Candidate Q&A for MN House District 40B Special Election
Meet David Gottfried and Paul Wikstrom
The MN House District 40B Special Election has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 11, 2025. If you voted in January, your ballot has been thrown out and you must vote again. Early voting is available at the Ramsey County Elections office in Saint Paul.
The Roseville Reader invited both candidates—David Gottfried and Paul Wikstrom—to participate in a candidate Q&A. They received the same questions and were given the same amount of time to respond. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
At the bottom of this post is information about registering to vote, early voting, and finding your polling place.
Editorial Note: The candidates responded via email and their responses were not edited, except to streamline formatting. The Roseville Reader attempted to verify facts and figures as presented in the responses, and provided clarification and context in editorial notes when relevant. Ultimately, the Roseville Reader does not accept any responsibility for the veracity of the candidate’s statements in this Q&A.
David Gottfried - DFL Endorsed
campaign website: david-gottfried.com
RR: Tell us about yourself (brief bio):
Gottfried:
“I was born and raised in Roseville, where I attended Roseville Area Public Schools. I loved this area so much that when it came time for my wife Haylee and I to prepare to raise a family, we decided to move back here. We intend to spend the rest of our days here. I currently work at a local law firm as a Pro Bono Specialist, supporting the firm’s pro bono program and increasing access to justice within the metro and across the state! Prior to working at the firm, I received my Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
In my spare time, I love playing with our three cats, reading science fiction and fantasy novels, playing Dungeons & Dragons, writing, emotionally investing far too much into the Minnesota Vikings and conducting DIY house projects!”
RR: Why do you think you’re the best candidate to represent the interests and values of MN House District 40B?
Gottfried:
“I don't love politics, but I do love my community—that is why I'm running. Democrat or Republican, everyone I have spoken with in our district cares about their neighbors. That's a core value I aspire to live out every day, whether that manifests in me shoveling my neighbor's driveway as she recovers from surgery or advocating for compassionate policies in the legislature. Beyond my core values, I believe I am best positioned to provide the quality representation that residents of Roseville and Shoreview deserve as a policy analyst by trade and training. 40B Constituents deserve collaborative, transparent, and responsive representation—I will provide that.”
RR: What are some of your legislative priorities and how will you work in a divided legislature to accomplish them?
Gottfried:
“I want to focus on making life more affordable for Minnesotans. We all know that the cost of living is too high. I want to find ways to bring down costs where we can, like capping the cost of expensive prescriptions. At the same time, I want to find ways to increase wages for working families. Furthermore, I would work across the aisle to continue funding for mental health supports and supportive housing facilities.
I think it is important to recognize that if my campaign is successful, we will restore a tie in the State House of Representatives, with each party holding 67 seats each. Because a piece of legislation can only pass with 68 votes, any legislation we pass must have bipartisan support.
This means that Democrats and Republicans will have to work together to proactively improve the lives of Minnesotans. This also means that the DFL is in a good position to defend some of the work that we have done over the last few years to uplift working families, give free school lunches to our children, and defend reproductive rights in our state.”
Editorial note: The Minnesota House ended a three-week stalemate on February 5 after coming to a power-sharing agreement. A Minnesota Supreme Court Ruling on Jan. 24 ruled in favor of House Democrats’ argument that 68 representatives must be present for a quorum. Read more from this Feb. 6 report in the Minnesota Star Tribune.
For more information about the MN Legislative actions during the DFL Trifecta in this May 23, 2023 MinnPost article.
RR: What else do you want voters in Roseville and Shoreview to know about you?
Gottfried:
“My vision for our district and Minnesota is defined in far more detail at our campaign’s website: david-gottfried.com. I highly encourage voters to go there to learn more about me and what you can expect from me as your representative! If you would like to get involved with our campaign, please do not hesitate to reach out via the contact form on the website!”
The League of Women Voters hosted a candidate forum on Jan. 16, 2025 and invited both candidates, but only Gottfried participated. You can watch the recording of Gottfried’s responses to the Q&A here:
Paul Wikstrom - Republican Endorsed
campaign website: wikstromforhouse.com
RR: Tell us about yourself (brief bio):
Wikstrom:
“After growing up in Montana and North Dakota and surviving a family loss that led to the separation of my family, I moved to attend the University of Minnesota. As a child I was blessed with parents who instilled strong values in me. I learned the importance of being resolute, while looking forward and upward. I understand the importance of helping others and have lived my life that way: I am here for my family, neighbors, and the community.
I have lived in the Roseville/Shoreview area for 28 years where my wife and I have raised three children. I have built a successful engineering and management career in the medical device and aerospace industries. I have a passion for aviation and, as a trained pilot, function as an instructor.
In my career I have been recognized and awarded for successfully building collaborative, highly performing teams across cultures and geographies. I also have many years of volunteering in my community:
• Trained Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Member
• Volunteer Pilot for MN Wings of Merci Missions (ambulatory patients in need of flight for medical care)
• Youth Soccer Coach
• Soccer Club Board Member”
RR: Why do you think you’re the best candidate to represent the interests and values of MN House District 40B?
Wikstrom:
“My life experiences include a strong work history and many hours as a community volunteer and leader which have prepared me to serve as a House Representative and function as a strong leader. I’m a degreed electrical engineer with experience in the aerospace and medical device industries. I have a proven history of solving significant problems in a team environment. Twenty four years of my career has been managing engineers in which I’ve learned how to work with and manage people, sometimes under very challenging circumstances. I’m a successful manager because I care deeply about the people I manage, and I focus on developing and maintaining constructive relationships with people.”
