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Proudly serving the city of Saint Paul, the Republicans of Minnesota House District 66B want to help you live a better life.
HD66B, Politics

MN GOP State Central Elected State Party Chair & Deputy Chair for the Next 2 Years

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The Republican Party of Minnesota (MNGOP) had a State Central Committee Convention; BPOU State Central Delegates and Alternates Converged on Saturday December 14th, 2024 and had State Party Leadership Elections.

The Elected Positions were State Party Chair, Deputy Chair, Secretary. The Candidates for each office ran separately and did not run as slates. The Treasurer is an appointed position.

RPM Chair

Alex Plechash, won the Chair position over the last Chair, David Hann on 3 Ballots.  chair@mngop.com

Alex Plechash is the New Republican Party of Minnesota Chair

Alex Plechash was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota in December 2024.  He is a first generation American who was a multi-sport student-athlete before gaining an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy where he graduated with distinction, being the No. 1 Aerospace Engineer and Marine officer in his class after which he served out his military commitment as a Marine Corps fighter pilot.

After his military service, he built a successful career in business and finance while dedicating decades to veterans’ advocacy.  He has held top leadership positions in a host of organizations including being Chapter President and a National Trustee of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association, President of the Twin Cities Council of the Navy League, Chairman of the USS Minnesota pre-commissioning task force, Governor-appointed Board Member and Finance Chair of the Perpich Center for the Arts, past President and Chairman of Tee it up for the Troops, and served as a church deacon, leading their largest outreach program.

He has served on the Wayzata City Council as well.

Alex has been involved at every level of the Minnesota Republican Party since attending his first precinct caucus in 2004.  He has lived a life of service and continues to do so now for the Republican Party.

RPM Deputy Chair

The State Party Deputy Chair Donna Bergstrom was elected in a very close race by 5 votes on two ballots.  deputychair@mngop.com

Donna Bergstrom was re-elected to the Deputy Chair position.

Donna M. Bergstrom was appointed Deputy Chair by Chairman Hann in October of 2021 upon his election to the chair position. She was elected to the position in December of 2021 by the State Central Committee. She lives in Duluth with her husband and son.

Donna graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 1985 with a degree in Political Science. She obtained her Master of Jurisprudence degree from Loyola University Chicago-School of Law (Civitas Center) in Children’s Law and Policy. She also holds a degree in American and Anishinaabe Education from the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College.

Donna is a 20 year Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, achieving the grade of Lieutenant Colonel. She was one of the first two American Indian women in the state of Minnesota to run in the general election for Lieutenant Governor on a major party endorsed ticket. Donna is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.

From the MNGOP.org Party Leadership page these are the remaining leaders of the party.

RPM Secretary

Joy Orvis was elected as the State Party Secretary. Her office email is secretary@mngop.com

Each Republican State Party Organization in all 50 States and the District of Columbia have a National Committeeman and Committeewoman.  This year the Republican Party of Minnesota has 2 new Committee People. The last Committeeman was Alex Plechash who was edged out by the current Committeeman AK Kamara at the 2024 State Central Convention which was held separate from the State Convention. The last Committeewoman was Barbara Sutter. She did not seek another term. The new Committeewoman is Emily Novotny Chance.

National Committeeman

AK Kamara

National Committeeman AK Kamara

AK@mngop.com

AK Kamara creates content in both written and video form discussing political, cultural, and social issues. He’s a regular weekly guest on the Jon Justice radio show heard on AM1130 Twin Cities News Talk. He has gained over 150,000 followers across various social media platforms creating overtly Conservative political content.

Professionally, AK owns and operates a small courier business in the Twin Cities metro area.

Politically, AK was elected State Chairman of the Minnesota College Republicans. He has worked and volunteered with several campaigns for Governor, Senate, Congress, and many local elected offices. He has held various positions with several local Republican basic organizational units and has also worked for several ideologically conservative organizations. He is also member of Project 21, a group of black Americans who advocate for right of center policies. Most recently, he was elected to serve as Minnesota’s National Committeeman, representing our state on a national level at the RNC. He enjoys connecting with Republicans nationally and learning about new ways to help Republicans succeed in Minnesota.

