Meet Gary: Your Neighbor and Advocate
I’m Gary Judkins, announcing my candidacy for the Minnesota House, District 12B, in 2026. Seeking endorsement from the forward Independence Party. I believe we need younger representatives who truly understand today’s community challenges.
The youngest of five, I’ve spent 98% of my life in Minnesota, mainly in Alexandria, where family and community matter most. After being removed from my mother’s home, I was raised by my aunt and grandparents, who taught me strong Christian values: care for others and advocacy for those who can’t speak for themselves—especially seniors and people with disabilities. Growing up around my grandparents’ respected senior foster care business, Salmons Place, I learned the dignity of caregiving. My uncle Brian, who lived with severe disabilities, showed me that everyone deserves love, respect, and representation.
These early experiences drove me to advocate for people often overlooked. I’ve formed deep ties with those outside societal norms and defended those often treated differently, strengthening my resolve to fight for those who can’t advocate for themselves.
As an adult I’ve faced homelessness and financial hardship, so I relate to families struggling today. I live in Osakis, paying about 30%+ of my income in rent while raising two young daughters (one in kindergarten, one age two). I remain committed to building a better life for my family and all Minnesota families.
Professionally I’ve worked in retail management and sales—managing phone stores and selling furniture—and I’m passionate about encouraging community participation and giving a voice to the voiceless.
The past few years have pushed me into the political arena. As board member of a small local nonprofit and through my recent work, my community ties have deepened, and I see many people feel underrepresented at all levels of government. I want to represent and advocate for them.
I’ve seen our communities harmed by violence, division, and people feeling unheard in a two-party system that often sidelines nonpartisan or independent voices. Much of the public—inside and between the parties—wants solutions, not continued anger and name-calling.
Minnesota has had only 14 non‑major‑party House members since 1858, with the last elected 84 years ago. I want to change that and run as a nonpartisan candidate with your support.
I’m not a lawyer or career politician—just a neighbor driven by love for my family and community. Inspired by my children, I aim to be a voice of reason and a bridge across divides, promoting respect, unity, and practical solutions for everyone.
Together we can build a better Minnesota that puts all voices first—We must unite to end extremism, polarization, hatred, and demonization that get us nowhere. We need leaders who will see issues from multiple perspectives and accept that truth often lies in the middle — and that solutions do too. I ask for your support to bring compassionate, people‑first, nonpartisan representation that seeks common ground and real results.
I would like to see strengthened supports across the lifespan—pregnancy, childcare, and senior care—paired with commonsense safeguards that protect parental input in medical and school decisions. I would like to see fathers’ procedural‑fairness and shared‑parenting reforms through a bipartisan task force, targeted statutory fixes, and shared‑parenting classes with nonprofit partners. In education, I would like to see a pilot personal‑finance module, funded parent finance workshops and volunteer mentor programs, and Parent Partnership grants to protect meaningful parent advisory roles. I would like to see district mini‑grants and volunteer networks to bolster nonprofits, the arts, seniors, and youth.
I would like to see independent audits to cut waste and elimination of duplicated programs, with verified savings returned as targeted relief or one‑time rebates for seniors and working families. I would like to see regulatory reviews to remove cost‑raising burdens and streamlined permitting for housing and small businesses. For housing, I would like to see public incentives conditioned on long‑term rent‑restricted units, greater ownership transparency for dominant landlords, a small down‑payment pilot for first‑time buyers, and expanded landlord‑tenant mediation to prevent sudden rent hikes and avoidable evictions.
I would like to see lawful firearm ownership respected while public safety is enhanced through a balance of enforcement and prevention: funded community violence‑reduction programs, youth outreach, public education, tougher penalties for violent repeat offenders, and expanded mental‑health crisis response.
Have questions or suggestions? I would love to hear from you!