Doug Chapin for Congress
June 11, 2026 · Newsletter
The Sixth District Is Growing. Is Emmer Paying Attention?
One of the most important lessons we’ve learned on the campaign trail is that people are remarkably consistent about what matters to them.
Whether we’re talking with voters in Anoka, Delano, Chaska, Otsego, St. Cloud, or anywhere else across Minnesota’s Sixth District, the conversations usually come back to the same things.
Jobs. Housing. Schools. Roads. Health care. Retirement. Raising a family.
Making sure there’s enough money left at the end of the month.
In other words, the things people discuss around their kitchen tables every single day.
Doug put it perfectly this week when he wrote:
In every working family’s home there’s a kitchen table. It might not be in the kitchen. It might not even be a table. But it’s where people sit and think: What’s coming in? What’s going out? What’s left over?
Those are the questions shaping people’s lives right now. And they are the questions that should be shaping our politics.
Unfortunately, too many politicians seem focused on everything except what voters are actually talking about.
A Growing District
Doug shared a story this week about one of his favorite local businesses, Big Bore Barbecue in Hanover.
Recently, Big Bore paved a large dirt parking area to create additional parking for customers. It wasn’t the first major investment they’ve made. Over the last year they’ve expanded their facilities, added new indoor space, and opened another location in Monticello.
Businesses don’t make investments like that unless they believe there’s opportunity ahead.
And there is.
The Sixth District is one of the fastest-growing regions in Minnesota.
Families are moving here. Communities are expanding. Small businesses are investing.
New neighborhoods are appearing where farm fields stood only a few years ago.
The Sixth District is no longer simply the space between other parts of Minnesota. It has become a destination for families looking to build a future and communities working to create opportunity.
Growth creates challenges, of course. It means we need better infrastructure, strong schools, affordable housing, reliable public services, and an economy that works for working families.
But growth also creates possibilities.
The question is whether our representation in Washington is focused on helping our communities meet those challenges and seize those opportunities.
We know the answer for the Sixth District: No.
What Are We Talking About?
While Doug spent the week attending community events, walking neighborhoods, participating in door knocks, and talking with voters about their concerns, Tom Emmer once again spent nearly all of his public messaging focused on allegations of fraud in Minnesota government programs.
Again.
Fraud should be investigated. Taxpayer dollars should absolutely be protected.
Nobody is arguing otherwise.
But voters are also asking questions about rising costs!
They’re asking about affordable child care and health care.
They’re asking about housing and infrastructure.
They’re asking about education, and they’re asking why it feels harder to get ahead than it did a generation ago.
Those questions demand attention.
Instead, Emmer keeps reaching for the same politics of anger, division, and distraction while working families are asking for solutions.
Last week brought more national turmoil, more political drama, and more headlines out of Washington.
Yet the issues people raise on their doorsteps across the Sixth District remain remarkably grounded and practical.
People want solutions.
People want stability.
People want honest leaders who are paying attention to their lives.
People want a Representative who understands that governing is about service and not about scoring political points.
Most of all, people want someone who listens.
Yet, still, Emmer just keeps talking about fraud into his MAGA echo chamber.
Showing Up Matters
That’s exactly what Doug spent the week doing.
He helped launch a door knock in Chaska alongside local DFL leaders.
He joined community members at Anoka Pride.
He participated in the Anoka County DFL volunteer recruitment fair.
He joined a massive day of action in Otsego alongside future State Representative Joey Smyth and more than 100 volunteers.
And throughout it all, he continued having conversations with voters about what matters most to them.
Not cable news talking points. Not manufactured outrage. Not political theater.
Real life.
The concerns people carry with them every day.
The hopes they have for their families.
The communities they’re working hard to build.
Because campaigns aren’t ultimately about candidates.
They’re about people.
And the best way to understand what people need is to show up, listen, and learn.
That’s the kind of leadership Doug is working to bring to Washington.
