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2020 Minnesota State
Election Guide for Nicollet, Blue Earth, and
additional counties
Publication date: Oct. 6, 2020
*This non-partisan guide has been compiled by volunteers from
Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato.
Information has been drawn from candidate websites, election
guides, news articles, and local candidate
forums. It has not been officially endorsed by any
candidate.
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Contents 1. Voting Information and Sample Ballot: check
MNvotes.org for your specific ballot 2. Government Charts and Maps:
Federal, State, and County 3. US President: Joe Biden (D) and
Donald Trump (R) 4. US Senate: Tina Smith (DFL) and Jason Lewis (R)
5. US House of Representatives: Dan Feehan (DFL) and Jim Hagedorn
(R)
6. MN State Supreme Court: Paul Thissen (incumbent) and Michelle
MacDonald
7. MN State Senate
District 19: Nick Frentz (DFL) and Elizabeth Bangert (R)
District 20: Rich Draheim (R) and Jon Olson (DFL)
8. MN State House of Representatives
District 16B: Mindy Kimmel (DFL) and Torkelson (R) New Ulm,
Sleepy Eye, Redwood Falls, Wabasso, Springfield, Sanborn, Hanska,
Comfrey
District 19A: Jeff Brand (DFL) and Susan Ackland (R) St. Peter,
N. Mankato, Kasota, Nicollet, Courtland, Lafayette
District 19B: Luke Frederick (DFL) and Jeremy Loger (R)
Mankato/Eagle Lake
District 20A: Erina Prom (DFL) and Brian Pfarr (R) Le Sueur,
Cleveland, Le Center, Belle Plaine, New Prague, Elko New Market
District 23B: Leroy McClelland (DFL) and Jeremy Munson (R) St.
James, Madelia, Lake Crystal, Janesville, Madison Lake, New
Richland, Amboy, Mapleton, Elysian, etc.
9. County Commissioner
Blue Earth County - District 4: Paul FitzSimmons and Kevin Papp
Includes the western part of Blue Earth County, the western edge of
Mankato
Blue Earth County - District 5: Kip Bruender (Incumbent) and
Allen Marble Includes townships and cities located on the east side
of Blue Earth County
Nicollet County - District 5: Bruce Beatty and John Luepke
(Incumbent) Includes townships and cities located on the western
and northern edges of Nicollet
County
10. Mankato Area Municipal Election Guide
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Voting *The best and most comprehensive information can be found
at the Secretary of State website MNvotes.org.
● Register and/or check your registration online at MNvotes.org.
○ Deadline for online registration is: Tues., Oct. 13th ○ You may
register in person when early voting or on election day. Check
MNVotes.org for what to bring. ● Make a plan to vote: put it in
your schedule, plan transportation, make work
arrangements, make childcare plans, bring a friend ● Vote early
:
○ By Mail - Request your ballot at MNvotes.org . Must be
postmarked by Nov. 3. We recommend requesting your ballot as soon
as possible and mailing your ballot by Oct. 31 just in case. You
can also drop off your ballot by 3:00 Nov. 3rd at your Election
Office (*not* your polling place).
○ Early in Person at your local Election Office at MNVotes.org .
■ Nicollet County Govt. Center (501 S. Minnesota Ave, St. Peter) ■
Blue Earth County Historic Courthouse (204 S. 5th St., Mankato)
○ Track your ballot here:
https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/AbsenteeBallotStatus.aspx ● Vote on
Election Day, Nov. 3 - Find your polling place:
https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/
Sample Ballot This is a sample ballot for Blue Earth County.
Check your ballot at https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/
http://mnvotes.org/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uop42BCvg15g5qieSIYGBhpyCL2ctMKLnhJSLSIcaDI/edithttp://mnvotes.org/https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/AbsenteeBallotStatus.aspxhttps://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/
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2020 Candidate Comparisons - US President
U.S. President Duties: The President is the head of state of the
United States of America; the Chief Executive Officer; and, the
Commander in Chief of all military forces. The powers of the
President are prescribed in the Constitution and federal law. The
President appoints the members of the Cabinet, ambassadors to other
nations and the United Nations, Supreme Court Justices, and federal
judges, subject to Senate approval. The President, along with the
Cabinet and its agencies, is responsible for carrying out and
enforcing the laws of the United States. The President may also
recommend legislation to the United States Congress. The President
is elected every 4 years and may serve two-consecutive terms on
re-election.
Candidates Joseph Biden (D)
http://www.joebiden.com
Donald Trump (R)
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/
Background ● Served as 47th vice president of the United States
from 2009-2017
● Represented Delaware in the US Senate from 1973-2009
● Served as chair or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary
committee for 16 years
● Helped write Violence Against Women Act
● Businessman and television star. ● BS Economics, Wharton
School of the
University of Pennsylvania ● Took over family real estate
business in
1971 ● Owned the Miss Universe brand from
1996 to 2015
Healthcare ● Give every American access to affordable health
insurance
● Provide the peace of mind of affordable, quality health care
and a less complex health care system
● Stand up to the abuse of power by prescription drug
corporations
● Ensure health care is a right for all, not a privilege for
just a few
● Supports repeal of Affordable Care Act (ACA)
● Cut Medicaid spending and eligibility ● Eliminate tax credits
for healthcare costs
and rules concerning pre-existing conditions and essential
health benefits.
● Repealed the Obamacare (ACA) individual mandate, expanded plan
choices and increased competition to bring down costs for
consumers.
● Declared the opioid crisis a nationwide public health
emergency.
Taxes ● Signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which accomplished the
following:
- increased the standard deduction, child tax credits
- cut taxes for small businesses - repealed ACA individual
mandate - lowered corporate tax rates - limit deductions for state
and local income
taxes and property taxes
● Signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which accomplished the
following:
- increased the standard deduction, child tax credits
- cut taxes for small businesses - repealed ACA individual
mandate - lowered corporate tax rates - limit deductions for state
and local
income taxes and property taxes
http://www.joebiden.com/https://www.donaldjtrump.com/
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Guns ● Hold gun manufacturers accountable ● Get weapons of war
off our streets ● Keep guns out of dangerous hands ● End the online
sale of firearms, ammunition ● Incentivize state “extreme risk”
laws and to set up
gun licensing programs ● Adequately fund background check system
● Hold firearm owners responsible for ensuring
their weapons are used safely ● Tackle urban gun violence with
targeted,
evidence-based community interventions ● Address epidemic of
suicide by guns
● Designated gun businesses to be “critical infrastructure”
during the Covid-19 pandemic
● Loosened regulations on the export of firearms
● Reversed an Obama-era rule restricting gun purchases by people
deemed by the Social Security Administration to be mentally unable
to manage their affairs
● Opposes expanding background checks and additional regulation
on gun sales and transfers.
