-call substitute teaching license and worked in several school districts for a few weeks, before accepting an offer to be the full-time substitute teacher at Fisher Public Schools. I have since earned my Tier 1 teaching license in 5th-12th grade communication arts and literature.
- I want to be a voice of reason in St. Paul. I've had a couple of people scoff at me when they've asked me why I'm running and that has been my answer, but, really, how many politicians today strive to be reasonable? There are issues that deserve/warrant bipartisan support, especially issues that boost rural vitality in District 1B and rural Minnesota in general. There are issues that Democrats and Republicans simply will not agree on, and I am OK with that. But there are issues we can work together on, if we're reasonable.
- Rural vitality is the foundation of my campaign. Rural Minnesota communities have a great deal to offer individuals and families. But we need to provide basic things that people need if they're going to call rural Minnesota home:
1. Housing options, whether they're "affordable/workforce" in nature, single-family, multi-family or apartments, people need a place to live that meets their needs/wants. 2. Childcare: It must be available and affordable. But providers need to make a living wage and can't be overburdened by unreasonable regulations. 3. Rural healthcare: Preserve and protect it.
4. Rural broadband internet: No matter where in Minnesota people live, they need consistent high-speed internet service. - I've based much of my campaign on four issues that "reasonable" people should be able to rally behind, without even mentioning public education and agriculture. Unfortunately, these two bedrock issues should garner bipartisan support, but they do not. Shifting from journalism to teaching, I see firsthand every day the unprecedented challenges facing our students, teachers and families. We need to adequately fund public education and also shift our thinking when it comes to educating tomorrow's leaders and workers. And as for ag/agribusinesses, it's the backbone of our rural Minnesota economy, and yet Project 2025 would seek to gut ag supports/ safety net, and do away with the sugar program.
Although I haven't trumpeted it consistently during my campaign, I do think that government can do a great deal of good. That doesn't mean I want the government poking its nose into every aspect of my life or anyone else's (that seems to be the new Republican mantra), but I do think government can play a role in standing up for marginalized communities and others who often face each day trying to survive and thrive on an uneven playing field.
I look up to my dad. My mom got pregnant when they were 19 and they eloped to South Dakota and then drove to Seattle, where he got a job at Boeing. With a young family to support (my older sister and then me), he tried to get as much overtime as he could and at one point he worked something like 180 days in a row.
I also look up to and admire my wife, Michelle. She grew up a dairy farmer's daughter and no one works harder than dairy farmers. Her family moved around a lot and that was tough, too. They struggled financially. Her work ethic and her perseverance today are shaped by her experiences from her youth. No one I know works harder than her, certainly not me.
I also look up to and admire my wife, Michelle. She grew up a dairy farmer's daughter and no one works harder than dairy farmers. Her family moved around a lot and that was tough, too. They struggled financially. Her work ethic and her perseverance today are shaped by her experiences from her youth. No one I know works harder than her, certainly not me.
I have an affinity for various media and pop culture that's satirical in nature and pokes fun at our American society and culture, but pokes with a sharp stick. Like Michael Moore's documentaries, or films like "Idiocracy" or Bill Maher's "Religulous." Are they all factually 100% accurate? No, because they're also trying to entertain. But they're also fearless.
I'm a history buff as well, and I think leaders who deny our history, which is not all roses and sunshine, are doomed to repeat it. I see that happening now in our political and cultural spectrum.
I'm a history buff as well, and I think leaders who deny our history, which is not all roses and sunshine, are doomed to repeat it. I see that happening now in our political and cultural spectrum.
Honesty, transparency and integrity. Maybe courage and even bravery, too. I think too often these days, once a politician is elected for the first time, the politician realizes that being an elected official is pretty stellar gig, so his/her primary goal from that point on becomes remaining an elected official. Such an approach, I feel, threatens to compromise an elected official's ideals and principles.
I'm a tremendous communicator, with a variety of audiences, whether I'm speaking to them or writing. I honed those skills through more than two decades as a journalist, and now I communicate daily with students, whether they're 4 years old or 18. I can make people laugh; that is a skill I lean on often.
Standing up for my district as well as rural Minnesota. Minnesota has a unique geography when it comes to the Twin Cities metro area and the vast geography of the rest of the state, the vast majority of which is rural. It's like Minnesota is two different states populated and represented by people with vastly different priorities. I think a state legislator representing an area 200 to 300 miles from the Twin CIties has to bring a passionate rural voice to the halls of the capitol in St. Paul, while also realizing that we are "one Minnesota."
