Former Dodge County state rep launches campaign to ‘make a real difference’

Bennett, a six-term state representative, first elected in 2015, said during her campaign rally that she would also be retiring from her seat.

Her district serves the majority of Freeborn County, along with parts of Faribault, Waseca, and Steele counties. Before redistricting in 2022 the district encompassed Dodge County. She has served on several House committees including Veterans and Military, Education Finance, and Education Policy, where she currently serves as co-chair.

“My first announcement comes with mixed emotions and sadness, but also firm resolve,” Bennett told the crowd. “I will have served the amazing local communities of this area for 12 years at the end of this year. It’s been an honor and privilege to serve the wonderful people here... families, farmers, all the rural communities.”

Bennett said it was “tempting” to continue in her role saying she heard from many constituents who wanted her to continue.

“But I have always believed in term limits — even carried a bill a few years ago. Our founding fathers never meant these elected positions to be careers,” Bennett said. “There are differing thoughts on term limits, but for me going beyond 12 years in one position starts to become a career, and I don’t believe in that.”

Reached by email Sunday night, Bennett said her announcement to formally retire from her seat was not made public yet, and that there was “no firm successor announcing yet.”

“There are a couple who are considering it,” Bennett wrote. “The information about me retiring is not public yet, so I’m sure after I announce there will be others who might express an interest. It’s important to me that we find a quality candidate to take over this position. The people of this area deserve that.”

“I hate to see Peggy leave her seat, but I’m confident Freeborn and Waseca counties can find a candidate that’ll step up,” Pam Seaser, co-chair of the Steele County Republicans said in a phone interview Monday morning.

She told the Steele County Times she hasn’t yet heard of anyone in Steele County who plans to run for the seat.

“Peggy’s just got a lot of integrity and is a hard worker and really, meets a lot of her constituents throughout the year, goes to a lot of events. So, she’s got a good start going there, and we’ll see what happens,” Seaser said.

Education candidate

Bennett, a former educator of 33 years, picked a high school as her backdrop for her announcement, with some of her former students in attendance.

“I chose this place to make this announcement in honor of my over 750 kids — and all those like them,” Bennett told the crowd Monday night.

She added that this past spring, “the last of my first graders graduated as seniors on the Hammer football field in Albert Lea.”

“I had the great honor of being the keynote speaker at that commencement ceremony and of watching each of them walk across the stage,” she said. “ I was so proud of them.”

Bennett during her speech said, “Those young people who crossed that stage last spring and their generation are entering a very different Minnesota than I grew up in.”

She pointed to things like expensive homeownership, skyrocketing health insurance costs, and what she described as troubles with education.

“The future of their education, and those following them, is in great jeopardy. I hear we should celebrate that Minnesota’s graduation rate is now at 84%, up about 1% from the previous year,” Bennett said. “Yet, we know that less than 50% of Minnesota students can read at grade level.”

She added: “What good does a diploma do if you can’t read, or can’t do math? Our urban core kids are stuck in an even more dismal education environment. It presents a hopeless future for half of this generation. That’s not fair to them.”

Entering crowded field

In a press release ahead of her campaign rally, Bennett said she is “dismayed that the issues that were a problem when she entered office almost 12 years ago are the same issues being talked about today — funding nursing homes, education decline, crumbling roads, expensive health care, and more. “

“We’re not getting anything done,” Bennett said. “We just keep fighting constantly about the same things. We’re so far apart that we don’t even remember the things we could do together. My goodness, my heart breaks for our urban core children who have been stuck in schools that are clearly not working for them — for over fifty years! It’s criminal!”

But Bennett recognizes there are a dozen candidates vying for the GOP nomination.

“This was not a last-minute decision,” Bennett stated. “I have been planning this for months. I am entering this race because I believe I’m different and will be an effective leader to get things done for this state.”

Bennett said she puts people before politics. “I refuse to take part in name-calling, and I can’t stand political spin and game playing. I don’t shy away from calling out wrongdoing when I see it, and I will always strongly confront bad or harmful policy for what it is. But name calling and game playing only shut down conversation — and we badly need conversation to get things done.”

“I’m different because I don’t want just basic promises — I am running on solutions. We can call out the bad problems in this state — like fraud, crime, etc. — and we should. However, we must move on to talk about solutions, or we will get nowhere,” Bennett said.

In her press release Bennett said she has laid out “very specific plans on how to address the problems we see in our state — her first action plan as governor.”

“People can take me or leave me. If you’re satisfied with the status quo, I’m not your candidate. But know this... I’m here in this race because I care, and because I want to make a real difference for the people of this great state of Minnesota,” Bennett said.