Immigration ● Modernize immigration system ● Welcome immigrants
in communities ● Reassert America’s commitment to
asylum-seekers and refugees ● Tackle root causes of irregular
migration ● Implement effective border screening ● End
family-separation practices happening at the
border ● Protect undocumented service members,
veterans, and spouses from deportation ● End travel ban on
Muslim-majority countries
● Calls on Congress to fully fund a border wall on the US/Mexico
border
● Pulled US out of negotiations for international “Global
Migration” plan to help resettle refugees
● Attempted to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
program
● Rescinded Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA)
program
Climate/ Environment
● Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and
net-zero emissions no later than 2050
● Stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who
disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income
communities
● Fulfill our obligation to workers and communities who powered
our industrial revolution and decades of economic growth
● Expand off-shore drilling ● Increase exports of energy
resources,
including coal and fossil fuel energy products
● Denounced wind power ● Approved multiple pipeline projects
(Keystone XL, Dakota Access pipeline, New Burgos pipeline)
● Rescinded Obama-era Clean Power Plan
● Withdrew US from theParis Climate Agreement
● Signed legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
to domestic oil drilling
Agriculture ● Pursue a trade policy that works for American
farmers
● Support beginning farmers ● Re-invest in land grant
universities’ agricultural
research so the public, not private companies, owns patents to
agricultural advances
● Make American agriculture first in the world to achieve
net-zero emissions, giving farmers new sources of income
● Expand bio-based manufacturing to bring manufacturing jobs
back to rural America
● Promote ethanol and next gen biofuels
● Increased states’ flexibility by reducing federal oversight of
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that assists food
insecure families
● Imposed tariffs on aluminum & steel imports to protect
American industries
● Provided $15bil in federal aid to struggling farmers
● Promised $13bil in additional coronavirus aid to farmers at
September 2020 rally in Wisconsin
Education ● Support our educators by giving them the pay and
dignity they deserve.
● Invest in resources for our schools so students grow into
physically and emotionally healthy adults, and educators can focus
on teaching.
● Supports public school choice, charter schools, and private
school choice
● Proposed $5bil tax credit on donations that fund scholarships
to private and vo-tech schools
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● Ensure that no child’s future is determined by their zip code,
parents’ income, race, or disability.
● Provide every middle and high school student a path to a
successful career.
● Start investing in our children at birth ● Provide 2 years of
college/training debt-free and
make 4-year public colleges/universities tuition free for
students with family income below $125,000.
● Simplify and expand loan forgiveness for public service and
fix existing Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
● Support colleges and universities that play unique and vital
roles in their communities, including Historically Black Colleges
and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions.
● Implemented the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to give
states flexibility to educate students
● Implemented year-round distribution of Pell grants
● Wants to modernize student loans
Foreign Policy ● During his first year in office, Biden intends
to bring together the world’s democracies to strengthen our
democratic institutions, honestly confront the challenge of nations
that are backsliding, and forge a common agenda to address threats
to our common values.
● Rejoin the Paris Climate Accord ● Will end Forever Wars in the
Middle East ● Elevate diplomacy as premier tool of our global
engagement
● Withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership to protect
American workers.
● Recognizes the right to sovereign governance for foreign
nations & our own
● Sanctioned Cuba to redirect economic activity from its
government to its people.
● Renegotiated NAFTA into the USMCA to open new markets for
farmers & manufacturers.
● Pursued anti-dumping & countervailing duties
investigations
Government Accountability/ Corruption
● Reduce the corrupting influence of money in politics and make
it easier for candidates of all backgrounds to run for office;
● Return integrity to the U.S. Department of Justice and other
Executive Branch decision-making;
● Restore ethics in government; ● Rein in Executive Branch
financial conflicts of
interest; and ● Hold the lobbied and lobbyists to a higher
standard of accountability
● Signed an executive order that placed a five-year ban on
lobbying and a lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign countries for
federal employees.
● Called for a comprehensive plan to reorganize the executive
branch.
● Began a comprehensive overhaul of digitally-delivered
government services.
● Called for a “full audit of the Pentagon.”
Demographics Women ● Specifically included in gun control plans
● Reauthorize The Violence Against Women Act,
strengthen Title IX and Clery Act enforcement ● End the rape kit
backlog ● End global gender-based violence
Tribal Communities ● Reaffirm Tribal sovereignty to support
victims and
hold offenders accountable ● Expand federal resources for Alaska
Native and
American Indian women and girls impacted by violence and
abuse
Women ● Expanded Mexico City Policy that
redirected $9 billion from foreign aid for reproductive health
services
● Allowed states to restrict Planned Parenthood funding
● Launched the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity
Initiative
Veterans ● Signed Veterans Accountability and
Whistleblowers Act
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LGBTQ ● Combat the epidemic of violence against
transgender women of color ● Includes LGBTQ veterans in his plan
Veterans ● Provide Veterans World Class Health Care to
Meet Their Specific Needs ● Drive Progress to end vet
homelessness ● Decrease suicide rates ● Create job and educational
opportunities ● Improve VA Management and Accountability ● Support
military families
Disability Rights ● Ensure full inclusion of people with
disabilities in
policy development and aggressively enforce the civil rights of
people with disabilities
● Guarantee access to high-quality, affordable health care and
expand access to services appropriate to each person’s needs and
based on self-determination
● Expand employment opportunities for people with
disabilities
● Protect and strengthen economic security for people with
disabilities
● Ensure that students with disabilities have access to
educational programs and support they need to succeed
● Expand access to accessible, integrated, and affordable
housing, transportation, and assistive technologies and protect
people with disabilities in emergencies
● Advance global disability rights
● Signed Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance
Act
● Signed V.A. Choice & Quality Employment Act
● Expanded & modernized VA healthcare with hotlines,
telehealth technology, and the VA MISSION Act.
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information. Candidates are listed
alphabetically by last
name.
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2020 Candidate Comparisons - US Senate
U.S. Senate The U.S. Congress has two chambers, the Senate and
the House. In order for ideas to become law, they require passage
in both chambers. Each state has two senators and senators serve
for six year terms. Usually only one of the two senate seats is up
for election in a single state in any given year. Both senators
represent the entire state and are elected by all of the residents
of the state. The senators up for election this year serve in the
U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C (not to be confused with State
Senators who serve in the state legislature). In addition to
proposing, debating, and voting on pieces of legislation that may
become new laws, the Senate also is responsible for ratifying
treaties and confirming presidential nominations to the federal
court system (including the Supreme Court) and bureaucratic
agencies (like the Department of Justice and other cabinet level
agencies). In the event that articles of impeachment are brought by
the House of Representatives against members of the executive or
judicial branches, the Senate would serve as the trial court to
decide whether the person should be removed from office (removal
from office requires a 2/3rds vote).
Candidates Jason Lewis (R)
website: https://lewisformn.com/
Tina Smith (DFL) (Incumbent)
website: https://www.tinaforminnesota.com/
Background ● Born in Waterloo, Iowa ● American politician who
served as the
U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 2nd congressional district
from 2017 to 2019
● BA from University of Northern Iowa in education/business, MA
from University of CO, Boulder in Political Science
● He was a radio talk show host, political commentator and
writer before entering Congress.
