♪♪♪ >> ERIC: "RISE TO THE CHALLENGE" IS THE LATEST MEMOIR FROM MINNESOTA'S FIRST FEMALE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.

CHRONICLING HER EARLY PROFESSIONAL CAREER TO HER ASCENSION TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF OUR STATE AND ALL THE WAY TO A LIFE-CHANGING EVENT FROM HER CLOSEST SUPPORTER.

FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MARLENE JOHNSON JOINS US NOW.

WELCOME, GOOD TO SEE YOU.

I WANT TO ASK ABOUT OUR JOURNALING.

>> YES.

>> Eric: WAS THAT -- HOW EXTENSIVE IT, AND HOW MUCH DID THAT HELP WITH MEMORY TO WRITE THE BOOK?

>> I'VE BEEN KEEPING A JOURNAL, I KEPT A JOURNAL STARTING IN '72.

SO I WAS ALREADY KEEPING A JOURNAL EVERY DAY FOR, YOU KNOW, THOSE TEN YEARS BEFORE I WAS CAMPAIGNING.

AND THEN WHEN WE WERE ELECTED, I HAD A STRONG SENSE OF JOURNALING, AND THEN WHEN I WAS ELECTED, I HAD A STRONG SENSE OF DOING SOMETHING HISTORIC.

YOU KNOW, I WAS THE FIRST WOMAN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, SO I UNDERSTOOD THAT AND I HAD ALREADY HAD CONTACT WITH THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ABOUT MY -- THE ARCHIVES OF MY BUSINESS.

SO -- AND RUDY GAVE ME SUCH -- SUCH ACTIVE ACCESS TO HIS MEETINGS AND A ROLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION, SO I KEPT A SEPARATE JOURNAL, A WORKING JOURNAL DURING ALL THOSE YEARS.

THOSE GEORGES ARE AT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES NOW.

AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST ALWAYS HAD A SENSE OF JOURNALING BECAUSE OF THAT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

>> Cathy: HOW DID YOU MEET RUDY PERPICH?

[ Laughter ] >> WELL, I THINK BRUCE QUAKENBUSH WOULD SAY I'M THE FIRST PERSON WHO OFFERED TO DO A FUNDRAISER FOR HIM AND DID ALL THE WORK.

AND I DID THAT BECAUSE OF HIS APPOINTMENT OF ROES YA LEE WALL TO THE SUPREME COURT IN HIS FIRST TERM OF TWO YEARS.

AND I WAS SO EXCITED AND IMPRESSED BY THAT.

AND I FELT THAT WOMEN NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BREAKTHROUGH REALITY IN MINNESOTA'S POLITICS AND IN MINNESOTA LIFE.

BECAUSE AT THAT POINT, THERE WERE ONLY A HANDFUL OF WOMEN ON THE SUPREME COURT OF ANY STATE IN THE COUNTRY.

IT WAS ROSE BURG IN CALIFORNIA AND I THINK ONE OR TWO OTHERS.

I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER ANYMORE.

BUT IT WAS VERY SMALL CLUB.

>> Eric: YOU -- THIS WAS AN EXERCISE IN NETWORKING, SEEMS TO ME.

>> EXACTLY.

>> Eric: YOU REALLY BUILT LAYER UPON LAYER TO -- YOU GET BEFORE HIM AND GET HIS NOTICING YOU, AND GET A RAM RAD REE AND A CHEMISTRY.

>> I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD WORD.

I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT THAT WAY, BUT, YES.

AND I INTRODUCED MYSELF TO HIM WHEN I BROUGHT A GROUP OF INTERNATIONAL SWROWRNL GISTS TO MEET WITH HIM.

THE STAFF DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE TIME FOR IT BECAUSE IT WAS A CAMPAIGN AND THEY WERE ALL FOREIGNERS AND THEY WEREN'T GOING TO GET ANY VOTES BUT I CONVINCED HIM.

SO WE BROUGHT THEM DOWN FOR A MEETING AND OF COURSE I KNEW RUDY WOULD LOVE IT.

AND HE JUST -- HE LOVED IT.

YOU KNOW, THEY WERE A TERRIFIC GROUP AND IT WAS A GREAT CONVERSATION.

AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEETING, HE STOOD UP AND SAID TO ME AND HE SAID, COME WITH ME TO MY OFFICE.