RR: What are some of your legislative priorities and how will you work in a divided legislature to accomplish them?
Wikstrom:
“I am running to address issues that are actually impacting residents:
Make Minnesota an affordable place to live by addressing out-of-control spending and reducing taxes.
The state of Minnesota is grossly mismanaging our state and federal tax dollars. The Feeding Our Future fraud was $250M with more than 70 federal convictions. The largest pandemic related fraud in the nation. In Minnesota, since 2019, there has been more than $660M of fraud that has been tracked by Bill Glahn’s Fraud Tracker on X. Non-profits, where there is little or no oversight, are fleeing $1.1 Billion from our state budget.
Businesses and higher income residents are fleeing our state in droves, which is leaving us with a higher tax bill. We are facing a massive $5B deficit in the next several years. This just AFTER the DFL controlled legislature and state government spent a whopping $18 Billion surplus in 2023-24. If the state had returned the $18B surplus, that would have been $3,000 for every resident of Minnesota; $12,000 for a family of four!
The residents of HD40B and Minnesota deserves better! We need to eliminate wasteful spending, tackle rampant fraud, and abuse, and restore much needed oversight to the Minnesota State Legislature.”
Editorial note: 70 defendants have been charged in the ongoing Feeding Our Future investigation. Read the latest in this Feb. 12, 2025 report from Minnesota Public Radio. This MinnPost article from Feb. 11, 2025 delves into more detail on MN fraud and fraud prevention efforts, including mention of $610 million in fraud over the past six years. This Feb. 28, 2024 Minnesota Reformer article details the state’s nonprofit expenditures. For context on IRS data on people moving out of Minnesota, see this Dec. 14, 2023 MinnPost article.
Wikstrom:
“Reduce crime to improve community safety!
Businesses are shuttering and closing on the west side of Roseville.
I door knocked a Shoreview resident who was nearly carjacked in front of the Roseville Best Buy in 2024.
In 2025 Hobby Lobby closed because of rampant shoplifting, and the shoplifters were threatening the employees lives.
Roseville has the third highest crime rate of the nearby cities behind Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota’s crime rate has crossed above the national average.In 2023-24 the DFL leadership in the State Legislature rebuffed multiple bills that would have addressed crime and would have made our communities dangerous safer.”
Editorial note: The Roseville Reader could not independently verify these statements about these alleged crimes in Roseville or the reason behind Hobby Lobby closing in the city. City staff do not track how many businesses are opening and closing, unless they require a license to operate. The Roseville Police Department also could not quickly verify shoplifting statistics at Hobby Lobby, but said the crime rate in Roseville is up in part due to two full-time officers at Rosedale Mall who “have had much greater success in stopping and detaining suspects.” The RPD said carjacking is “very uncommon.” The Roseville Reader reached out to Hobby Lobby with no response. This note will be updated if a clarification is needed.
According to City-Data.com and Minnesota Compass, Roseville’s crime rate per 100,000 people ranked third highest in 2023 among major Minnesota cities with their own police departments. The majority of those crimes were thefts. According to Minnesota Compass, Minnesota’s crime rate was slightly higher than the national crime rate in 2021, but dipped back below in 2023.
Wikstrom:
“Bring Proficiencies and Academics to Public Education.
Since 2000 public education administrative costs have increased by 132% while teacher salaries have increased 4-5%.
47% of third graders are proficient in reading per state standard.
MN fourth-grade students are now reading at a lower proficiency rate than students in Mississippi!
We need to be sure the money is going to the classrooms and have mandates rebuked.”
Editorial note: The Roseville Reader did not independently verify the increases in administrative costs since 2000. Wikstrom pointed to this Aug. 28, 2024 article from the Center of the American Experiment. For more context on educational spending in Minnesota, see this Feb. 13, 2024 article from MinnPost.
RR: What else do you want voters in Roseville and Shoreview to know about you?
Wikstrom:
“Those who collaborate with me know that I love life and enjoy working with others. I am a focused individual and an industrious worker. I show up to work! I seek synergistic outcomes and effectively utilizes active listening skills to ensure that others are heard. I value transparency, integrity, serving others, and being a positive leader.
For more information visit WikstromForHouse.com.”
Wikstrom participated in a previous League of Women Voters Candidate Forum on Sept. 17, 2024 alongside his former opponent Curtis Johnson. You can watch that video here:
Voting information for the District 40B Special Election
To find out which legislative district you live in or to find your polling place, type your address into the Polling Place Finder on the Secretary of State website. Click here to view a map of District 40B.
Voters in MN House District 40B can vote absentee starting Feb. 21, but due to the short timeline, the Secretary of State recommends dropping ballots off at Ramsey County Elections office at 90 W Plato Blvd in Saint Paul instead of mailing them. Early in-person voting is also available at that location. Visit the SOS website for up-to-date information about early-voting hours for this special election.
The last day to vote is Tuesday, March 11 at your polling place between 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
If you aren’t yet registered to vote, you can register by March 3 or on election day at your polling place.
All of this information is available on the Secretary of State website.
Please note that this special election is taking place the same week as spring break for Roseville Area Schools. If this impacts you and you will be out of town on vacation, make a plan to vote early.
Editorial note: The Roseville Reader will not regularly cover MN state legislature news, except as it relates to elections. Seek out up to date information about what’s happening in state government from other Twin Cities media sources.