● Born in Albuquerque, NM ● MBA from Dartmouth ● Worked for
General Mills and was a small business
owner afterward. ● Former Chief of staff for Minneapolis mayor
R.T.
Ryback. ● Former Chief of staff for Governor Mark Dayton. ●
Elected Lieutenant Governor in 2014 - worked on
tax fairness, healthcare, early education, and rural
broadband
● US Senator (current)
Healthcare ● Voted to repeal Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and
pass the American Health Care Act in 2017
● Continue Trump’s reforms and make small business “association
pools” and inexpensive short-term plans permanent
● Supports requiring pharmaceutical benefits manager’s rebates
to be passed on to consumers and allow treatment for chronic
conditions to be considered preventative care.
● Supports single-payer health care ● Opposes attacks on current
healthcare system. ● Has co-sponsored bills to allow more Americans
to
purchase Medicaid. ● Supports lowering the cost of prescription
drugs by
closing loophole keeping generic drugs off the market
● Supports a bill to require drug companies to pay “penny a
pill” to fund opioid treatment costs.
● Written legislation to expand mental health services in
schools.
Education
● Supports increased focus on technical education.
● Serves on US Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions
https://lewisformn.com/https://www.tinaforminnesota.com/
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Education (cont’d)
● Introduced Perkins Act amendment to
require consideration of dual-enrollment efforts in career &
technical education.
● Fought to establish all-day kindergarten in MN. ● Working to
reduce student debt by allowing people
to refinance student loans ● Helped secure $5M for pilot program
cutting
expense of textbooks ● Introduced 21st Century Work Force Act to
prepare
Minnesotans for jobs in healthcare, IT, manufacturing, and
construction
Climate/ Environment
● Maintains that “reasonable mining and energy projects and
logging” can coexist with a healthy environment.
● Supports classifying forest biomass as a renewable
resource
● Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee
● Supports Paris Climate Agreement. ● Led fight to raise MN
Renewable Energy Standard
to 50% by 2030 to improve air quality, make renewable energy
cheaper, and generate new energy jobs
● Introduced bill to encourage farming practices that protect
water quality
● Cosponsored a bill to permanently reauthorize land and Water
Conservation Fund
● Opposes projects threaten the Boundary Waters and all projects
that do not adhere to rigorous and strict environmental review
Gun Violence ● Prioritizes preserving & protecting the 2nd
amendment
● Cosponsor of bill to expand background checks and ban bump
stocks, assault weapons, and high capacity magazines
● Working to ban people convicted of stalking from having
guns
Agriculture ● Member of the US Agriculture Committee. ● Formed
Farm Bill Working Group ● Pushed administration for temporary loan
extension
program for grain farmers ● Worked on Farm Bill to provide
strong safety net
programs for farmers dealing with low commodity prices and
maintains nutrition assistance programs
Rural Issues ● Leader of the Senate Rural Health Caucus. ●
Expand rural broadband infrastructure across MN,
especially in tribal communities, remote, and low-income
areas.
● Introduced legislation to maintain rental assistance through
Rural Housing Service to keep families and seniors stay in their
homes.
People Women ● Believes workplace sexual
harassment laws infringe on freedom of speech
● Anti-abortion LGBTQ
● Opposes same-sex marriage & transgender bathroom
access
Women ● Co-sponsoring Paycheck Fairness Act to close pay
gap between men and women and white women and women of color
● Pro-choice Veterans ● Encourage MN business to hire veterans ●
Pushing Department of Veteran Affairs to end
backlog so veterans can get treatment. ● Introduced legislation
to reduce “red tape” for
veterans to receive better access to health care. LGBTQ ● Pushed
for marriage equality laws in MN ● Pushed for legislation to
prevent bullying in schools ● Supporting bill to make it illegal to
fire someone for
being LGBTQ ● Cosponsor of Student Non Discrimination Act.
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Tribal Communities ● Serves on US Indian Affairs Committee ●
History of working with tribal communities -
introduced Community Connect Grant Program to increase broadband
in tribal communities; introduced bill to help address opioid
crisis; holding non-native people responsible for crimes on tribal
land
Immigration ● Supports country’s ban on refugees ● Supportive of
Immigrations Custom
Enforcement (ICE) and Safe Communities Act Co-Founder
● Supports wall on Mexican border
● Supports pathway for citizenship for DREAMERS ● Pushed to
prevent deportation agenda impacting
MN’s Liberian community ● Introduced HELP Separated Children Act
to keep
ICE from separating families
Criminal Justice Reform
● Opposes reform efforts and defunding police departments
● Supports the Innovation in Public Safety Act, which would help
state, local and Tribal Governments reimagine policing and fund
innovative projects to change the delivery of public safety
Campaign Finance Reform/ Corruption
● Voted against the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, a bill that
increased discretionary spending by $300 billion
● Authored a bill that would mandate an audit of the Department
of Defense; praised the department's decision to undergo an audit
in 2018
● Supports Constitutional Amendment to reverse Supreme Court
Citizens United decision
Labor/Unions ● Serves on US Committee on Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions.
● Appointed to new bipartisan committee on pensions and will
fight to protect pensions
● Supports efforts to end illegal steel dumping, which puts jobs
in MN’s Iron Range at risk
Economy/ Trade
● Voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
● Supports Enbridge 3 pipeline & new precious metals mining
as a way to create new jobs
● Supports fair trade policies and cracking down on foreign
countries that break international trade rules.
● Believes a path to a strong economy is investing in
infrastructure and manufacturing, expanding career and workforce
training and a tax code that supports working families.
● Believes that investing in clean energy is smart economic
policy.
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information. Candidates are listed
alphabetically by last name.
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2020 Candidate Comparisons - US House of Representatives
(District 1)
U.S. House of Representatives The U.S. Congress has two
chambers, the Senate and the House. In order for ideas to become
law, they require passage in both chambers. Members of the House of
Representatives serve two year terms. Unlike the Senate, where each
state has the same number of senators (2 per state), the number of
Representatives for each state is based on population. States with
larger populations have more Representatives. Minnesota currently
has 8 Representatives. Representatives represent a specific
geographic district within the state and only people who reside
within that geographic district are able to vote in that district’s
election. In addition to proposing, debating, and voting on pieces
of legislation that may become new laws, the House has the
responsibility of originating bills related to revenue (taxing and
spending). The House has the right to bring articles of impeachment
against members of the executive or judicial branches by a majority
vote. Someone running for this office may be said to be “running
for Congress,” “running for US Representative” or “running for the
House of Representatives.”