Looking Ahead
The Democracy Rescue Rig keeps moving it’s way through the campaign trail. Join Team Chapin at one of these upcoming events:
Waite Park Family Fun Fest Parade
📅 Thursday, June 11
🕠 Line-up at 5:30 PM; parade begins at 6:30 PM
📍 3rd Street N. Waite Park, MN
RSVP here
Sartell Summerfest Parade
📅 Saturday, June 13
🕠 Line-up at 9:00 AM; parade begins at 10:00 AM
📍 Riverview Intermediate School, 627 3rd Ave NSartell, MN
RSVP here
Albertville Friendly City Days Parade
📅 Sunday, June 14
🕠 Line-up at 10:00 AM; parade begins at 12:30 PM
📍 AFCD Parade Staging Area, Barthel Industrial Dr NE Albertville, MN
RSVP here
Free Picnic, Fun, Conversation & Candidates with SD13 DFL
📅 Monday, June 15
🕠 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
📍 Val Smith Park, 425 1st St NE Sartell, MN
RSVP here
Gen Z Town Hall in Delano
📅 Tuesday, June 16
🕠 Event details available through Mobilize
📍 Delano Heritage Center - Community Meeting Room, 140 Bridge Ave E Delano, MN
RSVP here
Working Family Community Picnic
📅 Thursday, June 18
🕠 Event details available through Mobilize
📍 6900 Hazelpine Blvd Chanhassen, MN 55317
RSVP here
Manitou Days Parade
📅 Friday, June 19
🕠 Line-up at 10:30 AM; parade begins at 12:00 PM
📍 White Bear Lake, MN
RSVP here
Come walk with us, knock doors with us, celebrate with us, or just stop by and say hello!!
Additional DFL Events Around the Sixth
Door Knocks for Dan
📅 Thursday, June 11; Saturday, June 13; Tuesday, June 16; Thursday, June 18
🕠 Tuesdays and Thursdays: 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM; Saturdays: 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
📍 Location provided after signup
Join Team Kessler on the doors to talk with neighbors, build community, and grow momentum for Dan Kessler’s campaign for Minnesota Senate.
RSVP here
SD32 DFL Coffee and Conversation
📅 Saturday, June 13
🕠 10:00 AM
📍 Qamaria Coffee, 8685 Central Ave NE, Blaine, MN
Join SD32 DFL for a morning of community building and conversation.
RSVP here
Free Picnic, Fun, Conversation & Candidates with SD13 DFL
📅 Monday, June 15
🕠 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
📍 Val Smith Park, 425 1st St NE Sartell, MN
Join SD13 DFL for hot dogs, chips, freezies, homemade cookies, lemonade, candidate trivia, and conversation with local DFL candidates.
RSVP here
SD30 Virtual Tuesday Night Phonebank
📅 Tuesday, June 16
🕠 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
📍 Virtual event
Help organizers connect with voters across SD30, including St. Michael, Albertville, Elk River, Otsego, Hanover, Nowthen, and Rockford Township.
RSVP here
SD36 DFL Coffee and Conversation
📅 Sunday, June 14
🕠 11:00 AM
📍 Bean Co., 2490 County Rd E White Bear Lake, MN
Join SD36 DFL for community building and conversation with local organizers and neighbors.
RSVP here
We Need You!
This campaign is growing because people are stepping up.
We’re currently looking to fill a few key volunteer roles.
Get Involved
If you want to be part of this campaign, now is the time!
Learn more: https://chapinforcongress.com
Volunteer: https://chapinforcongress.com/volunteer
Events: https://chapinforcongress.com/events
Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ChapinFlipThe6th
You can also find additional details on campaign events, door knocks, and volunteer opportunities on Mobilize: https://www.mobilize.us/chapinforcongress/
Ready for Better
The Sixth District is growing.
You can see it in the businesses investing in their communities.
You can see it in the families moving into our neighborhoods.
You can see it in the volunteers showing up week after week because they believe this district deserves a representative who is focused on their lives, their communities, and their future.
Growth brings change.
And change requires leadership that understands where our communities are headed, not leadership that remains stuck in yesterday’s political fights.
The people of the Sixth District are already building the future. They are doing it around kitchen tables. They are doing it in small businesses.
They are doing it in schools, neighborhoods, family farms, union halls, main streets, and community organizations.
They are doing it every time they show up for one another.
The question now is whether we will continue to allow Tom Emmer to be a part of this future.
We are all ready for better.
And we doing the work to make it happen.
145 days until Election Day.
#FlipThe6th #ReadyForBetter
Thank you for reading! Help us reach more people who should hear from Doug!