Erin Murphy
DemocraticQ1 If elected, in what capacities would you refer to scientists when you are deciding how to vote on a policy?
“I think it is critical that all of our state agencies, as applicable, employ experts in their fields, and that we look to those experts to inform our policy decisions. It is also important to me that the University of Minnesota have the support it needs to continue innovating and attracting and retaining brilliant scientists, and I look to them to inform my work.”
KEYWORDS: Trust the experts
Q2 Recently H.J. Res 140 passed, overturning a 20-year mining ban in the National Forest System land surrounding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. What is your position on mining projects in this region and what policies, if any, would you support to protect the surrounding watershed?
“To me the most important question around this and any other project that has the ability to have a large environmental impact is, “Do we have the right standards in place?” If we do, then I’d hope we’d follow those standards, and if we don’t, I’d like us to update them and get them right. Those standards, not the whims of a politician OR a mining company, should define the answer. I’d like to avoid, unless it’s on the advice of scientists and an urgent question, just picking winners and losers. Instead my goal would be for legislators to provide frameworks that apply broadly, and scientists to make the decision about what does and doesn’t fit.”
KEYWORDS: Ensure high standards
Q3 Contamination from PFAS and other “forever chemicals” in 21 community water systems in Minnesota exceed national regulations, putting residents at risk of negative health impacts. What policies, if any, do you propose to protect Minnesota residents from the potential impacts of PFAS?
“We advanced a lot of work around this issue in 2023-2024, and have further defined it since. I’d like us to continue to sharpen our laws (and their exceptions), as well as continue to fund the water projects that ensure every Minnesotan has safe water in their home”
KEYWORDS: Keep making progress
Q4 There have been multiple hyperscale data centers proposed throughout the state, including one currently under construction. What policies and regulations, if any, do you support to assess and act on the potential impacts of these data centers?
“In 2025 we took steps to define a framework for protecting our water when it comes to data centers. I would like us to keep working to ensure a strong permitting system, and ensure that we are also protecting our air, noise and light pollution, transparency in public decision making, and local input and local control.”
KEYWORDS: Expand our efforts
Q5 In 2025 alone, the National Institute on Health (NIH) awarded over $700 million for research grants and contracts to Minnesota universities, which directly supported over 7,000 jobs and $1.79 billion of economic activity in Minnesota. What policies, if any, do you plan to implement or support regarding funding for continued science research either at the state or federal level?
“This is a huge and difficult loss for our state and for our country. It also comes at a time when federal impacts on our state have placed an incredible burden on state, local, and family budgets. I support investing in higher ed and in research generally, but my core answer is that we need congress to get its act together when it comes to both oversight and the budget, and to reverse their horrible cuts”
KEYWORDS: Congress must act
Q6 Fatal drug overdoses in Minnesota have significantly declined in recent years, representing a 28% drop from a record peak of 1,392 overdose deaths in 2022. However, compared to White Minnesotans, Indigenous Minnesotans are 7 to 15 times more likely to experience a fatal drug overdose, while Black Minnesotans are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from a drug-related overdose. What policies, if any, do you support to continue the downward trend of overdose deaths for Minnesotans?
“Outreach and education, access to treatment and safety measures, community driven and defined support and local resources with emphasis on communities disproportionately impacted.”
KEYWORDS: Equity requires more