Candidates Dan Feehan (D)
website: https://danfeehan.com/
Jim Hagedorn (R)
website: http://www.jimhagedorn.org/
Background ● Born in St. Paul, MN; raised in Red Wing, MN. ●
Resides in North Mankato, MN ● Military veteran, served 2 tours in
Iraq. ● Earned the Bronze Star for Service, the Army
Commendation Medal with Valor, and the Ranger Tab
● Taught middle school math in Chicago and Indiana through Teach
for America
● Served as Asst. Sec. of Defense at Pentagon ● After service in
DC, moved back to Minnesota
with family, worked in military research. ● Previously ran for
this seat in 2018
● Born in Blue Earth; raised near Truman, MN. ● Resides in Blue
Earth, MN ● BA in Government and Politics from George
Mason University. ● Served as legislative assistant for MN
Congress Rep. Strageland ● Served as the Director for
Legislative and
Public Affairs for the Financial Management Service and
Congressional Affairs Officer for the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing
● Conservative blogger ● 1st term congressman seeking
re-election
Healthcare ● Expand Medicare eligibility age to 55 ● Join
bipartisan efforts to build on the
Affordable Care Act and work to make the individual market more
stable and more affordable
● Need to insure as many people as possible ● Accessibility is a
priority ● Promote early exposure to health careers and
support programs that recruit and train providers in rural
areas
● Bring down prescription drug prices with common sense
reforms
● Address opioid crisis and remove stigma around addiction
● Opposes expansion of medicare beyond original intent
● Covering pre-existing conditions, limiting health care costs
through high-risk pools
● Create transparency of medical and prescription drug costs to
create informed consumer choices
● Establishing Association pools to encourage pooling of risk
among farmers and small businesses
● Expand FSAs to allow payments on healthcare costs for all
americans
● Cosponsored HR 2207, the Protect Medical Innovation Act
https://danfeehan.com/http://www.jimhagedorn.org/
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Education ● Accessible and affordable early childhood
education
● Supports Early Childhood Education and an education system
that prepares K-12 to be adaptive life-long learners
● Support efforts in Congress to make sure teachers have access
to ongoing professional development and fair compensation.
● Support teachers with proper compensation, recruit teachers in
shortage areas and in rural communities
● Will support legislation that caps student loan rates and
expand job pathways to loan forgiveness
● Supported a letter to USDA requesting that schools be allowed
flexibility in implementation of child nutrition program
● Co-author of bi-partisan bill to allow pre-tax college savings
to be put toward post-secondary trade schools and training
programs
Jobs/Economy ● Supports strengthening labor unions and workers
rights
● Supports real, direct tax relief for the middle class
● Opposes 2017 tax bill that mostly provides tax benefits to the
ultra-wealthy
● Don’t balance the budget at expense of Social Security, but
cut debt by ending 17-year, $5 trillion “perpetual war” following 9
/11
● Enable southern Minnesota access to capital, international
trade assistance, and skilled trades apprenticeship programs
● Encourages government contracting for veteran-owned
businesses
● Supports FSA rollovers and expanded eligibilities
Agriculture/ Trade/ Infrastructure
● Favors open markets and wants to end trade war(s)/tariffs with
China and other countries
● Invest in technology that allows farmers to be more efficient
in their crop production, saving time and costs
● Give farmers access to capital and loan forgiveness
programs.
● Improve/maintain rural roads, bridges, barges ● inspire young
people to pursue careers in
agriculture
● Supports expansion of overseas markets through passage of
trade deals such as the United States-Mexico-Canada trade
agreement.
● Favors elimination of small refinery exemptions
● Supports biofuel tax credit extensions ● Signed on to
bipartisan efforts to secure
federal funds for completion of Highway 14
Energy/ Environment
● Agrees with Pentagon that climate change is a major long-term
national security threat
● Address water crisis and healthy soil issues by leading
farmers to use practices like cover crops and diversifying their
crop rotations
● Believes that science, evidence, and experts must be
trusted
● invest in research ● opt back in to Paris Climate Accord ●
invest in wind, solar, etc. here in Southern MN
● Does not believe that climate change is manmade
● Embrace an “all of the above” approach to energy production
which includes oil, natural gas, clean coal, renewables and
conservation
● Reduce burdensome EPA regulations ● Increase energy
independence by drilling our
own oil, fracking, etc.
National Security
● Supports congressional strategy and action to check the
executive branch from entering into unnecessary conflict and
putting service members in harm's way
● Build partnerships and take a holistic approach to the
dangerous threats that exist in the world through diplomacy,
international cooperation, while maintaining a careful balance to
address domestic challenges
● Believes the main threats we face are from digital
terrorism/hacking and bioterrorism, not from Mexican border
● Believes that perpetual war is making us less safe because we
are not investing in training our military
● Agrees with Pentagon that climate change is a major long-term
national security threat
● Supports the building of a physical border wall as main
priority in national security
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Immigration ● Work toward comprehensive immigration reform
● Provide pathway to citizenship for those who pay taxes and
don’t have a criminal record
● Hold employers who hire undocumented immigrants
accountable
● Develop a robust guest worker program ● Supports DACA
(Deferred Action on Childhood
Arrivals)
● Supports President’s policy on the border ● Supports
immigrants who come to legally
Reproductive Health
● Believes reproductive health is a personal matter that
shouldn’t be dictated by politicians
● Aims to be an ally in Congress to reproductive freedom
● Is pro-life ● Sponsored “Born Alive” bill ● Supports
protections for medical and
pharmeceutical professionals to opt out of providing
abortion-related care or medication
Gun Violence ● Supports universal background checks for gun
purchases
● Lift federal ban on gun violence research. ● Bar violent
criminals from access to guns.
● Against new limits on gun sales ● NRA member ● Received “A”
rating from NRA & support
from Gun Owners of America ● Supports concealed carry
reciprocity
People Veterans ● Served in the Army for two tours in Iraq
defusing roadside bombs ● pledges to ensure veterans have high
quality
healthcare and mental health care, jobs (by protecting the GI
Bill), and educational opportunities after leaving service
● believes Congress should prevent entering into unnecessary
conflicts
Seniors
● Would fight to keep retirement age as-is ● Work to ensure
cost-of-living adjustments
are tied to inflation ● Would fight any efforts to reduce
senior
benefits ● Preserve Social Security
Veterans ● Supports Education Savings Accounts for
military families ● Supported bi-partisan effort to secure
housing & social services through Minnesota Homeless Veteran
Registry
Seniors ● Supports current Social Security & Medicare
benefits for seniors ● Cosponsored HR808, Promoting Access
to
Diabetic Shoes Act
Accountability/Campaign Finance
● Wants to end corruption in Washington ● Refuses corporate PAC
money ● Pledges to prevent politicians from becoming
lobbyists ● Will fight for campaign finance reform and end
gerrymandering ● Will stop members of Congress from trading
individual stocks
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information. Candidates are listed
alphabetically by last name.
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2020 Candidate Comparisons - MN State Supreme Court
Judges and State Supreme Court Unlike in the federal system
where judges are nominated by the President, confirmed by the
Senate, and serve life terms (or until they decide to retire),
Minnesota judges serve six year terms and are subject to
reelection. The Minnesota court system includes a supreme court (7
justices), an appeals court (19 judges) and 10 district or trial
courts (nearly 300 judges). When a vacancy occurs on a court, the
Governor appoints a judge to fill that vacancy. Vacancies happen
because judges resign, retire, or are nominated to higher courts.