I don't think a politician should simply be a mouthpiece that does precisely and exactly everything his/her constituents want or demand. I think there has to be a level of trust by constituents in their elected representatives that those representatives will do right, and do right by them.
I don't think a politician should simply be a mouthpiece that does precisely and exactly everything his/her constituents want or demand. I think there has to be a level of trust by constituents in their elected representatives that those representatives will do right, and do right by them.
Speaking as someone who hasn't yet been elected to office, I'd like to be remembered as the person who ran the Crookston Times' newsroom when it was a daily watchdog on the powers-that-be in and around Crookston. Now, as a teacher, I'd like students, when they think of me today, tomorrow or well into their adult lives, to know that I was someone who always cared about them, even if I had to be a little tough sometimes.
If I'm fortunate enough to be elected to the legislature, I'd want my legacy to be based on my honesty and integrity. I'd want to be remembered as someone who was fair, respectful, and who went to the capitol each day hoping and determined to do good for his constituents, his district, and his state.
If I'm fortunate enough to be elected to the legislature, I'd want my legacy to be based on my honesty and integrity. I'd want to be remembered as someone who was fair, respectful, and who went to the capitol each day hoping and determined to do good for his constituents, his district, and his state.
There are more than one. I remember the Iran hostage crisis and my parents being very concerned about it. I remember my family screaming in the living room during the Miracle on Ice in the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. I will always remember the space shuttle Challenger explosion. I'm kind of a space junkie and I remember obsessing over the news coverage in the wake of that tragedy. On a local level, when I was 16 one of Crookston's most historic buildings burned to the ground. It was called the Opera Block and Mark Twain had performed there at one point. I had this huge crush on a girl in high school and I'd asked her out on a date. Our date was supposed to be that night and we were going to grab some food and go to a movie. But, instead, we went downtown and watched firefighters battle the huge blaze. I never got a second date with her.
At age 14 I was hired as a dishwasher at RBJ's Family Restaurant in Crookston. I became a cook eventually and used that experience to be a cook, kitchen manager and caterer at various establishments in Crookston, Moorhead and the Twin Cities during and post-college. I made lifelong friendships and memories from my experiences working in the restaurant/service industry.
I'm a Stephen King junkie. I also love "American Psycho" and just about anything written by Garrison Keillor.
I love Kevin Spacey's Lestern Burnham character in the film "American Beauty." Of course, he dies at the end, so there's that. I also love space films, and "Interstellar" is one of the finest in the genre. Matthew McConaughey's Joseph "Cooper" character lives a pretty amazing life, and at the end of the moving he's well over 100 years old but still looks like he's 40. Who wouldn't want that?
I'm a big redemption fan in various books and films, but no one does redemption better than Bill Murray. His characters in films like "Scrooged" and "Groundhog Day" are impossible not to cheer for.
I'm a big redemption fan in various books and films, but no one does redemption better than Bill Murray. His characters in films like "Scrooged" and "Groundhog Day" are impossible not to cheer for.
"Bug Like an Angel" by Mitski. I love classic rock and folk and all of that stuff, but I also dig alternative music and bands like The War on Drugs, My Morning Jacket, The Shins, Fleet Foxes and Wilco. Mitski is a singer/songwriter, and this song is about one's struggles with alcohol. The lyrics are pretty raw, but the singing and musicianship are awesome, especially at a loud volume. On another musical note, our youngest son's middle name is "Dylan," after Bob Dylan.
I've struggled with stress from time to time. Sometimes it's tough to slow down, pause, take some deep breaths, and live life moment to moment, knowing there are things you can control, and things you cannot.
I think it all comes down to give-and-take, which is another way for saying compromise. Obviously, the relationship would be greatly impacted by the party dynamics in the senate, house and governor's chair. It can't all be about a power-play, and I think when either party gets a sliver of a chance to hammer through their initiatives, they leap at it.
Going back to a previous answer, I think Minnesota is seen as almost two separate states. Our sharp rural/metro divide is based on geography, but it's gone beyond geography. We are "one Minnesota," and people no matter where they live need to realize that if a portion of Minnesota succeeds, all of Minnesota succeeds. I think metro legislators need a reminder once in a while of the tremendous importance of rural Minnesota. The impact of our rural economy and farmers and agribusinesses is not limited to rural Minnesota, it's national and it's worldwide.
