THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED BY LISTENING TO OTHERS, I'VE CHANGED MY POSITION ON THINGS.

>> MARY: FINALLY TONIGHT, DFL MINORITY LEADER MELISA LÓPEZ FRANZEN WAS NOT ORIGINALLY PLANNING TO LEAVE THE LEGISLATURE AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.

BUT THEN REDISTRICTING PAIRED HER WITH ANOTHER DFL SENATOR.

IS IT AS SIMPLE AS REDISTRICTING?

>> OF COURSE NOT.

>> MARY: WITHOUT REDISTRICTING, THOUGH, IN THE SAME DISTRICT, WOULD YOU FOR SURE BE RUNNING AGAIN?

>> OF COURSE.

>> MARY: WHAT POSSIBLY IS NEXT?

>> IT'S BEEN TEN YEARS SINCE I'VE BEEN IN THE LEGISLATURE.

TO HAVE THE CORNER OFFICE AT THE CAPITOL, I CAN PINCH MYSELF.

I GREW UP IN PUERTO RICO, NEVER KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO END UP HERE.

AND HERE WE ARE.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S NEXT.

AND I'M HAPPY AND EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY.

I'M VERY SAD ABOUT LEAVING THIS PLACE AND IT WILL ALWAYS HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART.

>> MARY: YOU KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE UPSET THAT YOU'RE LEAVING AND UPSET TO BE LOSING AN UP-AND-COMING WOMAN, A MEMBER OF THE POCI CAUCUS, A PERSON REALLY SEEN ON THE ASCENDENCY.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE THAT ARE UPSET THAT YOU ARE NOT RUNNING AGAIN?

AND THAT A MAN IS RUNNING IN THE DISTRICT YOU COULD HAVE RUN IN?

>> LIFE HAPPENS.

SO IT'S A PAUSE, I'D SAY.

I'M NOT GOING TO BE AWAY FROM PUBLIC SERVICE BUT I WON'T BE A STRANGER TO THE LEGISLATURE.

I SAY I'M GOING TO SUPPORT OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME, OTHER WOMEN WHO HAVE LITTLE KIDS WHO WANT TO COME INTO PUBLIC OFFICE, KNOWING THAT IT'S REALLY HARD AND THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR WOMEN LIKE ME TO STAY IN POLITICS.

>> MARY: I WAS IN AN EDINA BOOKSTORE AND AN EMPLOYEE PULLED ME ASIDE AND SAID, I AM SO ANGRY THAT THE SENATOR FROM EDINA DOESN'T GET TO RUN AGAIN AND I WANT HER TO BE THERE, AND I'M MAD AT THE PERSON WHO IS RUNNING.

YOU'VE SEEN -- THERE HAS BEEN KIND OF A VISCERAL REACTION, AND IT'S NOT STRICTLY PARTISAN.

>> LIKE I SAID TO MY CAUCUS, - IT'S ABOUT A TEAM.

IT'S NOT ABOUT ONE PERSON.

IT'S ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER.

AND I'M ACTUALLY VERY FLATTERED OF HEARING SO MUCH OF THAT EMOTION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU THINK IT'S LONELY, BUT PEOPLE ARE WATCHING AND THEY CARE AND THEY APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE.

SO IT'S BEEN HEART WARMING.

>> MARY: WHAT ABOUT NOT JUST WOMEN RUNNING AND WOMEN GETTING ELECTED, BUT WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP?

THE SENATE HAS STILL ONLY HAD ONE FEMALE MAJORITY LEADER.

WE'VE HAD, I BELIEVE, TWO MINORITY LEADERS, STILL, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING JUST A HANDFUL SO FAR.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I EVEN BUMPED INTO FORMER SENATOR AMY KOCH THE OTHER DAY AFTER I HAD ANNOUNCED AND WE'RE PLANNING TO MEET UP BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER.

IT IS A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC FOR WOMEN IN POLITICS.

AND IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS.

AND WE NEED TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF US IN THIS ASCENSION, IF YOU WILL.

SO WE NEED OTHER WOMEN TO STEP UP AND WE NEED TO SUPPORT THEM REGARDLESS OF PARTY LINES.

>> MARY: THE POCI CAUCUS HAS GROWN QUITE A BIT.

DEFINITELY IN THE HOUSE AND KIND OF SLOWLY IN THE SENATE.

HOW ABOUT GETTING MORE DIVERSE VOICES AT THE CAPITOL?

WHAT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT?

>> UNFORTUNATELY, THIS NEW REDISTRICTING, A LOT OF DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE FROM OTHER MEMBERS, INCLUDING LATINO MEMBERS, GOING TO GO FROM TWO TO ZERO IN THE MINNESOTA SENATE.

THERE'S MORE RETIREMENTS, AS WELL, FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE HOUSE, RENA MORAN, REPRESENTATIVE MARIANI.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GO BACKWARDS IN TERMS OF OUR DIVERSITY.

WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE IT IN OUR MEMBERS, THAT WE ARE CONSCIOUS ABOUT BRINGING THOSE VOICES TO THE TABLE AND IN OUR STAFF.

>> MARY: YOU HAVE BEEN THERE ALMOST A DECADE.

YOU'VE BEEN A PART OF A LOT OF BILLS.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

>> I AM MOST PROUD OF JUST GETTING TO KNOW MY COLLEAGUES AND WORKING ACROSS PARTY LINES.

I HAD ONE HEARING WITH SENATOR INGEBRIGTSEN RIGHT NEXT TO ME, WE'RE PRESENTING THE SAME ISSUE OF YOUTH INTERVENTION, AND WE PRESENTED THAT TOGETHER IN THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.

I'M GOING TO MISS THAT TYPE OF WORK THAT THE PUBLIC DOESN'T NECESSARILY SEE DAY TO DAY.

>> MARY: EVERY RETIREE HAS REVEALED THAT THEY HAVE REALLY GOOD, SOMETIMES SECRET FRIENDSHIPS ACROSS THE AISLE.

DO YOU HAVE SOME BUDDIES THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT?

>> SENATOR ABELER COMES TO MIND.

HE'S ALWAYS REACHED OUT PERSONALLY WHEN THERE'S GOOD AND BAD NEWS ON MY END.

HE ALWAYS EXTENDS A HAND OR A NOTE AND A TEXT.

AND THAT'S REALLY APPRECIATED.

NOT ALL MEMBERS DO THAT.

>> MARY: YOU'VE BEEN THOUGHT OF FOR A LOT OF OFFICES.

YOU KNOW, YOUR LEGAL BACKGROUND, TOO.

IS THERE ANYTHING IN LAW, A JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT, ANYTHING LIKE THAT THAT APPEALS TO YOU NOW?

>> NO EYE ON ANY PARTICULAR PLACE.

I THINK POLITICS IS A LOT OF TIMING AND LUCK AND A LOT OF HARD WORK, AND IF THOSE ALIGN AGAIN FOR ME IN THE FUTURE, I'M OPEN TO IT.

BUT IF I ONLY