Governor’s choose their candidates from a slate of candidates
prepared by the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selection, which
evaluates potential judges and makes recommendations to the
Governor. Judges who are appointed by the Governor run in the first
regular election that is at least a year after they begin. This is
why most judges run unopposed in the election. Editorial Note:
Candidates marked “Incumbent” on the ballot will be those who were
nominated by the Commission on Judicial Selection, appointed by the
Governor, and have been serving in the position. Judicial
candidates will not have a party label by their name, so you may
need to do some research about these candidates. There are many
judicial candidates on the ballot, but you may notice that most of
them are running unopposed. There is only one contested race in
this 2020 election.
MN State Supreme Court The state supreme court is the state’s
court of last resort. On matters of state law, decisions of a state
supreme court are considered final and binding on state and US
federal courts. Generally, the state supreme court is used for
hearing appeals of legal issues and does not hold trials.
Candidates Paul Thissen (Incumbent)
https://paulthissen.com/
Michelle MacDonald
http://www.macdonaldforjustice.com/ *Note: Michelle Macdonald is
currently in the middle of her second disciplinary hearing and is
in danger of losing her law license
Background ● Born and raised in MN ● Undergraduate degree from
Harvard ● Law degree from University of Chicago
Law School ● Served as chair of Briggs and Morgan’s
Pro Bono Committee
● Graduated cum laude from Boston College with degrees in
Communications and English
● Law degree from Suffolk University Law School
● Worked as an attorney for 30 years in areas of Family law,
divorce, paternity, adoption, estate
https://paulthissen.com/http://www.macdonaldforjustice.com/https://minnlawyer.com/2020/09/14/bar-buzz-supreme-court-referee-to-hear-macdonald-case/
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● founded “Access for Persons with Disabilities,” a group of
lawyers dedicated to providing legal services to persons with
disabilities
● Served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 16 years
and served as Speaker of the Minnesota House from 2013 to 2015
● Served on the boards of the Minnesota Justice Foundation, the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Women of Nations domestic abuse
shelter and other community organizations
● Appointed to MN Supreme Court by Governor Dayton in 2018
planning, and probate, including civil litigation and
appeals
● Served as Conciliation Court Judge in Hennepin County
● Served as Adjunct Referee in Family Court (1992-2014)
● Founded and serves as volunteer president of Family Innocence,
a nonprofit that aims to keep families out of court
Priorities/Key Issues
● Believes in expanding gun regulation ● Supports greatly
increasing funding for
education, the environment, and infrastructure
● Supports same-sex marriage ● Believes courts should serve all
people ● Aims to expand access to the justice
system ● Supports expanding welfare ● Supports the right to
basic healthcare
● Believes in smaller government ● Supports eliminating
over-regulation of
individuals, families, and property ● Wants to ensure
accountability and oversight
of the justice system in MN ● Pro-life; opposes government funds
to planned
parenthood ● Believes in the constitutional right to bear
arms
safely for protection and hunting activities
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information.
-
2020 Candidate Comparison - MN State Senate 19
State Legislature (State House, State Senate) The Minnesota
state legislature is organized similar to the U.S. Congress with
two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives. The state of
Minnesota is divided into 67 districts. One State Senator
represents each district and serves in four year terms (once every
ten years they serve a two year term instead because of changes
resulting from population shifts). Each of the 67 Senate districts
are divided into two House districts (A and B). Representatives are
elected by residents within the House district and serve two year
terms. The purpose of the legislature is to pass laws and a state
budget. Passage of laws and a budget requires majority agreement by
both the Senate and the House. In addition to proposing, debating,
and voting on legislation, the legislature also proposed amendments
to the state constitution (which must then be voted on by the
citizens). In the event that the Governor vetoes a piece of
legislation, the legislature can override the Governor’s veto with
a 2/3rds vote in both the House and Senate. The House also has the
power to impeach members of the executive and judicial branches
(convicting and removing these members requires a vote in the
Senate). Cities in District 19: Mankato, North Mankato, St. Peter,
townships in Nicollet County
Candidate bios: https://greatermankato.com/candidates/137
Candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters:
https://youtu.be/M-DaKqJsHKI
Candidates Nick Frentz (D) - Incumbent
https://www.frentzforsenate.com/
Elizabeth Bangert (R)
https://www.facebook.com/BangertforSenate/
Background ● Lives in North Mankato ● Education: Macalester
College, B.A. William
Mitchell College of Law ● Employment: Attorney, Machka, Riedy,
Ries &
Frentz, Attorney, Frentz & Frentz, Minnesota Association for
Justice
● 2016 Incumbent
● Lives in St. Peter ● Education: MSU-Mankato, MS,
Educational Leadership; Martin Luther College, BS, Education
● Employment: Here We Grow Early Childhood Center
Healthcare ● Supports a public option ● Supported $200mil
infusion into state healthcare
system
● Opposes a public option, supports a free market and price
transparency
● Opposes the Affordable Care Act
Police Reform ● Passed legislation to address police reform,
including statewide bans on chokeholds, neck restraints, and
prohibition of warrior-style training for officers
Rural Broadband
● Co-authored bill for $27mil toward rural internet access that
will provide schools and homes high speed internet access in
southern Minnesota
● Believes rural broadband is important, but must be done at a
reasonable cost with spending transparency
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/137https://youtu.be/M-DaKqJsHKIhttps://www.frentzforsenate.com/https://www.facebook.com/BangertforSenate/
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Infrastructure ● Supports infrastructure spending for Mankato
water quality projects on the Minnesota River; improvements for
MSOP-Saint Peter Regional Treatment Center; local roads, bridges
and water projects
● Supports infrastructure improvements with reasonable cost and
spending transparency
Agriculture ● Appropriated $50mil to Rural Finance Authority
(RFA) for farmer financing resources, including beginning farmer
loans
● Chief author of “Landon’s Law” that provides funding to
farmers for safety upgrade features on grain bins
● Supports buffer strip tax credit ● Supports ethanol production
because it is cleaner
burning and improves the price of corn
● Supports organic farming, admits being less familiar with
commercial farming
● Advocates for more direct grower to consumer options
● Opposes regulations that inhibit the ability to sell
product
Transportation ● Senate Chief Author of Highway 14 funding bill
that will facilitate a federal loan to build a four-lane highway
from Nicollet to New Ulm
Environment/ Climate Change
● Chair of Clean Energy and Climate Caucus ● Introduced
legislation to move MN to carbon free
by 2050
● Believes water quality and safe drinking water is a top
environmental issue
COVID-19 Emergency Response
● Supportive of state COVID-19 response, but also calls for a
nationwide approach
● Secured $60.3mil for small business assistance ● Passed
legislation for $9mil to support food
shelves ● Garnered $32mil for housing support and
homlessness ● Secured $30mil in emergency relief for child
care
providers during COVID-19 crisis
● Critical of state COVID-19 response ● Critical of Minnesota
Department of
Health and contact tracing methods ● Believes the state’s
COVID-19 response
is slippery slope to losing individual rights and freedoms
Other ● Assistant Senate Minority Leader ● Senate Committees:
transportation, agriculture,
long term care and aging ● Commissions: pension, legislative
audit ● Chair of Rural Caucus
● Platform: ensuring individual and financial freedom by
reducing taxes and regulations, increase spending transparency
● Lobbies for fewer regulations on daycare providers
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information. Candidates are listed
alphabetically by last name.