I HAVE TO GET ON A SMALL PLANE TO FLY TO WADENA.

I WILL TAKE THREE OF THEM IF YOU GO ALONG TO TAKE CARE OF THEM.

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT ANY RESPONDENT FOR EXTRA PEOPLE.

RUDY SAID, OKAY, HREE OF YOU CAN GO WITH ME TO THIS POLITICAL RALLY TONIGHT.

LAYLIE YEEN WILL GO LL.

THEY WERE FRIENDS BY THEN.

SO THREE OF THEM AND WENT DOWN TO THE ST. PAUL AIRPORT AND GOT ON THE LITTLE AIRPLANE WITH RUDY AND WENT TO WADENA FOR POLKA AND BEER AND BRATS.

>> Cathy: THAT WAS ALWAYS FUN CAMPAIGNING THAT WAY TOO.

DID YOU GET ANY PUSHBACK WHEN YOU WERE ON THE TICKET BECAUSE OF YOUR GENDER?

>> YES, A LITTLE.

>> Cathy: THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT.

>> A LITTLE.

YES.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME, BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES HAD REJECTED WOMEN ON THE TICKETS, AS YOU RECALL.

NANCY BRADDIS WAS REJECTED BY THE REPUBLICANS AND THERE WAS NO ONE BETTER QUALIFIED THAN HER.

NO, AND MANY PEOPLE TRIED TO GET HIM TO PEKKA JOAN GROWE.

WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN A FABULOUS PERSON.

>> Eric: BEFORE WE RUN OUT OF TIME, I WANT TO ASK ABOUT YOUR CARE GIVING YEARS.

AND I HEARD YOUR INTERVIEW WITH LORI AND YOU SAID THE WORK YOU DID ON BEHALF OF YOUR HUSBAND, PETER, WAS KIND OF HELPED THE WHOLE NURSING HOME OPERATION.

>> IT DID.

I REALIZED VERY SOON THAT I NEEDED TO BE ON THEIR TEAM.

THEY TREATED ME WELL, AND I NEEDED TO REAT THEM REALLY WELL AND I NEEDED TO PROVIDE IDEAS SO HAT THEY COULD BE MORE SUCCESSFUL TOO, BECAUSE PETER WAS AN UNUSUAL KIND OF RESIDENT THERE.

WHEN HE ARRIVED, HE WAS THE YOUNGEST ERSON, AND WHEN HE DIED, HE WAS STILL THE YOUNGEST PERSON HERE.

AND YET HE WAS THE PERSON WHO COULD NOT SPEAK FOR HIMSELF.

EVERYBODY ELSE THERE COULD.

THEY COULD AT EAST YELL SOMEBODY'S NAME AND THEY COULD, YOU KNOW, AND SO I LEARNED A LOT BY THAT BECAUSE I HELPED HEM, AND THEY HELPED ME, AND MOSTLY -- MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY REALLY DEVELOPED NEW WAYS OF WORKING WITH PETER, WHICH I THINK WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO HIM AND TO THEM.

>> Cathy: SAY, BEFORE YOU GO, WE HAVE TO ASK THIS QUESTION.

OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WITH GOVERNOR WALZ ON THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET, IF THE HAIRS-WALZ TICKET WINS, THAT MEANS PEGGY FLANAGAN WILL BE THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

WE ASKED HER, AND SHE SAID MY PURPOSE IS TO BE READY.

>> I UNDERSTAND THAT AND I WROTE ABOUT IT IN THE BOOK.

THE FIRST CONVERSATION I EVER HAD WITH MARTHA WHO WAS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN, BUT SHE HAD BEEN IN CONGRESS FOR 20 YEARS.

AND SHE SAID THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU'RE PREPARED EVERY DAY.

AND SO WHEN SHE KNEW I WAS ALREADY KEEPING A JOURNAL, SHE SAID, ADD NOTES TO THIS ABOUT, IF YOU WOULD O THAT MEETING DIFFERENTLY THAN THE GOVERNOR DID IT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

SO I DIDN'T NEED TO DISAGREE WITH THE GOVERNOR.

BUT I STILL NEEDED TO REALIZE THAT I WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON AND SO I WOULD APPROACH THINGS SOMETIMES THE SAME AND SOMETIMES DIFFERENTLY.

>> Eric: THE BOOK IS CALLED "RISE TO THE CHALLENGE."

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR