2026 Election: Minnesota Senate District 65

In Senate District 65, Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, isn’t seeking reelection. DFLer Robyn Gulley and Republican Christopher Rocco are running for the open seat.

General information about the Nov. 3, 2026, election is online at twincities.com/news/politics/elections including information on candidates for races in Ramsey, Dakota and Washington counties.

To find out what’s on your ballot, where to vote and other election information, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State’s elections page at sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting.

Senate District 65

Robyn Gulley

Age: 45

What would your top priorities be if elected?

The biggest issues that squeeze working class families like mine are the increased cost of housing, healthcare, childcare, and higher education. Once elected I hope to be appointed to the committees that are able to make the biggest difference on these priorities and to make life more affordable for families across our state.

What qualifies you to hold this position?

I am a mom to four girls in a beautiful blended family. I have lived and worked in SD65 for nearly my entire adult life. I was elected to the West St. Paul city council and to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. I am a leader in my Union SEIU-Doctor’s Council and hold two Master’s Degrees- one in Public Policy from the UMN Humphrey School and one in International Human Rights Law from Central European University. I will bring a lifetime of passion, learning and activism to the State Senate!

What do you think is the primary role of government?

The primary role of government is outlined in the preamble to the US Constitution. It is government’s role to “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Once elected I will apply myself and my talents to this purpose with my whole heart.

How do you work to understand, and then learn from, opinions that differ from your own and people who disagree with you?

When I was elected to the Board of Regents at the University of Minnesota in 2023, many people were surprised by the strong bi-partisan support I received from the legislature. I took time to meet with every legislator who had time on their calendar that year and learned about their priorities for the UMN! As an organizer I have found that getting out and listening to people is the best way to learn and find areas of common ground. I have been doing this all year on the campaign trail too, knocking on thousands of doors and introducing myself to voters and asking about their lives and their priorities for our community. You can expect a similar approach from me once elected to the State Senate!

Website or contact information:

www.robyngulley.com

Christopher Rocco

Age: 56

What would your top priorities be if elected?

Top priorities if elected 1. Public safety. Let cops be cops. Support bills that aid law enforcement and block bills that hobble it. End catch-and-release charging and sanctuary rules that dump the cost on SD 65. Stand with officers who were sacrificed after 2020 — including a federal pardon and state retrial or dismissal for Derek Chauvin. 2. Stop wasting your money. Yearly audit of human services, nutrition, housing, Medicaid, and childcare. Fraud lockout until a conviction is overturned. No new tax-and-tab habit for pet projects. Fix Lafayette / 94 West / 35E North so commuters are not stuck in a 20 mph hairpin. 3. Common sense. School dollars follow the student, not the union. Restore the historic state flag. Protect women’s sports and a viable child who can live outside the womb. I’ve had enough. If you have too, send me to do that work.

What qualifies you to hold this position?

I am not a career politician. That is the qualification SD 65 has been missing. I have had enough of crime, pet projects, fraud, defunding the police, the lack of common sense, and empty promises. I asked for a moment of silence for officers thrown under the bus after 2020 and I did not take it back when the party said “now is not the time.” I will say in St. Paul what neighbors already say in West Saint Paul: let cops be cops, audit the fraud, lock cheaters off the next program, put school money with the student, restore the historic flag, and fix the Lafayette / 94 / 35E mess instead of deleting lanes. I do not owe the consultants a quiet campaign. I owe the district a spine. If you want another résumé of task forces, vote for one. If you want someone who will vote like the people paying the tabs, that is the job I asked for.

What do you think is the primary role of government?

The primary role of government is to protect people and property under equal rules: police and courts that work, roads that move the public, honest elections, and a treasury that is not a buffet. It is not the government’s job to raise your tabs for pet projects, replace a flag in an omnibus, defund the cops then lecture you about “safety,” or grow grant programs faster than it can audit them. Schools should teach children to read. Money should follow the student. A viable child who can live outside the womb has a right the state must not shrug off. Government exists to keep the peace and stay out of the way of people who work. When it does more than that, it should prove the cost and survive an audit — or stop. Stop voting BLUE no matter who. Vote RED instead.

How do you work to understand, and then learn from, opinions that differ from your own and people who disagree with you?

I have very liberal friends. We argue politics all the time. At the end of the day we are still friends, because we are full-grown adults and can respect each other’s opinions. That is how I learn: I listen, I push back, I do not end the relationship over a vote. Respect is not a trade for my principles. I will still say let cops be cops, audit the fraud, lock cheaters off the next program, put school money with the student, restore the historic flag, and protect women’s sports and a viable child. A friend can tell me I am wrong. They do not get to tell me to be quiet because “now is not the time.” I will read the other side’s bill and the parent who hates my Chauvin stance. If they have a fact I missed, I use it. If they only have a slogan, I say so. Then we can still shake hands. Show up. Define your terms. I will do the same — and I will still be the same man on the vote.

Website or contact information:

www.RoccoForStateSenate.com