Thanks to The North 40 Tavern for their support. A north woods tavern somewhere in the middle of a big city. They regularly rotate tap beers, so stop in to see what’s currently flowing.
There’s a DFL primary race for the state House and Senate seats representing the northern half of West St. Paul, the West Side, downtown, and more. The winner in each race will advance to the general election in November. We’ve asked the candidates a series of questions to see where they stand on the issues. We’ll share one question and the responses at a time leading up to the primary election on August 11.
More: See our 2026 primary voters guide for more. We previously asked the candidates about their top issues.
West St. Paul is a separate city and in a different county than the rest of the legislative district. How will you address the unique needs and concerns of West St. Paul residents?
We posed this question to all candidates. Here are their responses:
Candidates for State House District 65B
Sebastian Ellefson
I believe a good representative needs to be connected to each and every neighborhood and city in their district. In the case of 65B, this includes Downtown, Lowertown, West 7th, the West Side, and West Saint Paul. For West Saint Paul, I will maintain my connection by attending community events within the district. I will keep in contact with West Saint Paul City Council members to make sure I know what is affecting the city at a municipal level. I also pledge to host at least 1/3 of my community listen events in West Saint Paul, to allow easy access for residents to meet me in person and let me know what matters to them.
Elena Mena
(no campaign)
[No response]
Candidates for State Senate District 65
Natasha Bennett
[No response]
Robyn Gulley
I have lived and worked in Senate District 65 for my entire adult life. But when I finally had the opportunity, with my husband, to buy a house, we bought our home, here in West St. Paul, by Emerson Park. I love the community and how engaged everyone is in making it a great place to live!
I have been honored to be elected to our city council for ward two, West St. Paul, twice. I believe I am uniquely qualified to ensure the voice and concerns of West St. Paul residents are represented in the State Senate. I am intimately knowledgeable about the community’s needs and ready to advocate for West St. Paul priorities in the bonding bill. I will champion West St. Paul projects, even those that are technically outside of district 65, like the community amenities at 150 Thompson, which are important to our whole community. It has been decades since West St. Paul had a local resident in the legislature and it shows.
South St. Paul and Mendota Heights saw significantly more investment from the state for their community projects this year than West St. Paul and we were also forced to fund the Robert Street re-construction project on our own. This has had a big impact on our city. While I will have to resign from my city council seat when elected to the Senate, I plan to be a strong advocate for West St. Paul and will remain deeply engaged in our community.
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