text: Central Minnesota lawmakers reflect on life experience, race, gender
  ST. CLOUD — In the past couple months, state Rep. Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, got a call from a business owner in the state who asked to speak to her husband, assuming that "Rep. Demuth" was a man.
  "I thought, 'Oh, isn't that cute?'" Demuth said. "No disrespect."
  She did not run for office because she's a woman, she said. She ran because she saw a need, first for the ROCORI school board, then for the state House.
  Women are under-represented in Legislatures across the country and make up about 32% of the Minnesota Legislature, according to the Center for American Women in Politics. Women, including Demuth, are 33% of the delegation in Minnesota Districts 13 and 14, which cover St. Cloud, its suburbs and communities to the south and west.
  The St. Cloud Times sent demographic surveys to elected officials throughout the area and compared responses to U.S. Census data, with a particular focus on gender, race and age. Experts say diversity is a good thing on boards. And candidates' experience, in government and life, matters to their work and to constituents once they're elected.
  Diversity is growing in St. Cloud — but not necessarily on elected bodies. Does that matter?
  The unscientific surveys asked about other characteristics, such as veteran status and religious affiliation, because those things reflect who lawmakers are and how they serve.
  The delegation from Districts 13 and 14 includes two veterans with disabilities. It's also primarily white.
  Demuth is biracial. Her mother's white. Her father's black.
  "That has impacted my entire life, including work, much more than gender," Demuth said about her race. But it's not what she leads with when interacting with people.
  In first grade, other children used a racial slur to her face — "a lot," she said. But she had a teacher, and the principal, who backed her up as well as the support of her family. "I felt accepted by them and empowered by them."
  Demuth serves House District 13A, which doesn't have many minorities. In the whole of Districts 13 and 14, about 87% of the population is white.
  "I still want to be a voice for all," Demuth said. Her family ties and her Christian faith have the biggest influence on her work as an elected official.
  "If I can give families a good strong start, it makes for healthier communities and that crosses every racial barrier," she said.
  Elected officials tend to be older than the population at large. Part of that is because minors cannot run for office and young adults often do not. And life experience can help a candidate win.
  In Districts 13 and 14, two-thirds of the lawmakers are between 50 and 64 years old. One is between 21 and 34. And Sen. Jerry Relph, R-St. Cloud, is older than 64.
  "Age brings experience; experience brings knowledge," Relph said. Those traits also bring patience.
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  Relph is a veteran of the Vietnam War and disabled from his time in service. He served in the Marines as a first lieutenant and was exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange, which led to prostate cancer.
  "I can relate to those who've been in combat," Relph said. And he's involved in multiple veterans groups, so he hears from veterans.
  Two of the St. Cloud-area lawmakers surveyed, or 33%, are veterans with service-related disabilities. In the state, veterans make up about 6% of the population.
  Military service teaches adaptability and leadership skills, Relph said, which have helped him in private business and in elected office.
  But Relph doesn't serve on the Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee, so he is not closely involved with those policies.
  He does serve on the Senate Family Care and Aging Committee.
  "At this age, I am a little more sensitive to the needs of people who are elderly and try to formulate policy to improve and sustain their quality of life," Relph said.
  People with disabilities make up more than 11% of the population in Districts 13 and 14.
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  Relph has not experienced limited mobility, but he can relate to other impairments, he said. "It's an important experience."
  Relph tries to connect with a range of interest groups, including those unlike himself.
  "My job is to give my constituents a forum," Relph said. "Every voice needs to be heard. Some will have more compelling arguments than others."