In 2026, voters will elect someone to serve as State Senator for District 36. The candidates are:
HEATHER GUSTAFSON (DFL)
About:
I’m a mom, a former teacher, a neighbor, and your State Senator, proudly serving Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Lino Lakes, White Bear Township, Centerville, Circle Pines, North Oaks, Gem Lake, and Birchwood Village. I’ve built a reputation as one of the most bipartisan legislators at the Capitol, working across the aisle to get things done, including chief authoring the bill that created Minnesota’s first Office of Inspector General to root out fraud and protect tax dollars. I keep a simple sign in my office that reads “Stay focused,” advice from my mentor that reminds me to keep working toward results instead of getting stuck on disagreements. I believe in the values I grew up with: work hard, play by the rules, and take care of your family and neighbors. Whether I’m in committee or knocking on doors, I bring that same practical, get-it-done approach to representing this community.
Important Issues:
Families here are feeling the rising costs, and I’ve worked hard to deliver real relief, including $125 million in one-time property tax relief and a Social Security tax cut so most seniors pay zero state tax on their benefits. I’ve fought for strong schools, helping deliver funding increases and prioritizing literacy so every child reads at or above grade level. Safe communities matter too, from new public safety funding for local cities to laws protecting domestic violence and sexual assault victims. I also believe young people and families deserve real opportunity, whether that means a four-year degree, a trade, or starting a business.
Goals if Elected:
I will keep fighting to lower costs for families, including affordability proposals that stalled this year despite broad public support. I will protect the new independent Office of Inspector General and keep working to stop fraud and abuse so tax dollars go where they belong. I will keep investing in strong schools and literacy, and work to keep public safety funding in local communities. Also, I will keep building real pathways to opportunity for students and families through business, trades, and entrepreneurship, so a good future does not depend on one narrow path.
Endorsements:
AFSCME Council 5
Care for MN
Clean Water Action
Conservation Minnesota Voter Center
Education MN
EMILYs List
FairVote MN
Gender Justice Action
Giffords PAC
IBEW Local 110
Inter Faculty Org
IUOE Local 49
LiUNA!
MN AFL-CIO
MN Association of Professional Employees (MAPE)
MN DFL
MN DFL Rural Caucus
MN DFL Senior Caucus
MN Farm Bureau
MN Nurses Association (MNA)
MN Pipe Trades
MN Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA)
MN Professional Fire Fighters
MN Retailers IMPACT
Moms Demand Action
Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters
Orange Star
OutFront MN
Planned Parenthood
Pro-Choice MN
Save the Boundary Waters Action Fund
SEIU MN State Council
Senator Tina Smith
St. Paul Building Trades
Teamsters Joint Council 32
UFCW Local 1189
Women Winning
Connect with Me:
Instagram: https://www.
Facebook: https://www.
Email: contact@voteforgus.com
Phone: (763) 290-0047
Candidate Interview:
HEIDI HEINO (R)
About:
Heidi Heino is a Centerville resident, Associate Director of Partnership Development, and small-business owner.
Heidi has spent her career in the private sector negotiating contracts, building partnerships, and solving complex problems. That experience shapes how she approaches government: understand what is causing a problem, find a practical solution, and improve efficiency.
Determination is part of who Heidi is. She holds a BS in soil science, a master’s degree in exercise science, and an MBA. She also competed as a professional bodybuilder. Each accomplishment required focus, discipline, and preparation, qualities she will bring to the Senate.
Heidi serves as President of the Twin Cities Chapter of Fellowship of Extraordinary Women. She also served on the Minnesota Task Force on Priority Admissions to State-Operated Treatment Programs, and she has volunteered on the Eagle Brook Church One-on-One Care Team for eight years.
She is running because Minnesota needs leaders who will ask hard questions, follow the money, demand results, and challenge the way things have always been done.
Important Issues:
Fiscal responsibility and fraud prevention. Billions of taxpayer dollars have been placed at risk because state programs lacked adequate oversight, and once fraud is discovered the money is often gone. Fraud prevention has to begin before the first payment is issued. Government too often measures success by spending instead of whether it solved the problem. Programs should be reviewed for results before budgets grow.
Affordability. Families here are squeezed by property taxes, energy costs, housing, and the rising cost of necessities. Government cannot eliminate every financial pressure, but it should stop making those pressures worse. Heidi, like many others, has no pension and has to plan, save, and take responsibility for her family’s future. Every additional dollar taken in taxes is money a family cannot use today.
Local control. The state should streamline permitting without dictating local housing decisions. Cities should have a say in how their communities grow.
Goals if Elected:
Pass the Minnesota Integrity in Government Act. Modeled on Sarbanes-Oxley, it would require agency heads to certify fraud prevention plans before taxpayer dollars go out the door, and it would apply to agencies and any outside organization receiving taxpayer dollars. If you take taxpayer dollars, you are accountable to taxpayers.
Slow the growth of state spending, and use the savings to reduce taxes and avoid shifting state costs onto local property taxpayers.
Shorten permitting timelines, eliminate duplicative regulations, and give small businesses one place to navigate state requirements.
Protect the foundations families and employers rely on: safe communities, dependable roads, access to health care, and schools that teach reading, writing, math, and critical thinking.
Be accessible and transparent. Heidi will stay in regular contact with residents to understand what the district needs, and residents will be able to judge her by her votes.
Endorsements:
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life
Minnesotans for Health and Parental Rights
Stand for Health Freedom
