Aaron Klemz

Aaron Klemz is the Democratic candidate for Minnesota House of Representatives District 39A in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing Republican Andy Macko in a race with no incumbent.[1] He works as an advocate for clean water and climate issues at the Minnesota State Capitol and chairs the Fridley Environmental Quality and Energy Commission, according to his Ballotpedia survey.[2]

Aaron Klemz graduated from Hopkins High School, earned a graduate degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 2001, and earned another from the University of Minnesota, Duluth in 2011, according to Ballotpedia.[1] In a Ballotpedia survey, Klemz's responses said he taught public speaking and communications courses at Century College in White Bear Lake for over a decade and taught graduate courses in policy development at Metropolitan State University.[2] The responses also said he was the founding coach of the policy debate team at North Community High School in Minneapolis, coached the Como Park High School debate team, and served 14 years on the Minnesota Urban Debate League board.[2]

Klemz and his spouse, Jennifer Tuder, have lived in Fridley and Columbia Heights for nearly 20 years, according to the survey.[2] He chairs the Fridley Environmental Quality and Energy Commission, serves as a commissioner on the Fridley Planning Commission, and co-founded the DFL Environmental Caucus in 2015, the survey said.[2] Klemz advanced from the Democratic primary without appearing on the ballot after it was canceled.[1]

Klemz listed clean water and climate, thriving public schools, and health care affordability and accessibility among his campaign's key messages.[2] He wrote that he would work to secure funding to protect community water supplies from PFAS pollution and would prioritize full and equitable funding of public schools, including state funding of special education services.[2]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.