Issue Position: Political Climate

Issue Position

The 2016 elections will be a defining moment in Minnesota politics. We will decide not only who will lead our government, but the manner in which we select them. Are we going to allow shadowy organizations with millions of dollars select our leaders or will we stand up and make sure that all citizens have a proportionate share in our elections?

Since the Supreme Court's monumental decisions in Citizen's United and McCutcheon, the political process has been flooded with untraceable money from special interest groups. The 2014 midterm elections were the most expensive in our state's history. Millions of dollars of dark money from outside the state was spent to drag the names of candidates from both parties through the mud.

But this is not the whole story.

At the same time, the United States as a whole has seen more and more people who are unsatisfied with the current state of politics stand up and make themselves heard. From sit ins and peaceful protests, to petitions and walk outs, we've seen people engaged in the political process and ready to make real visible change.

I strongly support grassroots politics. I believe that our government should be made up of and work for the many, not the richest few. I think our state and federal politics should be clean and without mud slinging and hate mail. When I served in the legislature I strongly supported the effort to make real election reform in the state and promise to do so when I am elected again.

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