Jeanne Poppe officially filed Thursday to seek her fourth term in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Poppe, a Democrat, was first elected in District 27B in 2004.

Less than a week after the Legislature approved a bill to balance the state budget, Poppe said she expects the budget to continue to be a key issue on the campaign trail.

“In Minnesota, I think our budget issues that we face are going to be a large amount of what the discussion will be,” Poppe said.

Poppe said lawmakers won’t be able to continue to cut their way to balanced budgets, and further solutions will be needed to correct future budget deficits.

New revenue sources are one step to correcting budget concerns, Poppe said. However, the state’s tax system has come into question due to recent economic struggles.

“Our current tax system allows for the ebb and flow of the economy,” Poppe said.

While every tax system will rise and fall with the economy, Poppe said, the legislature must find a system that’s fair and equitable, but isn’t as susceptible to the economic climate.

In order to find a solution, Poppe said lawmakers must have thoughtful and deliberate discussions. No one idea will correct the problem, she said. It’s going to take cooperation.

Education will be another focus of Poppe’s campaign.

While higher education avoided more significant cuts in the recent session due to federal Maintenance of Effort restrictions, Poppe said the restrictions are set to expire. She said lawmakers and educators will need to discuss future possibilities in education. Each side must refocus on how to give students a quality education with limited funding, she said. Poppe said educators will need to find ways to reduce spending.

“Some serious discussion will need to happen,” Poppe said.

She also said legislators and educators must work together to ensure K-12 schools are preparing students for college.

As of Friday morning, an opposing candidate had not yet filed. However, LeRoy attorney Jennifer Gumbel spoke at local Republican conventions early this year about potential plans to run.