No. Such previous experience is not a requirement, so there is nothing wrong with learning on the job. I covered government and politics for more than 20 years as a journalist, and I think that experience is as valuable as any.
Yes, yes, YES! This shouldn't need an explanation; it should be obvious to everyone. The "good old days" weren't that long ago in actuality, but when it comes to how politics work these days, the good old days of lawmakers fiercely disagreeing and even arguing over issues in their legislative chambers, but then going out for a steak and a beer afterward, might as well have been a lifetime ago. Today, the extreme ends of the spectrum in both major parties openly call the other side the enemy. They're mean, vicious and untruthful. They lie. I want to go to St. Paul and build relationships; I don't know how anything of substance and meaning and actually helps more people than it hurts can get accomplished in a vacuum.
Bernie Lieder was our longtime DFL District 1B representative, and he was always dignified and respectful. I think I'd be a bit more vocal than him, however, even if it got me in hot water from time to time. (Mostly joking.) Roger Moe nominated me for the District 1B DFL endorsement, and I sure wouldn't mind being compared to him at some point if I am fortunate enough to be elected.
No, I am not.
Nothing specific that I will detail here. But I will see I see firsthand every day the struggles of students and families in school. I see the poverty and the instability at home. I see a curriculum that doesn't meet the needs of several young learners.
And then there's healthcare. A onetime teaching colleague has just been diagnosed with cancer, and the spaghetti feed has been scheduled, and the GoFundMe campaign has been launched. Yes, I understand that communities are wonderful at rallying around their family, friends and colleagues when catastrophic healthcare diagnoses or accidents occur, but I would also work to reform our healthcare system that is based on profit and the haves and the have-nots.
And then there's healthcare. A onetime teaching colleague has just been diagnosed with cancer, and the spaghetti feed has been scheduled, and the GoFundMe campaign has been launched. Yes, I understand that communities are wonderful at rallying around their family, friends and colleagues when catastrophic healthcare diagnoses or accidents occur, but I would also work to reform our healthcare system that is based on profit and the haves and the have-nots.
It would be entirely inappropriate for inclusion in this questionnaire.
I think decision-makers would have to approach this on a case-by-case basis, but that the threshold would have to be pretty high.
I don't have a first bill in mind. I will say that my initial priorities would be rural housing, rural healthcare, childcare and broadband internet. I would also enter the chambers every day looking to support public education and the agricultural economy that is the backbone of rural Minnesota.
Planned Parenthood, Stonewall DFL (the LGBTQ+ caucus), Education Minnesota, National Association of Social Workers, the AFL-CIO. Others are pending or in process.
I'd like to be on the ag committee, so I can represent ag interests in my district, but also so I can learn. Seriously, though, as a first-time, rookie legislator, I will gladly serve on any committee I am assigned.
I'm all for both. What elected official holding firm to any real principles believe in financial secrecy and a government operating with no accountability?
I think there is a middle ground here. Some states have far too many initiatives on the ballot. I'd be hesitant to push Minnesota in that direction. If there is going to be an initiative on the ballot in the form of a constitutional amendment, it needs to be of great importance.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Minnesota House of Representatives District 1B |
Personal |
Footnotes
Current members of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Lisa Demuth
