Walter Hudson

Walter Hudson

Republican Party

Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Paul Novotny

Compensation

Base salary

$51,750/year

Per diem

$66/day

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Phoenix

Personal

Profession

Business executive

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Walter Hudson (Republican Party) is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 30A. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Hudson (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives to represent District 30A. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Walter Hudson lives in Albertville, Minnesota. Hudson earned a B.S. in information technology from the University of Phoenix. His career experience includes working as an operations manager for a logistics company, a radio show host with Twin Cities News Talk AM 1130, and an associate editor with the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Hudson was assigned to the following committees:

• Children and Families Finance and Policy
• Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee

Elections

2024

See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A

Incumbent Walter Hudson defeated Sonja Buckmeier in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Walter Hudson (R)	62.7	16,763
		Sonja Buckmeier (D)	37.2	9,936
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	18

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,717
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Sonja Buckmeier advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Walter Hudson advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hudson in this election.

2022

See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A

Walter Hudson defeated Sonja Buckmeier in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Walter Hudson (R)	62.7	12,728
		Sonja Buckmeier (D)	37.3	7,570
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	18

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,316
= 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. Sonja Buckmeier advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Walter Hudson advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Walter Hudson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released June 13, 2022

Walter Hudson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hudson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Walter serves the residents of Albertville, Minnesota on their city council, and lives with his wife Carrie and two sons. He works as an operations manager for a logistics company. When he's not working in either of those capacities, Walter advocates for justice and public policy as a media commentator. He formerly hosted 'Closing Argument with Walter Hudson' on Twin Cities News Talk AM 1130, contributed extensively to PJ Media, and served as an associate editor with the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• You own you. You are your own boss. You decide what you will do, who you will do it with, on what terms, and while assuming your own risk. You are a grown up. You shouldn't be ordered around, and you aren't looking to be coddled, comforted, or tucked in. You have no privilege to check. You don't owe anything to anyone, except those you claim as your own. And you ask nothing of no one, except to be left alone.
• Democrats in Minnesota largely agree with Virginia’s now ex-governor Terry McAuliffe that parents should not control their children’s education. They think they own your kids. As state representative, I would champion legislation banning the practice of critical race theory in public education. I would oppose the sexualization of students via comprehensive sex ed. And I would pursue a ban of anti-science gender ideology which denies basic biological fact. Most importantly, I would pursue the empowerment of parents through an expansion of curriculum transparency and total control of state funds attached to their individual student. The power of the purse is the power to decide, and it's been held by the state for too damn long.
• Everything's upside-down. Criminals are heralded as saints and martyrs. Our men and women in law enforcement are vilified as murderers and fiends. Violent thugs are protected. Law-abiding citizens have to think twice before defending themselves. It can be truthfully said that you are at greater legal risk defending your family than assaulting one. This is unconscionable, and must immediately end. As state representative, I would champion legislation protecting the right of residents to protect their life, liberty, and property. I would intervene in efforts to undermine public safety. And I would hold activist prosecutors and judges accountable for their crime-enabling failures.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The state of Minnesota currently proceeds under an illusion of democratic process. Bills are introduced and heard, but rarely voted on individually. It has become standard practice to wrap unrelated legislation into giant omnibus bills which stifle transparency and accountability, poison good bills with bad tack-ons, and forward bad bills by attaching them to items with broad support. This practice leads to gridlock which often prevents things from getting done by the end of regular session, resulting in special sessions where the outcome is negotiated behind closed doors by the governor and legislative leadership. The effect is oligarchy in place of democracy. It has to end.

Parents stand as the guardians of their children, both by nature and by moral right. The education and upbringing of children should be entirely governed by parents. Unfortunately, the compulsory nature of public education has enabled radical activists to coopt the system as a means to intervene and interfere in childrearing, seeking to spread perverse values though the classroom in defiance of parental wishes. We need to give parents 100% control of dollars going to education, restoring the proper relationship between parent and educator.

Democrats in Minnesota have sacrificed public safety upon an alter of "social justice." Often, even when a criminal is apprehended and charged, their career is facilitated by activist prosecutors and judges who go out of their way to set them free. It must end.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

There are different answers from different contexts. Ultimately, as a Christian, my model is Jesus Christ. As the incarnate God, he offers the perfect example of how to conduct oneself, what to value, how to advocate for truth, and how far one should be willing to go in pursuit of righteousness.

A secular modern model is Ayn Rand, whose philosophical achievements are unrivaled. She effectively completed philosophy by first identifying why we need it, then discerning its sound foundation, and demonstrating how to apply it practically in our lives.

Locally, I look up to Congressman Tom Emmer and former Congressman Jason Lewis. Each stand out as great communicators who have found ways to navigate institutions effectively while championing individual liberty.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An elected official must understand and respect the limitations of their office, what they are there to do, and what they properly must not do.

Government exists to uphold the rights of those within its jurisdiction. Every action taken should fit that mold. There is no "greater good" than individual rights. Actions taken to the contrary will necessarily sacrifice people to groups.