AK is an active member of his community, belonging to both philanthropic and fraternal organizations. He and his wife reside in Forest Lake MN.

National Committeewoman

Emily Novotny Chance

National Committeewoman

Committeewoman@mngop.com

Emily Novotny Chance was elected Minnesota’s National Committeewoman in 2024 at 26.

She graduated from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD, majoring in political science and communications. As a lifelong Minnesotan, she has been an active volunteer in the MNGOP since the age of 14- creating deep connections and becoming a respected, tenacious worker. Emily’s first job in politics was as an intern on Congressman Tom Emmer’s first congressional campaign in 2014. She traveled the country as an Advance Staffer for President Trump in the 2020 campaign and continued to do events for him following his election.

Emily has been on her local republican board since 2015, served as the State Chair for the South Dakota College Republicans, worked in the Minnesota Legislature, campaigned for hundreds of candidates, and currently also serves as the Minnesota Young Republicans National Committeewoman.

Professionally, she currently works for a public affairs firm in Minneapolis and owns and operates Flamingo Events, her event-planning business. Emily, her husband Kent, and their cattle dog puppy reside in Elk River, MN, and are active church members.

The biographies are from the MNGOP.org/party-leadership page.  There were a couple of edits for clarity. — admin

Veterans

Home For the Holidays MAC-V & WCCO Veteran Event Dec 11th 9 am to 2 pm

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What: Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) Home for the Holidays Winter Salute

When:  Wednesday December 11, 2024. From 9 am (0900) to 2 pm (1400), Meal Served from 11 am to 1 pm

Where:  Target Field, 1 Twins Way, Minneapolis at the South Entrance (gate 29?). Target Field Map PDF  Street Map to Target Field

Register:  To attend you need to register for a free ticket click here. (you can scan the QR code on the flyer which will send you to go.mac-v.org/WinterSalute)

Metro Transit Free Event Pass you need to fill out a survey click here

Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) has a mission to end Veteran Homelessness in the whole state of Minnesota. They also try to help Veterans find employment.

At last year’s event, Reg Chapman of WCCO spoke. He is an 82nd Airborne Veteran. Bert Blyleven spoke about a relative of his who served in the US Air Force.

Mnhd66brepublicans.org is posting this event as a courtesy to MAC-V. We are not compensated in any way. Though some of our delegates are US Military Veterans and have used MAC-V services over the years. If you would like to know more about MAC-V you can go to their website at www.mac-v.org— admin

Opinion, Veterans

New Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the Shawn Ryan Show

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The above video was recorded prior to the General Election of 2024. You can tell this about how they discuss the election as it hasn’t happened yet. Though the video on the Shawn Ryan Show YouTube Channel states it was released on November 7, 2024.

Pete Hegseth has strong ties to Minnesota. He grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota. He ran for the MNGOP Nomination for US Senate in 2012.

President-Elect Donald J Trump the 45-47th President of the United States of America just tapped Pete Hegseth to be the next Secretary of Defense. He has a big task to revitalize the Defense Department which has gone Woke, and is gigantic social engineering laboratory for non-American Values, and is sending our military inventory to a questionable war in the Ukraine.

Shawn Ryan is a former Navy SEAL, CIA Contractor, and started up the Shawn Ryan Show to help record the stories of Veterans of many wars past and present.

From the Shawn Ryan Show YouTube Channel description:

Pete Hegseth is a television host, bestselling author, and U.S. Army Veteran known for his role on Fox & Friends Weekend. After graduating Princeton and Harvard, he served in the Army National Guard with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning two Bronze Stars. His military experience informs his advocacy for veterans, national security, and patriotic values.

Hegseth is also a New York Times bestselling author of “In the Arena,” “American Crusade,” and his latest book, “The War on Warriors,” where he critiques American politics, media and education. Known for his direct style, he remains an active voice in media and has led veterans’ advocacy groups like Concerned Veterans for America.

