Sexton's 2026 campaign holds kickoff in Waseca

A steady crowd cycled through Waseca’s Mill event center the evening of June 5 to speak with Tom Sexton, incumbent candidate for Minnesota’s House of Representatives legislative district 19B, as he begins his campaign for the 2026 election. Sexton’s opponent this November will be DFL candidate Zack Meyman, also a Waseca resident.

 

Sexton mingled among those in attendance answering questions and sharing experiences. During a brief speech, Sexton shared highlights from the recently completed legislative session. 

 

Sexton referred to $9.9 million in funding for Waseca water infrastructure as “a big win” for locals. About $470 million was allocated statewide to meet similar needs in other cities. The funds will allow recipient communities to dig down to waterlines, repair problems with inflow and infiltration (I and I), and then reconstruct roads or sidewalks which were disturbed.

 

In Waseca, $1 million of funding is for the predesign, design, and property acquisition for an additional water tower; $8.9 million for I and I.

 

To address fraud, legislators created a state inspector general office. The new department, Sexton said, will have the authority not only to investigate possible cases of fraud, but to arrest and detain individuals they believe are guilty of a crime.

 

Another matter dealt with during the session was the financial status of the Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), a Minneapolis hospital with specialized emergency and trauma facilities known for receiving and treating patients from all around the state. Partly due to federal cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, HCMC predicted financial losses of up to $50 million in 2026, and an operating deficit of about $1.7 billion over the next decade.

 

Sexton said the legislature determined that, due to its central role in statewide health care delivery, the HCMC could not be allowed to fail. The facility was granted one-time funding of $205 million. Simultaneously, a $500 million reserve fund was created to assist Minnesota hospitals in crisis which meet a strict set of criteria.

 

As he completes his first term of office with the Minnesota Legislature and works toward being elected for a second one, Sexton says he looks forward to continuing to serve the residents of District 19B. A major insight from his first term, he says, is that legislators and their teams face difficult decisions, but are genuinely dedicated to serving their constituents. He wants Minnesotans to know the level of behind the scenes teamwork at the Capitol is much higher than they might believe, given national conversations about partisanship.

 

“We really can and do work together,” he says of the state’s leaders.