# Ep:40 A conversation with Kaohly Her and her improbable run for Saint Paul Mayor

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-must-be-the-place-7077170/ep-40-a-conversation-with-kaohly-her-and-her-improbable-run-for-saint-paul-mayor
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-must-be-the-place-7077170/ep-40-a-conversation-with-kaohly-her-and-her-improbable-run-for-saint-paul-mayor.md
Podcast: [This Must Be The Place](https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-must-be-the-place-7077170)
Published: 2025-10-21T19:58:04+00:00
Episode link: https://thismustbetheplacepod.podbean.com/e/ep39-a-conversation-with-kaohly-her-and-her-improbable-run-for-saint-paul-mayor/
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Duration seconds: 4854

## Resource

This week on the pod: Kaohly Her shares the deeply personal story behind her decision to run for Mayor of Saint Paul, a campaign sparked by the tragic murder of her close friend and colleague, Melissa Hortman. In this wide-ranging and emotional conversation, she talks about her journey from escaping Laos after the Secret War to becoming a state representative who’s authored and passed major legislation. Kaohly opens up about how her refugee experience shaped her values, her commitment to public service, and her vision for a Saint Paul that’s experiential, inclusive, and open for business. We cover it all, from laughs to tears and everything in between, plus a few detours through BoomTimes, the NBA, The Chair Company, Community Ed, Hmong Village, and the glory days of tube televisions. Don’t miss this honest and inspiring look at leadership, resilience, and the future of Saint Paul. https://www.kaohlyforstp.com Questions or comments? Reach us at: 📧 Email: thismustbetheplacepod@gmail.com 📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889 00:00 Intro and how Casey messed up audio for the first 9 minutes 01:33 Theme Song 02:17 Kaohly Her - income as a litmus test for politics 06:24 Introducing Representative Her 08:15 Kaohly’s origin story 09:00 FIXED AUDIO - politics is a privilege 10:30 how public schools shaped political future 12:09 RIsk Taker 13:10 What is a Fourteener? 15:30 Hiking a mountain as a life metaphor 16:15 Background as a refugee 19:45 Liberation is tied to one another 21:53 Is Saint Paul Stalled out? 22:38 How do we “unstick”? 26:15 “Either Or” politics. 27:20 St. Paul as a city ready to do business. 29:00 providing needed resources thru snowballing 32:00 how do you get investment in downtown Saint Paul? 35:30 Plan for experiential downtown 37:30 balancing social services with pu…

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## Transcript

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