Elected officials must be committed to this truth, or they will be easily tempted to wield power for short-term political glory at the expense of long-term social wellbeing.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the collapse of the Berlin Wall. I was 11 years old at the time. The significance of that event was not lost on me. I grew up knowing the Soviet Union as an existential threat. Their collapse was a testament to superiority of western values, the value of liberty, and the trajectory of history in favor of those who stand for good.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first official job was working at a gas station in my hometown as a high school student. It lasted a matter of months. I often think back to the relative simplicity of that job and long for carefree times.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

As the chief executive of the state, the governor is tasked with executing laws passed by the legislature. He or she has a veto when bills are deliberated. Beyond that, a governor's responsibility is to uphold state law.

The veto and the bully pulpit place the governor in a strong position to influence which bills advance, and which become law. But that influence should never circumvent the legislative process, as it did when Governor Tim Walz unilaterally shutdown the entire state and told six million Minnesotans they could not work, attend church, or send their children to school.

The legislature must reclaim much of the authority it has abdicated to the executive branch, both via the governor's executive powers, and via the administrative state governed by unelected bureaucrats who wield rule-making authority like czars over a peasantry.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Minnesota must choose whether to continue on a course toward becoming a colder California, burdened by high cost-of-living, high crime, and unreliable energy grids, or toward parity with surrounding states who embody midwestern values of grit, determination, and common sense.

Crime was never a defining aspect of Minnesota life in decades past. Now, we're known throughout the world as a state which lets its cities burn. Carjacking has doubled in recent years. Violent crime has increased dramatically across the board. Minnesotans are too often victimized by perpetrators who were previously caught and released by a lenient system which values "social justice" above actual justice. We need to hold prosecutors and judges accountable for their failures and skewed priorities.

Minnesota has always been a compassionate state, but we've failed to pair our empathy with an acknowledgement of practical reality. We can do more with less in terms of government spending by trusting Minnesotans to work hard in pursuit of their own values. Between an aging population and a demoralized generation of young workers, we're on a path toward unprecedented crisis if we continue to rely about pay-as-you-go redistributive wealth schemes. We must replace false guarantees with competitive opportunities in order to motivate workers while funding essential institutions to maintain public safety.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is beneficial for state legislators to have experience reconciling idealism with reality, whether that experience comes from previous public service or from other occupations.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Of course. Legislating is a joint enterprise. You cannot pass legislation without the support of fellow legislators. That I why I look forward to developing productive relationships with as many of my colleagues as possible, in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I suspect that a system could be devised to objectively draw district lines in a manner which would not favor one party or another and facilitate meaningful competition for legislative majorities. I would like to investigate/pursue a means to redistrict mathematically rather than by arbitrary human decision, creating districts defined in as random a manner as possible.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

My preferred committees, in order, would be: Education, Public Safety, and Energy.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

There are many past and present legislators who I admire, but none who I would seek to perfectly emulate. I admire the feisty rebellious nature of representatives like Jeremy Munson, Cal Bahr, Erik Mortensen, and the like. But when I look at track records of affecting public policy, I recognize wisdom in the approach of folks like Tom Emmer, who ascended from the Minnesota House of Representatives to the United States Congress and has become instrumental in shaping national policy.

My goal is to find a spot in between where my personality meshes well, a place where I can advocate for policy which may be ahead of its time, yet still achieve what is possible in the moment.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I have no aspirations for higher office at this time. My plate is full dealing the my current calling. I have much to learn, and much to offer in this role if voters allow. I do not believe one can effectively serve if they are motivated by ambition for future advancement; so I hope to keep my eyes on the ball in play.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Executive emergency powers should be granted for extraordinary circumstances with strict limitations on their duration and scope. The proper role of an emergency power is to enable government action when legislative deliberation is impractical or impossible. As a general rule, that is never the case for longer than a handful of days. The governor can call special sessions. Modern technology allows for remote deliberation. There is simply no reason why an executive should have broad unchecked executive authority.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Within a specific framework. Compromise is the natural result of any deliberative process where conflicting interests or differing worldviews must resolve into a course of action. However, there are certain absolutes which are not subject to debate. All men are created equal, with inherent rights to life, liberty, and property. We may compromise within that boundary, not to its determinant. Two wolves and a sheep will not soon compromise on what's for dinner; in situations analogous to that, the wolves will not get what they want, and shouldn't.

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

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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.

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Walter Hudson campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A	Won general	$51,818	$51,709
2022	Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A	Won general	$20,034	$17,848
Grand total			$71,853	$69,558
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Minnesota

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Minnesota scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from February 12 to May 20. AFSCME Council 5 Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise." Minnesota AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues. Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 3 to May 22. Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise." Minnesota AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues. Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

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Candidate

Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A

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Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Paul Novotny (R)	Minnesota House of Representatives District 30A 2023-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

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

Natalie Zeleznikar (R)

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

Scott Van Binsbergen (R)

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

Vacant

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

Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger (D)

District 47B

Ethan Cha (D)

District 48A

Jim Nash (R)

District 48B

Lucille Rehm (D)

District 49A

Alex Falconer (D)

District 49B

Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (D)

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

Samantha Sencer-Mura (D)

District 63B

Emma Greenman (D)

District 64A

Kaohly Her (D)

District 64B

Dave Pinto (D)

District 65A

Samakab Hussein (D)

District 65B

Maria Isa Pérez-Vega (D)

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 (66)

Vacancies (1)