KROX is continuing our 2026 Election coverage with an introduction to the two candidates for the Minnesota State Senate in District 1. The candidates are incumbent Mark Johnson (R) and Bjorn Solberg (DFL).
We asked each candidate a series of questions, and their responses are included below.
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
Johnson: “I am Senator Mark Johnson. I live over in East Grand Forks with my wife, Skyler, and three children: Cullen, Archer, and Livley. I’ve just been proud to serve this area for 10 years, and I’m from the Mentor and Maple Lake area originally.”
Solberg: “My name is Bjorn Solberg. I live in Halsted, Minnesota, and my very soon-to-be wife is Veera Khalil.”
Why did you file to run for the Minnesota State Senate?
Johnson: “So there is a lot going on in the state right now, and what has been wonderful is I’ve had the honor of leading our caucus, the Senate Republican Caucus, for the last four years. This year, through my work, we’re really looking at taking over the majority again, which puts Northwest Minnesota in a very strong position to have leadership down there, really guiding what the caucus is going to be doing over the next two years at least, probably four years. So hopefully, we get that here in a week.”
Solberg: “Well, I think everybody knows that we have many issues going on in the nation and in our state, and even in our own communities. And I’ve recognized that a lot of it is due to our systems growing, getting bigger and bigger, and starting to fail and show cracks. And I believe it’s the government’s job to step in and fill some of those cracks. And I don’t believe that we’ve been getting strong rural community representation in St. Paul, and so I wanted to make sure that I could help provide a stronger voice.”
What ideas or policies that you’ve been working on would you continue working on if re-elected?
Johnson: “Some of the things that we continue to do is really invest in Northwest Minnesota. Some of the infrastructure we’ve done projects on is flood mitigation. I was just down on Houston Avenue here, just a few minutes ago, looking at some of the embankment issues we’re having in the city of Crookston, but there’s so much of that that we need to make sure we’re not getting ignored by St. Paul. And so I’m fighting for those things. In addition to that, I mean, just our education system here. We’ve got a couple of institutions, not only Crookston public schools, but also UMC, a school that the system itself has been really struggling lately. But UMC has been such a jewel and such an asset, especially to this community. We got to make sure that we’re fighting for that.”
What previous experiences do you have that will help you if you are elected to the Minnesota State Senate?
Solberg: “Well, I’m currently a business owner down in Halsted, where I work with family farmers, schools, community organizations, and distributors. I’ve been involved in numerous community organizations, being vice president or president of the Halsted Business League. I’ve been a secretary and treasurer for the Clay County Farmers Union and numerous other organizations. And really, it’s just my understanding. I think experiences are important, but I think perspective is just as, if not more, important. And I think that the multitude of experiences that have happened in my life have led me to this moment of having a better understanding of how to lead in this moment.”
Is there anything else that you want voters to know about you?
Johnson: “November 3rd is coming up really soon. One of the issues that we have in a midterm election without presidential candidates on the ballot is that turnout ends up being low, so your vote counts more than ever in a year like this. So, in a year where hundreds, maybe less, will decide who controls different houses, who ends up controlling the governor’s office, and your vote matters so much. So get out there, vote on November 3rd, and I hope I’ve earned your vote over the last few years.”
Solberg: “I appreciate you. Don’t give up hope. I did, and one of the reasons why I’m running is because I’ve remembered or realized it again after I fell in love, and so I want to make sure that people believe in their future and continue to fight for it and place their trust in me to be the one fighting at the government level here, starting November 3rd.”
