Leading up to the Nov. 3 General Election, the Roseville Reporter will publish Q&A responses from candidates on the ballot. Readers can get to know the candidates and learn about their goals and stances on current issues to make an informed decision come Election Day.

Candidates sent their responses to the Roseville Reporter via email. The Roseville Reporter remains neutral and publication of a candidate’s responses does not indicate endorsement.

Rep. David Gottfried

Incumbent candidate for House District 40B

House District 40B represents Roseville precincts 01 through 07 and 11 as well as Shoreview precincts 1 through 4.

Background

City of Residence: Shoreview
Occupation: Pro Bono Legal Work Coordination

My name is David Gottfried and I am your State Representative in the Minnesota Legislature. I was raised in Roseville and I have had the honor to serve this area since March 2025 when I won a Special Election to restore a tie in the Minnesota House. Outside the legislature, I work at a law firm as a Pro Bono Specialist, increasing access to justice in our communities. I received my Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs (University of Minnesota). I hope to earn your trust to serve our district for another two years.

Minnesota has experienced fraud. What specific safeguards and checks and balances do you intend to develop and support to see that this does not continue?

Let’s be clear: a dollar of fraud is a dollar too much. This year, the House DFL passed the strongest independent watchdog office in the country. I was proud to co-author that bill and help get it across the finish line. The Office of Inspector General will be a powerful tool to catch and prevent fraud.

Minnesota Republicans like to complain about fraud, but DFLers led the efforts to prevent it. In fact, Republicans blocked many of our attempts to better catch fraud. We had a bill to help catch tax fraud. Blocked. We had a bill to restructure the Department of Human Services to help catch Medicaid fraud. Blocked. We had a bill to increase interagency communication to catch complex fraud schemes. Blocked again by Republicans. I would support all these bills and more to ensure that our public dollars are used for the public good.

Given the current economic situation, what ideas do you have to help with affordability issues?

I believe in a Minnesota where everyone has the freedom to thrive, not just survive. Our state cannot avoid the consequences of the federal government’s reckless war with Iran, namely skyrocketing prices. However, we must do what we can to protect our people.

We can lower the cost of housing by building more homes. At the same time, we must prevent private equity firms from hoarding houses. We can move toward a health care system, not just a health insurance system. We can reform property taxes, so people on a fixed income can stay in their homes. Price gouging by massive corporations makes us pay high prices for the things we need in our daily lives. We must end that practice. These are only a few of the things we must do to make Minnesota a place where all have the freedom to thrive.

Identify and expand on three major initiatives you would like to work on in the upcoming session. How do you plan to work across the aisle to gain support for your ideas?

Beyond the above:

• We all support increasing mental health resources, but it is not enough to prevent mass casualty gun violence events. We must limit high capacity magazines and assault weapons. As a gun owner, I’m sickened by the rhetoric spoonfed to my Republican colleagues by the Gun Industry. Republicans had a chance to get something done. Instead, they chose guns over kids.
  
• Operation Metro Surge decreased consumer spending by $626 million in January alone— a massive economic impact. Businesses and families are struggling to recover. We must support them even as we hold the federal government accountable for their overreach. Republicans fell in line behind Trump, instead of Minnesotans.
  
• AI is influencing our daily lives. Already we’ve seen it cause skill reduction and learning loss. We must establish guardrails to preserve human intelligence. I’ve already begun engaging with my Republican counterparts on this topic and will continue to do so.

Read from the other District 40B candidate here: