Incumbent's View: Let's build on wins, bring balance to St. Paul
The 2024 election is a chance for Minnesotans to restore balance at the Capitol after suffering two years of the Democrats' reckless spending, unnecessary tax increases, and broken promises. It also is an opportunity for us to spend two more years building on the victories we achieved for Minnesota House District 11A during my first term in office.
I am a husband, father, grandfather, farmer, realtor, and small-business owner who, as a state representative, delivered for the people of District 11A after our local needs were previously neglected for far too long.
Legislation I worked on to save the CARE Carlton facility for women after the governor proposed closing it was successfully enacted. So was language I authored to study the reopening of the General C.C. Andrews Tree Nursery near Willow River. I also am proud to have helped deliver $17.5 million for the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, $10 million for the Carlton County female offender and judicial, and $5 million for Cloquet water infrastructure we successfully achieved last year.
As we celebrate local victories, we also must acknowledge how Democrats in full control of the Capitol are failing Minnesotans. Let's start with the record $18 billion surplus the state had last year. Minnesotans deserved meaningful tax cuts at a time when ination and the rising cost of living had family budgets stretched thin. Instead, Democrats went on a spending spree, increasing the budget by 40%, the largest budget increase in Minnesota history, and raising taxes by $10 billion — in spite of the historic surplus.
As Democrats were raising our taxes, they also put Minnesota taxpayers on the hook for an outlandish $730 million State Office Building remodel, ignoring more reasonably priced alternatives proposed by Republicans. All the while, fraudsters stole hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, with Democrats failing to address the issue.
We need to restore balance at the Capitol, and not just because of the financial damage Democrats are causing families and businesses in our state to suffer. They also enacted several highly controversial, partisan policy measures the last two years. This included one of the world's most extreme abortion policies, a state-funded speech registry that could undermine First Amendment rights, an erosion of our Second Amendment rights, and declaring Minnesota a sanctuary state for transgender health care — for children. In addition, a Democratic provision ended electronic pull tabs as we knew them, dealing a major blow to local charitable organizations.
The string of broken promises under Democratic control also needs to end. This includes voting against bills to ensure our law-enforcement ofcers have the resources they need, reneging on delivering full Social Security tax relief, and failing to provide $2,000 rebate checks.
I will continue to be a leader in St. Paul who focuses on doing what's right for the people of our area and all Minnesotans in general. We need to get a handle on state spending by taking a common-sense approach and respecting taxpayers. Let's also reduce violent crime by supporting law enforcement, fully prosecuting criminals, and stopping the revolving door in our courts.
I can't thank District 11A residents enough for the incredible support they've shown me the last two years and during this election season. I humbly ask for your support again on Nov. 5 to help restore balance at the Capitol and to build on our accomplishments the last two years. The last thing our region needs is another metro-centric Democrat catering to political activists with even more reckless spending, unnecessary tax increases, and broken promises at the expense of local residents.
