Protect Minnesota Unveils 2025 Orange Star Candidate Rankings: Municipal Offices and Minnesota Senate Special Election
Candidates were asked to respond to questions regarding gun violence prevention
Minneapolis-St. Paul — Gun violence continues to exact a heartbreaking toll across Minnesota. In 2024, 564 Minnesotans lost their lives to gun violence. And this year our state has been shaken by the tragic murder of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and by the horrific killing of two young children — just 8 and 10 years old — at Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis.
These devastating losses underscore what too many families in our communities already know: gun violence is not an abstract issue, but a daily crisis tearing through homes, neighborhoods, and places of worship.
Protect Minnesota – the state’s leading organization dedicated to preventing gun violence – is once again releasing its Orange Star Rankings, this year for candidates seeking office in 2025. These rankings are based on candidate responses to Protect Minnesota’s Orange Star Questionnaire, which asks about key policy issues.
“Gun violence is an urgent public health crisis, and voters deserve to know where their local candidates stand on solutions,” said Maggiy Emery, Executive Director of Protect Minnesota. “Minnesotans expect leaders at every level of government to act. These rankings give voters a clear, accessible way to understand which candidates are committed to advancing gun violence prevention and protecting their communities.”
Protect Minnesota reached out to candidates using publicly available contact information and asked them to respond to a five-question survey:
- To solve the US gun violence public health crisis, firearm owners have the responsibility to minimize potential harms that could come from their firearms. Legislation is necessary to enforce that.
- If elected, will you publicly support and work within the limits of your office to finance & support equitable legislation and initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence, and block legislation aimed at expanding firearm use in Minnesota communities?
- If elected, will you publicly support and work within the limits of your office to pass effective & inclusive legislation geared towards safe storage of firearms?
- If elected, will you publicly support and work within the limits of your office to allow the Minnesota Department of Health to collect data on gun ownership for the sole purpose of public health research?
- Have you ever or would you ever accept donations from the NRA?
Here are the letter grade rankings for the 2025 candidates who responded to the Protect Minnesota survey:
| Name | Office | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger | MN Senate District 47 (Special Election) | A |
| DeWayne Davis | Minneapolis – Mayor | A |
| Omar Fateh | Minneapolis – Mayor | A |
| Jacob Frey | Minneapolis – Mayor | A |
| Jazz Hampton | Minneapolis – Mayor | A |
| Brenda Short | Minneapolis – Mayor | A |
| Xavier Pauke | Minneapolis – Mayor | B |
| Shelley Madore | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 2 | A |
| Ethrophic Burnett | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 5 | A |
| Maurice L. Ward | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 5 | C |
| Anndrea Young | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 5 | A |
| Katie Cashman | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 7 | A |
| Elizabeth Shaffer | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 7 | B |
| Josh Bassais | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 8 | A |
| Soren Stevenson | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 8 | A |
| Lydia Millard | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 10 | A |
| Edward Bear Stops | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 12 | A |
| Linea Palmisano | Minneapolis City Council – Ward 13 | A |
| Matt Dowgwillo | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – At Large | A |
| Meg Forney | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – At Large | A |
| Amber Frederick | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – At Large | A |
| Mary McKelvey | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – At Large | B |
| Thomas Olsen | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – At Large | A |
| Adam Schneider | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – At Large | A |
| Dan Engelhart | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – District 1 | A |
| Kedar Deshpande | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – District 3 | A |
| Cathy Abene | Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board – District 6 | A |
| Steve Brandt | Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation | A |
| Melvin Carter | Saint Paul – Mayor | A |
| Kaohly Her | Saint Paul – Mayor | A |
| Asher Estrin-Haire | Duluth City Council – At Large | A |
| Jordon Johnson | Duluth City Council – At Large | A |
| Diane Desotelle | Duluth City Council – District 2 | A |
| Pierre Tournier | Duluth City Council – District 2 | A |
| David Clanaugh | Duluth City Council – District 4 | A |