-
2020 Candidate Comparison - MN State Senate 20
State Legislature (State House, State Senate)The Minnesota state
legislature is organized similar to the U.S. Congress with two
chambers, a Senate and aHouse of Representatives. The state of
Minnesota is divided into 67 districts. One State Senator
represents eachdistrict and serves in four year terms (once every
ten years they serve a two year term instead because ofchanges
resulting from population shifts). Each of the 67 Senate districts
are divided into two House districts (Aand B). Representatives are
elected by residents within the House district and serve two year
terms.
The purpose of the legislature is to pass laws and a state
budget. Passage of laws and a budget requires majorityagreement by
both the Senate and the House. In addition to proposing, debating,
and voting on legislation, thelegislature also proposed amendments
to the state constitution (which must then be voted on by the
citizens). Inthe event that the Governor vetoes a piece of
legislation, the legislature can override the Governor’s veto with
a2/3rds vote in both the House and Senate. The House also has the
power to impeach members of the executiveand judicial branches
(convicting and removing these members requires a vote in the
Senate).
Cities in District 20: Le Sueur, Cleveland, Le Center,
Montgomery, New Prague, Belle Plaine, Lonsdale, ElkoNew Market,
Northfield, Dundas
Candidate bios:
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/138Candidate forum sponsored
by the League of Women Voters: https://youtu.be/5_0DbGkdz_Y
Candidates Rich Draheim (R) - Incumbent
https://www.draheimforsenate.com/
Jon Olson (DFL)
https://jonolsonformnsenate.com/
Background ● Lives in Washington Township● Serving 1st term as
State Senator● BS in Business Administration from
MSU-Mankato● Owner of Weichert Realtors in Mankato and the
New Ulm Event Center● Worked at John Deere Implement for 19
yrs
● Lives in Cedar Lake Township● Served in the US Navy for 21
years● Educator in law enforcement and criminal justice
at Metropolitan State University and teachesnational security in
the political sciencedepartment at Carleton College
● Involved in several veterans organization and anenvironmental
non-profit called Metro Blooms
COVID-19Response
● Believes the state should create specificmetrics for
reopening
● Believes state should have done a better jobmanaging the virus
in long-term care facilities
● Supports state measures and believes thepandemic needs to be
taken seriously regardlessof political affiliation
● Supports carefully planned, thoughtful reopening
Healthcare ● Passed “Cost of Care” price transparency billthat
was signed into law
● Authored the “Right to Shop” bill to enablepeople can shop for
care outside of network
● Believes healthcare is the top priority● Supports equal
access, affordable healthcare that
includes medical care, dental, mental healthservices, vision,
and prescription drugs
● Believes health insurance should not be tied to anemployer and
the pandemic has revealed thissystem as a “structural failure”
Economy ● Prioritizes reopening the economy● Aims to support
small business start-ups● Supports research and development tax
credits
● Supports tax benefits for companies as anincentive for start
ups, innovation in technology,and businesses tackling environmental
issues
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/138https://youtu.be/5_0DbGkdz_Yhttps://www.draheimforsenate.com/https://jonolsonformnsenate.com/
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● Pledges to eliminate “job killing regulations andgovernment
red tape”
● Establish research and innovation, attract topScience,
technology, engineering, breakthroughsin healthcare, energy, create
incentives to createresearch environment in our state
Budget/Taxes ● Believes state government is “too big” and
eachprogram and service needs an audit
● Believes taxation or “poorly designed” taxpolicy hurts the
economy and job growth, butaims to continue making investments
inhealthcare, education, and the environment
● Supports tax cuts for working families and smallbusinesses
● Concerned about the growing Health andHuman Services
department and assistanceprogram fraud
● Supports funding Local Government Aid (LGA) forcities and
counties
● Believes “everything is on the table” when lookingat cuts in
order to manage the state deficit, butsupports protecting critical
services for the mostvulnerable Minnesotans
● Believes education is the most strategicinvestment for our
state
Infrastructure ● Co-authored “Emergency Rural Broadband”
billthat passed in the Senate (has yet to beintroduced in the
House)
● Supports community-led approach to bringingbroadband to rural
communities, so counties candecide whether to operate their own
utility orincentivize a private sector provider
Agriculture ● Supports initiatives that increases
internationaltrade opportunities for farmers
● Opposed to regulations on farmers and pledgesto work to roll
back buffer strip mandates
● Believes the legislature plays a role in buildingincentives
into farming system that supports bothfarmers and the
environment
Environment/ClimateChange
● Introduced a bill to for MNDOT to use
moreenvironmentally-friendly road sealant madefrom soybean oil that
will both reducepetroleum on road surfaces and also
supportfarmers
● Believes aquatic invasive species and plantsare a threat to
Minnesota lakes and views thisas a top environmental issue
● Strongly supports clean energy and policies tohelp the state
becomes carbon free by 2050
● Aims to establish a Clean Energy InvestmentFund to bolster
development in the private sector
● Supports incentives for the vehicle industry tocreate clean
energy vehicle solutions (electriccars, hydrogen fuel cells)
● Believes in reducing or removing corporate taxesfor companies
that revolutionize recycling industry
● Work with farmers to help protect the environment
Education ● Supports equitable and reliable funding
forschools
● Opposes state imposed mandates on schools● Supports more
control for local school boards,
teachers, and parents in their districts
● Views education as a strategic investment● Supports funding
for more career counselors in
middle schools and high schools● Believes legislature should
work with private
sector on career training
Other ● Pro-life● Strongly supports 2nd Amendment rights
● Supports the 2nd Amendment, but also supportsuniversal
background checks and red flag laws
● Believes state should research legalizingmariujuana and
decriminalizing offenses
● Seniors-believes long-term memory care or othersenior care
must be affordable, regulated, safe,and available for all seniors
and believes thesystem requires a change in the current
● regulations and business model● Police Officers: Aims to
develop better training to
improve police culture and to build better officersto rebuild
trust with the public
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St.
Peter/Greater Mankato. These comparisons are not officially
endorsed by any candidate. Where there is no
information for a particular category, this does not mean that
the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’
websites and reach out to campaigns for more information.
Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name.
