East Twin Cities

Congressman Pete Stauber has announced the addition of four new staff members to his district team for Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. The new appointments include Jacob Ringstad as Deputy District Director, Payton Crotty as Southern Field Representative, Kara Lindstrom as Western Field Representative and Director of Grants, and Tommy Finstad as a part-time Field Representative.

Jacob Ringstad, originally from Sartell, Minnesota, will manage the district team from the Hermantown office. He is responsible for constituent services and community outreach. Before joining Congressman Stauber’s office, Ringstad worked as an engineering consultant and earned a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He will represent Cook, Lake, St Louis, Koochiching, Itasca, and Carlton counties.

Payton Crotty is a native of Clearwater, Minnesota. Based in Forest Lake, he will serve as field representative for the southern part of the district. His duties include attending community events and helping constituents with federal agencies. Crotty previously interned in Stauber’s Washington DC office and holds a degree in Political Science and Government from Saint John’s University. He will cover Pine, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, Isanti, Chisago, and Washington counties.

Kara Lindstrom comes from Los Angeles, California. She will be based in Brainerd and serve both as Director of Grants—helping constituents access federal funding—and as a field representative for the western part of the district. Her previous experience includes work as a drug and alcohol counselor and as a Grassroots Associate for Americans for Prosperity. She has a Master’s degree in Political Science from Liberty University. Lindstrom will represent Lake of the Woods, Beltrami, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Becker, Hubbard, Cass, Crow Wing, and Aitkin counties.

Tommy Finstad is from New Ulm and joins the Hermantown office part-time while studying professional aviation at Lake Superior College.

“These additions reflect Congressman Stauber’s continued commitment to building a team that provides thoughtful and dedicated service to the people of Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District.”

Congressman Pete Stauber has represented Minnesota's 8th district since 2019 after succeeding Rick Nolan (https://stauber.house.gov/about). Before his tenure in Congress began in 2019 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Stauber), Stauber served on the St. Louis County Commission between 2013 and 2019. Born in Duluth in 1966 (https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/S001213), he currently resides in Hermantown (https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/S001213) and graduated with a BA from Lake Superior State University in 1990.