Majority Leader:Harry Niska
Representatives
District 1A
John Burkel (R)
District 1B
Steve Gander (R)
District 2A
Bidal Duran (R)
District 2B
Matt Bliss (R)
District 3A
Roger Skraba (R)
District 3B
District 4A
Heather Keeler (D)
District 4B
Jim Joy (R)
District 5A
Krista Knudsen (R)
District 5B
Mike Wiener (R)
District 6A
Ben Davis (R)
District 6B
Josh Heintzeman (R)
District 7A
Spencer Igo (R)
District 7B
Cal Warwas (R)
District 8A
Pete Johnson (D)
District 8B
Alicia Kozlowski (D)
District 9A
Jeff Backer (R)
District 9B
Tom Murphy (R)
District 10A
Ron Kresha (R)
District 10B
Isaac Schultz (R)
District 11A
Jeff Dotseth (R)
District 11B
Nathan Nelson (R)
District 12A
Paul Anderson (R)
District 12B
Mary Franson (R)
District 13A
Lisa Demuth (R)
District 13B
Tim O'Driscoll (R)
District 14A
Bernie Perryman (R)
District 14B
Dan Wolgamott (D)
District 15A
Chris Swedzinski (R)
District 15B
Paul Torkelson (R)
District 16A
District 16B
Dave Baker (R)
District 17A
Dawn Gillman (R)
District 17B
Bobbie Harder (R)
District 18A
Erica Schwartz (R)
District 18B
Luke Frederick (D)
District 19A
Keith Allen (R)
District 19B
Tom Sexton (R)
District 20A
Pam Altendorf (R)
District 20B
Steven Jacob (R)
District 21A
Joe Schomacker (R)
District 21B
Marj Fogelman (R)
District 22A
Bjorn Olson (R)
District 22B
Terry Stier (R)
District 23A
Peggy Bennett (R)
District 23B
Patricia Mueller (R)
District 24A
Duane Quam (R)
District 24B
Tina Liebling (D)
District 25A
Kim Hicks (D)
District 25B
Andy Smith (D)
District 26A
Aaron Repinski (R)
District 26B
Greg Davids (R)
District 27A
Shane Mekeland (R)
District 27B
Bryan Lawrence (R)
District 28A
James Gordon (R)
District 28B
Max Rymer (R)
District 29A
Joe McDonald (R)
District 29B
Marion Rarick (R)
District 30A
Walter Hudson (R)
District 30B
Paul Novotny (R)
District 31A
Harry Niska (R)
District 31B
Peggy Scott (R)
District 32A
Nolan West (R)
District 32B
Matt Norris (D)
District 33A
Patti Anderson (R)
District 33B
Josiah Hill (D)
District 34A
Danny Nadeau (R)
District 34B
Xp Lee (D)
District 35A
Zack Stephenson (D)
District 35B
Kari Rehrauer (D)
District 36A
Elliott Engen (R)
District 36B
Brion Curran (D)
District 37A
Kristin Robbins (R)
District 37B
Kristin Bahner (D)
District 38A
Huldah Hiltsley (D)
District 38B
Samantha Vang (D)
District 39A
Erin Koegel (D)
District 39B
Sandra Feist (D)
District 40A
Kelly Moller (D)
District 40B
David Gottfried (D)
District 41A
Wayne Johnson (R)
District 41B
Tom Dippel (R)
District 42A
Ned Carroll (D)
District 42B
Ginny Klevorn (D)
District 43A
Cedrick Frazier (D)
District 43B
Mike Freiberg (D)
District 44A
Peter Fischer (D)
District 44B
Leon Lillie (D)
District 45A
Andrew Myers (R)
District 45B
Patty Acomb (D)
District 46A
Larry Kraft (D)
District 46B
Cheryl Youakim (D)
District 47A
District 47B
Ethan Cha (D)
District 48A
Jim Nash (R)
District 48B
Lucille Rehm (D)
District 49A
Alex Falconer (D)
District 49B
District 50A
Julie Greene (D)
District 50B
Steve Elkins (D)
District 51A
Michael Howard (D)
District 51B
Nathan Coulter (D)
District 52A
Liz Reyer (D)
District 52B
Bianca Virnig (D)
District 53A
Mary Clardy (D)
District 53B
Rick Hansen (D)
District 54A
Brad Tabke (D)
District 54B
Ben Bakeberg (R)
District 55A
Jessica Hanson (D)
District 55B
Kaela Berg (D)
District 56A
Robert Bierman (D)
District 56B
John Huot (D)
District 57A
Jon Koznick (R)
District 57B
Jeff Witte (R)
District 58A
Kristi Pursell (D)
District 58B
Drew Roach (R)
District 59A
Fue Lee (D)
District 59B
Esther Agbaje (D)
District 60A
Sydney Jordan (D)
District 60B
Mohamud Noor (D)
District 61A
Katie Jones (D)
District 61B
Jamie Long (D)
District 62A
Aisha Gomez (D)
District 62B
Anquam Mahamoud (D)
District 63A
District 63B
Emma Greenman (D)
District 64A
Kaohly Her (D)
District 64B
Dave Pinto (D)
District 65A
Samakab Hussein (D)
District 65B
District 66A
Leigh Finke (D)
District 66B
Athena Hollins (D)
District 67A
Liz Lee (D)
District 67B
Jay Xiong (D)
Republican Party (67)
Democratic Party (67)
