Write inTzianeng Vang
for Minnesota Senate District 44
“Let us reinvest, restore and reconnect our urban natural resources!”
A former refugee child, a Maplewood neighbor of more than 20 years, and a lifelong volunteer for the lakes, parks and people of the East Side.
General Election
Tue, Nov 3, 2026
My name is not printed on the ballot.
Find the blank write-in line for State Senator, District 44 — and write my name.
Nyob zoo — hello
I came here across a river. I stayed for these lakes.
I am Tzianeng Vang. I was a refugee child in the jungles of Laos. I swam across the mighty mother Mekong, and I survived years in the Nong Khai and Ban Vinai refugee camps.
Since 1989 my extended family has lived around Phalen Lake. My wife Ong Xiong and I have raised our four children — Ki, Dej, Thi and Chia Xiong Vang — in Maplewood for more than twenty years. This water, these parks, this district: this is home.
I have served on Saint Paul’s Community District 2 board, as a Civil Service Commissioner for the Maplewood Police Department, and as a convener whenever neighbors needed one.
The platform
Five things I will work on from day one
Clean water, rest for the people who care for us, ice worth skating on, highways that move, and a state that prevents fires instead of only fighting them.
Restore our urban natural resources
Clean, safe and accessible ponds, lakes, creeks and rivers — working with every level of government, foundations, grassroots groups and nonprofits.
Siesta Minnesota
Up to two hours of mandatory paid rest for caretakers, plus tax incentives for other lines of work and volunteer service.
Year-round ice
We are the hockey state, home to famous hockey figures in Minnesota. There is no reason we cannot glide freely twelve months a year.
Decongest I-94, 35E and Highway 52
Build the overpass that lets through traffic bypass the I-94/35E knot, so residents can cross town without crawling.
Fire prevention & the Boundary Waters
Once our urban waters are restored, the same care goes statewide — with real fire prevention work, not only fire fighting.
The problem, the plan, the benefit
Every priority spelled out in plain language.
See the full platform →
The vision
From Little Canada to the Mississippi — by canoe.
Picture paddling from Little Canada and North Saint Paul into Maplewood through Kohlman, Gervais, Spooner, Round and Phalen Lakes, then down Phalen Creek through Swede Hollow and Wakan Tipi at the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, or through Tanners and Battle Creek Lakes, down to the mighty Mississippi.
That is not a dream. It is a maintenance decision. When our waters are cleaned, connected and cared for, this district gets a treasure that no other urban neighborhood in America has.
- Savage Lake — Little Canada
- Long Lake — Pine Springs
- Silver Lake — North Saint Paul
- Lake Kohlman
- Gervais Lake
- Spooner Lake
- Round Lake
- Phalen Lake
- Phalen Creek
- Swede Hollow
- Wakan Tipi — Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary
- Or via Tanners Lake
- Battle Creek Lake
- Mississippi River
“With the life experiences and the works behind me, I believe I am prepared to be your next Minnesota Senator serving Senate District 44.” Tzianeng Vang
A record of showing up
Work already done in this community
Tuj Lub & Takraw courts
Helped build spinning-top and takraw courts with Saint Paul Parks & Recreation at the Case & Duluth Recreation Center and Marydale Park, and with Ramsey County Parks & Recreation at Keller Lake Regional Park.
Hmong Town Marketplace mediation
Mediated between vendors and law enforcement after raids over mislabeled, expired and illegal herbal and medicinal substances — keeping families in business and the public safe.
Keller Lake mushroom safety
Raised and resolved the poisonous mushroom problem at Keller Lake Regional Park, so families could gather safely.
China Friendship Garden & Hmong Plaza
Part of the first discussions on the Changsha–Saint Paul Sister City China Friendship Garden and the Hmong Plaza.
Saint Paul Community District 2
Served as a board member for the East Side’s district council.
Maplewood Police Civil Service
Served as a Civil Service Commissioner for the Maplewood Police Department.
Get involved
A write-in campaign is won neighbor by neighbor
Every voter who writes my name in had to hear it from someone. Be that someone.
Upcoming events
Come meet me by the water
No events are scheduled yet. Lake clean-ups, coffee hours and door-knock days will be posted here as they are set. Join the email list and you will hear about them first.