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Thomas Knecht
Thomas Knecht (Republican Party) ran for election to the Minnesota House of Representatives to represent District 49B. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Knecht completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2022
See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 49B
Incumbent Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn defeated Thomas Knecht in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 49B on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (D) | 57.6 | 11,406 |
 | Thomas Knecht (R)  | 42.3 | 8,374 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 15 | ||
| Total votes: 19,795 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 49B.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Thomas Knecht advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 49B.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Thomas Knecht completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Knecht's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Thomas began his legal career on the East Coast and subsequently moved to Minnesota with his now fiancé. He currently works as an attorney specializing in small business litigation. Thomas enjoys reading, playing ice hockey, and the Minnesota outdoors. He spends most of his free time with his fiancé and their animals.
- I will work to reduce the partisan divide. Like most Americans, I am exhausted by the partisanship and polarization plaguing political discourse. Too many politicians are focused on winning the daily news cycle rather than working for long-term and pragmatic solutions to help voters. That needs to change. We can’t let the loudest and most extreme views, on either side of the aisle, silence the reasonable middle. We need, and deserve, elected officials who are willing to buck party leadership and do what is best for voters rather than promoting a personal or partisan agenda. I will work to reduce the partisan divide, foster collaboration over conflict, increase thoughtful deliberation, and focus on the issues and work that will improve t
- I will fight to cut high living costs that burden hardworking Minnesotans. Families are struggling to make ends meet and are being forced to cut down on food, gas, and basic personal care items. This is unacceptable. As State Representative, I will work to cut living costs by reducing Minnesota’s high tax burden, cutting the social security tax, and working to eliminate wasteful government spending.
- Eden Prairie’s premier public schools have long been a staple of the community. If I am elected, I will work to ensure educational excellence in Eden Prairie. I’ll pursue policies that increase educational excellence, maintain local control of our schools, and support our great teachers. I will also fight to keep partisan politics out of the classroom.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
