Rep. Torkelson reflects on service, urges caution on partisan redistricting

Representative Torkelson took the House floor after being recognized by the presiding officer and opened with personal stories about his upbringing and early campaigns. He used a farming anecdote — about searching for a particular hay bale — as a metaphor for finding the right policy, telling colleagues, "here's the bale I've been looking for. I'm the bill you've been looking for."

Torkelson said he was recruited to run by his predecessor and recalled a constituent who spent 45 minutes testing him on an issue; he later visited that constituent in person to learn more. He described a contentious endorsement process and emphasized the role of voters, saying that elected officials "would not be here if it wasn't for the people that support us and vote for us and help us to our jobs."

He paid tribute to long-serving colleagues and staff, referencing a former senator, Dennis Frederiksen (the transcript contains variant spellings), and several present or former members and staff whom he said helped him early in his career. He praised the state capitol's architecture and the workers who restored it, calling the building "inspiring" for visitors and legislators.

Turning to institutional concerns, Torkelson described his time chairing transportation and capital investment work and criticized a past round of project awards that he said favored the Twin Cities metro while "the rest of the state was ignored." He warned against partisan redistricting, saying "we're seeing redistricting used as a political sledgehammer and we're tapping on both sides of the aisle" and that yielding to that temptation "would be a horrible mistake" and a disservice to Minnesota citizens.

He described being unexpectedly asked to serve as his leader's "number two," praised the co-chairs system for pushing work to committees and producing bipartisan committee outcomes, and recounted negotiation sessions with the governor as taxing on the institution. He also acknowledged family and staff in the chamber by name, thanking Jeremiah Winstead, Andrew Wagner and Lisa Davis for their work with his caucus.

Among lighter moments, he reported a colleague quipping that a speech "was written by Chatgpt," which he recounted with good humor. He closed by urging colleagues to learn from one another and noting that public service requires hard work, ending with a line from Ecclesiastes about a time and season for every purpose.

The remarks were primarily personal reflections and institutional commentary; no motions or votes were recorded during this speech. The House returned to its agenda after his remarks.