Meet Andrea Estrada: MNR Governmental Affairs Intern for the 2026 Legislative Session
|
|
Minnesota Realtors® (MNR) Governmental Affairs (GA) team is your voice at the Capitol, advocating for bills that promote homeownership, strengthen the real estate industry, and protect property rights. Led by Paul Eger, Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs, and Senior Director of Advocacy Matt Spellman, the GA team meets with lawmakers, provides testimony on bills impacting our industry, and keeps members informed with weekly legislative updates.
This year, they were joined by Andrea Estrada. Andrea helped to support the team during the 2026 Legislative Session, helping to track bills, attend committee hearings, and research key housing issues. We sat down with her to learn more about her experience working with the GA team at the Capitol this session.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Q: What inspired you to apply for the Capitol Pathways Program?
Andrea: The start of my second year at Augsburg I knew I wanted to be a journalist, so I took every opportunity that Augsburg had to offer. First, it was studying aboard in Northern Ireland learning about The Troubles. After the semester I took a deep interest in political science; leading me to take political courses the following semester. [One of my] professor's sent a mass email to every history major and minor about the Capitol Pathways Program. During that time, I was taking a history course with that professor, and I decided to talk to them about [the program]. If it were not for the push that I got from my history professor, I would not have applied. I am glad that I got that push as I got to be with the best advocacy team and learned I do want to be a political journalist.
Q: What drew you to Minnesota Realtors® for your internship?
Andrea: When I was doing the interview process with sites, the questions were very much scripted, and conversation felt forced. Minnesota Realtors® was my second interview, and I remember Paul saying, ‘we are just going to have a conversation.’ Which I learned is not always true, but in this case it was. Paul asked questions curated to my answers which felt [like] more of a conversation than an interview about my strength and weakness. I also had an interest in housing policy, and lacked of knowledge about every aspect of it. One of the questions for the [Capitol Pathways] application asked why I selected housing as an issue that I care about—I talked about [the book] Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Mathew Desmond. I read this my first year in Augsburg and it really put in perspective the housing crisis as well as living near the city my whole life. I wanted to learn everything that I could about housing policy while also having good support from the site I was interning at. That is what Minnesota Realtors® was the moment I entered the Zoom call with Paul.
Q: What is something you enjoyed learning about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into shaping housing policy?
Andrea: I really enjoyed all of it. Getting a deep understanding of how the legislature works and how a small thing can easily change a lot of things. I now have a deeper understanding of housing policy and the importance of being persistent. I love doing the tedious work of bill tracking, seeing where the bill will go next or if it will be laid over. One of the parts that I enjoyed the most was going over the slide show that [MNR Research Director] David Arbit presented to House Housing Finance and Policy Committee. Or the amount of time I spent on bill introductions looking for bills will be added to the bill tracker.
Q: Have you seen firsthand how advocacy work makes an impact?
Andrea: Yes, advocacy work is very needed! If it were not for advocacy work, then there would not be as many effective policies. During this session I grew to understand that legislators are not knowledgeable about everything, which is why advocacy work is needed. The handful of times [I saw] Paul and Matt discussing a bill and trying to understand if it will cause more harm than good...as well as the amount of testimony they had to provide while explaining their [stances].
Q: What other areas of policy and advocacy work are you most passionate about?
Andrea: I am passionate about are education and human services.
Education is power, I believe, and it should be widely accessible to those who choose to pursue it. [It's important] to see the patterns of education costs rising and comparing it to other countries. Meeting people's needs is important, no matter what the level is.
Q: What is the last thing that you watched that you absolutely loved?
Andrea: The last thing that I read that I loved was Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. The storyline feels very surreal with the times that we are currently living through and the world that Butler has created. I will hopefully read the sequel, Parable of the Talents, this summer!
Learn more about the GA team’s work and find out how you can get involved by visiting our Advocacy page.