00:00 – Introduction

00:21 – Discussing the VA and Veterans’ Issues

20:11 – The War on Warriors: Book Introduction

21:13 – Military’s Shift and Wokeness

50:56 – Trump’s Support for War Fighters

53:23 – Women in Combat Roles Debate

01:21:07 – China’s Strategic Threat

01:42:01 – Public Education System Pitfalls

02:07:34 – Homeschooling and Alternative Education Models 02:12:26 – Challenges and Solutions for Single Parents

02:26:59 – Final Thoughts

The video has advertisements in which help generate funds for the Shawn Ryan Show as YouTube doesn’t share enough of their ad revenue with the producers. Mnhd66brepublicans.org does not get compensated for posting the Video, nor from the Barnes & Noble links to purchase Pete Hegseth books. You can visit this website to know more about the new Defense Secretary: PeteHegseth.com.  — admin

Opinion

MN Voters Alliance on Minnesota Constitutional Ballot Question is Misleading

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MN Constitutional Ballot Question Title: Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund Renewal

If you haven’t voted yet, or if you have you probably have seen this Minnesota Constitutional Ballot Question on either the actual ballot or the “What’s on my Ballot?” link on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website. You might be wondering what is going on with this Constitutional Ballot Question.

Well the language of it is misleading. Most reading it above, will scratch their heads and think that the “Legacy” Fund is coming to an end and there needs to be a renewal vote. That’s not true.

The Misleading Constitutional Ballot Question Explained

To explain how misleading this Constitutional Ballot Question is there was a note sent out to those on the MN Voters Alliance email list, by the Executive Director of the Minnesota Voters Alliance, Andy Cilek. So we asked if we  could repost his note about this issue, and by permission here is his explanation.

MN Voters Alliance Explanation

There are some important details voters should be aware of before casting a vote on the measure:

  • Although this proposal does renew the money to be spent on conservation issues, it will result in a change of how the funds are allocated and removes the Legislature from the decision-making process and oversight.
  • This would increase the amount of funds collected through the lottery allocated and added to the programs by 20%.  With these new funds, they will be disbursed based on equity and disparities (DEI) by a new commission/taskforce with one like the composition of the new flag commission.  Eleven positions must be appointed by the Advisory Council and must include 4 tribe members and 4 members from communities of color.  These funds will be handed out through grants to non-profits

Although MVA [MN Voters Alliance] is not in support of, nor in opposition to, this referendum, we want to make voters aware of important information so they can make an informed vote.

A no vote does not remove the funding from the original amendment/implementation because it has not expired.  The current money will continue to fund environmental programs as Minnesotans desire and can be extended, when it does expire, by a simple renewal by the Legislature.

A yes vote would extend the dedication of revenue from the state-operated lottery to the Environment and Natural Resources Fund through December 31, 2050; increase the amount of money that can be spent from the fund each year from 5.5% to 7.0% of the fund’s market value; and create a grant program to provide funding for projects related to addressing environmental issues in affected communities, environmental education, and natural resource conservation.

**MN Voters Alliance is not for or against this measure, but this website, mnhd66brepublicans.org suggests you Vote NO on this measure.

Our Reasons to VOTE NO on the Constitutional Ballot Question:

  • The Ballot Question in the way it’s worded is misleading
  • It takes the decision of how the money is allocated away from the Elected Body of the Legislature.
  • It embraces DEI
  • It requires an Advisory Board of 11 who are 4/11 Tribal Members as well as 4/11 a specific group by the color of their skin, plus 3 people who don’t have a specific requirement of who they are (not equal representation of the people who live here).
  • It also hands off more money to nonprofit organizations with no oversight of how the money is spent by those groups.
  • There’s nothing wrong with the current Constitutional Amendment which created the Environment and Natural Resources Fund, and it hasn’t expired yet.

Of course this is only a suggestion. You still do have free will in this state. If there is to be a readjustment in the way the money is spent it can go through hearings at the Committee at the State Legislature that oversees it. If this measure passes, your direct input may be taken away like our State Flag and State Seal was.

HD 66B Republicans are not associated in any way with the MN Voters Alliance. It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and if you would like to know more about them check out their website at mnvoters.org/about-us. — admin.