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2020 Candidate Comparison - MN House of Representatives 16B
State Legislature (State House, State Senate) The Minnesota
state legislature is organized similar to the U.S. Congress with
two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives. The state of
Minnesota is divided into 67 districts. One State Senator
represents each district and serves in four year terms (once every
ten years they serve a two year term instead because of changes
resulting from population shifts). Each of the 67 Senate districts
are divided into two House districts (A and B). Representatives are
elected by residents within the House district and serve two year
terms. The purpose of the legislature is to pass laws and a state
budget. Passage of laws and a budget requires majority agreement by
both the Senate and the House. In addition to proposing, debating,
and voting on legislation, the legislature also proposed amendments
to the state constitution (which must then be voted on by the
citizens). In the event that the Governor vetoes a piece of
legislation, the legislature can override the Governor’s veto with
a 2/3rds vote in both the House and Senate. The House also has the
power to impeach members of the executive and judicial branches
(convicting and removing these members requires a vote in the
Senate). Cities in District 16B: New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, Redwood
Falls, Wabasso, Springfield, Sanborn, Hanska, Comfrey League of
Women Voters Candidate Forum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x2rGFwQnFU&feature=youtu.be
Candidates Mindy Kimmel (DFL)
https://www.kimmelforhouse.com/
Paul Torkelson (R) Incumbent
https://ptorkelson.com/
Background ● Lives in New Ulm ● Licensed Marriage and Family
Therapist ● BA in Pyschology from University of MN
Duluth; Masters in Education in Community Counseling from Univ.
of Wisconsin Superior
● Lives in Hanska ● Livestock and Crop Farmer, former Music
Teacher ● BA from Gustavus Adolphus College ● Currently serving
sixth term as representative ● Committees: Transportation,
Ways&Means,
Ethics
COVID-19 Response
● Provides comprehensive list of COVID-19 resources on campaign
website
● Supports state efforts to slow the spread of the virus
● Supports efforts to provide aid to small businesses, farmers,
and communities impacted in the pandemic
● Supports efforts to provide rapid testing for students in
schools and people in nursing homes and long-term care
facilities
● Supports efforts to keep vulnerable people, in nursing homes
and long term care facilities, safe while working to bring our
economy “roaring back”
● Believes COVID-19 response and economic recovery is the top
priority
● Believes the state approach has been “heavy handed” and
believes improvements are needed in the relationship between
government and small business
Economy ● Supports economic policies that benefit families,
farmers, and small businesses
● Believes childcare access supports economy ● Opposes cuts to
essential services that impact
the economy in the long term
● Believes unchecked government growth is unsustainable
● Believes jobs in the private sector are the “backbone of our
economy”
● Supports maintaining an economic and regulatory climate where
businesses are allowed to thrive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x2rGFwQnFU&feature=youtu.behttps://www.kimmelforhouse.com/https://ptorkelson.com/
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Healthcare ● Supports affordable, equal access to healthcare for
all
● Supports improving access to mental health services by
providing loan forgiveness to therapists willing to work in
underserved areas
● Concerned about mental health for all Minnesotans, including
the prison population, but it cautious of the affordability to
provide services
Environment ● Advocates for wind and solar fields with
pollinator habitats underneath them
● Pledges to include farmers in environmental policy
● Supports bill to move toward 100% clean energy
● Involved in negotiating a compromise on water quality
regulations
● Believes climate change needs to be addressed globally, not by
MN alone
● Believes in diversity of energy sources: coal, nuclear,
natural gas, solar, wind
Agriculture ● Concerned about farmer access to market in this
pandemic and its impact on food access
● Supports compensation for land that was taken out of
production for buffers, supports tax reforms that accounts for
decrease in land values, and believes government should base
property taxes on production capacity
● Advocates for policies that support small and large
producers/farm operations
● Concerned about regulatory environment and its impact on
farmers ability to thrive
● Believes in protecting the “rural way of life”
Transportation ● Supports funding Hwy 14 expansion, along with
other road and infrastructure projects
● Worked to secure funds for Hwy 14 expansion ● Supports
replacement of MNLARS system
Education ● Supports fully funding preschool and K-12
schools
● Supports establishing rural broadband border to border to
support internet access needs for students across rural areas
● Believes excessive mandates on schools takes away resources
for students
● Supports delaying payments to K-12 schools as a budget tactic
that has been used previously in deficits
Childcare ● Believes companies should partner with employees to
provide on-site childcare
● Supports adjustments to variances, quotas, and working with
unlicensed providers to meet the growing need
● Believes stringent state regulations should not hinder
childcare providers from operating
● Believes in encouraging rural communities to open childcare
centers
Other ● Supports passing a bonding bill while interest rates are
low
● Prioritizes rural broadband on her platform ● Supports law
enforcement, but does not
believe police have capacity or expertise to address mental
health issues in communities
● Believes in welcoming communities for all (race, ethnicity,
LGBTQ, ability)
● Voted to block bonding bill because it was “too much debt to
take on at this time”
● Includes pro-life agenda on his platform ● Strong supporter of
2nd amendment rights ● Believes there is an “alarming trend to
condemn
the entire law enforcement community because of the actions of a
few” and strongly supports law enforcement
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information. Candidates are listed
alphabetically by last name.
-
2020 Candidate Comparison - MN House of Representatives 19A
State Legislature (State House, State Senate) The Minnesota
state legislature is organized similar to the U.S. Congress with
two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives. The state of
Minnesota is divided into 67 districts. One State Senator
represents each district and serves in four year terms (once every
ten years they serve a two year term instead because of changes
resulting from population shifts). Each of the 67 Senate districts
are divided into two House districts (A and B). Representatives are
elected by residents within the House district and serve two year
terms. The purpose of the legislature is to pass laws and a state
budget. Passage of laws and a budget requires majority agreement by
both the Senate and the House. In addition to proposing, debating,
and voting on legislation, the legislature also proposed amendments
to the state constitution (which must then be voted on by the
citizens). In the event that the Governor vetoes a piece of
legislation, the legislature can override the Governor’s veto with
a 2/3rds vote in both the House and Senate. The House also has the
power to impeach members of the executive and judicial branches
(convicting and removing these members requires a vote in the
Senate). Cities in District 19A: St. Peter, North Mankato, Kasota,
Nicollet, Courtland, Lafayette Candidate bios:
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/132 Candidate forum sponsored
by the League of Women Voters: https://youtu.be/M-DaKqJsHKI
Candidates Jeff Brand (DFL)
https://www.brandforhouse.org/
Susan Akland (R)
https://www.susanakland.com/
Background ● Lives in St. Peter ● Grew up on a dairy farm near
Howard Lake, MN ● Past employment: worked for US Forest Service and
Field
Organizer for the MInnesota Environmental Partnership. ● Small
business owner: Seed to Site. ● Served 7 years on the St. Peter
City Council ● Currently serving 1st term in MN House of
Representatives
● Lives in St. Peter ● Grew up in Oklahoma City, OK ● Past
employment: 40 year career in
nursing ● Education: Bachelor’s Degree in
Nursing from Oklahoma Baptist University
Healthcare ● Supports MN Care buy-in as option in the individual
market ● Create greater discounts for common medical devices
and
medication ● Supports “Bailey’s Bill” to allow EMTs and First
Responders
to administer life saving drugs ● Funding the construction of
more community-based mental
health facilities to address crisis across Minnesota
● Supports private insurance ● Supports transparency in cost of
care ● Advocates for cost counseling prior to
any medical treatment ● Opposed to the Affordable Care Act ●
Supports tuition reimbursement
program for medical students who work in an underserved area
● Opposed to abortion
Education
● Supports fully-funded schools ● Supports voluntary,
state-funded pre-K for up to two years
prior to Kindergarten ● Calls for investment in school social
workers to tackle
behavioral & mental issues
● Supports reducing state mandates for education
● Opposes comprehensive sex education in schools
● Supports expanding post-grad options
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/132https://youtu.be/M-DaKqJsHKIhttps://www.brandforhouse.org/https://www.susanakland.com/
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Education (cont’d)
● Advocates for a tuition waiver for 2-year public college
tuition for high demand jobs
beyond traditional college degree
Jobs/Economy ● Supports “bottom-up” economic growth including
raising the minimum wage
● Strongly supports the right for employees to collectively
bargain with their employer
● Believes that strong unions are one of the hallmarks of a
healthy Minnesota economy and that union organization means higher
wages and better benefits for all workers
● Believes correcting the deficit calls for cutting government
spending and holding state agencies accountable for misuse of
funds
● Supports fewer regulations for small businesses
● Supports tax incentives for small business to encourage
entrepreneurship and growth
Environment ● Believes in embracing a clean energy economy ●
House co-author of bill to move MN toward 100% clean
energy by 2050 ● Believes in mitigating the effects of climate
change ● Aims to incentivize manufacturers to reduce carbon
emissions by reducing payroll taxes for carbon capture ●
Supports reducing greenhouse gas emissions by increasing
state electric vehicles ● Authored a water storage bill that
would stop or slow run-off,
reduce erosion, improve water quality
● Opposes investing too much in wind
and solar until it becomes more cost effective
● Believes in balancing wind and solar with natural gas and
other natural resources we currently have
Agriculture ● Supports farmers as they transition into 21st
century technology by advocating for rural broadband
● Encourages new agricultural products out of potential cash
crops such as industrial hemp and perennial kernza
● Supports a buffer tax credit and tax exemption for each acre
of land locked up into buffer strips
● Supports nitrate reduction practices ● Supports cover crops by
subsidizing a portion of crop
insurance
● Supports fewer regulations for
farmers ● Believes in strengthening the Farmers
Advocate Program in the Department of Agriculture
● Opposes inheritance tax
Transportation ● House author of bill to complete Hwy 14 project
● Believes funding for transportation should be distributed
equally to meet Metro & Greater Minnesota needs ● Supports
increased funding "Safe Routes to Schools"
funding and the Statewide plans for traveling and recreating
across Minnesota
● N/A
Child Care ● Supports funding for community grants to cover
up-front costs of certification / training
● Supports tax credits for employer-provided child care ●
Advocates for establishment of sub-committee to tackle
training requirements, investigations, correction orders, and to
identify regulations that should be eliminated.
● Supports fewer regulations for childcare providers
Other ● Supports background checks on all gun sales, red flag
laws ● Seniors: supports forming commission to end elder abuse ●
Veterans: believes in improving their quality of life through
jobs, housing, and mental wellness programs
● Opposes gun reforms ● Seniors/retirees: supports
eliminating
the social security tax on income
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information. Candidates are listed
alphabetically by last name.
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/saferoutes/http://www.minnesotago.org/learn-about-plans/statewide-multimodal-transportation-planhttps://www.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/reports/scorp/index.html
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2020 Candidate Comparison - MN State House Representative (Dist.
19B)
State Legislature (State House, State Senate) The Minnesota
state legislature is organized similar to the U.S. Congress with
two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives. The state of
Minnesota is divided into 67 districts. One State Senator
represents each district and serves in four year terms (once every
ten years they serve a two year term instead because of changes
resulting from population shifts). Each of the 67 Senate districts
are divided into two House districts (A and B). Representatives are
elected by residents within the House district and serve two year
terms. The purpose of the legislature is to pass laws and a state
budget. Passage of laws and a budget requires majority agreement by
both the Senate and the House. In addition to proposing, debating,
and voting on legislation, the legislature also proposed amendments
to the state constitution (which must then be voted on by the
citizens). In the event that the Governor vetoes a piece of
legislation, the legislature can override the Governor’s veto with
a 2/3rds vote in both the House and Senate. The House also has the
power to impeach members of the executive and judicial branches
(convicting and removing these members requires a vote in the
Senate Cities in District 19B: Mankato and Eagle Lake For
candidates bios, visit: https://greatermankato.com/candidates/133
Candidates Luke Frederick (DFL)
https://frederickforhouse.com/
Jeremy Loger (R)
no website
Background ● Grew up in Eagle Lake and served for a year in
AmeriCorp
● Graduated from MNSU and worked at the State Hospital. Joined
the union and advocated for worker rights and workplace safety
● BS, Political Science, Minnesota State University-Mankato
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/133https://frederickforhouse.com/
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Workers and Businesses
● Supports protecting collective bargaining rights, and any
attempts to restrict or worker rights
● Supports a living wage for workers so that a full-time job is
enough to support a family
● Supports paid sick leave and safety leave ● Supports paid
family leave for all
Minnesotans
● Supports reductions in spending and taxes
Healthcare ● Supports expanded healthcare access
● Supports Gov. Walz’s Minnesota Care buy-in plan.
● Aims to ensure affordable prescriptions
● Believes in free market and individual choice in
healthcare
Community ● Promotes investment in small businesses ● Supports
sustainable infrastructure
spending ● Supports investment in health and human
services to ensure our communities are inclusive and welcoming
to all
● As a center-line moderate, promises to advocate for entire
constituency--not just Republicans
● Aims to lower taxes for the middle class
● Seeks to end corruption in Department of Health and Human
Services
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information. Candidates are listed
alphabetically by last name.
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2020 Candidate Comparison - MN House of Representatives 20A
State Legislature (State House, State Senate) The Minnesota
state legislature is organized similar to the U.S. Congress with
two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives. The state of
Minnesota is divided into 67 districts. One State Senator
represents each district and serves in four year terms (once every
ten years they serve a two year term instead because of changes
resulting from population shifts). Each of the 67 Senate districts
are divided into two House districts (A and B). Representatives are
elected by residents within the House district and serve two year
terms. The purpose of the legislature is to pass laws and a state
budget. Passage of laws and a budget requires majority agreement by
both the Senate and the House. In addition to proposing, debating,
and voting on legislation, the legislature also proposed amendments
to the state constitution (which must then be voted on by the
citizens). In the event that the Governor vetoes a piece of
legislation, the legislature can override the Governor’s veto with
a 2/3rds vote in both the House and Senate. The House also has the
power to impeach members of the executive and judicial branches
(convicting and removing these members requires a vote in the
Senate). Cities in District 20A: Le Sueur, Cleveland, Le Center,
Belle Plaine, New Prague, Elko New Market Candidate bios:
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/140
Candidates Erina Prom (DFL)
https://www.erinapromformnhouse.com/
Brian Pfarr (R)
https://www.electpfarr.com/
Background ● Lives in Le Sueur, grew up in Rochester ● Currently
serving as Vice Chair of the Le
Sueur-Henderson School Board ● Community involvement: Leading
Sibley Together
● Lives in Le Sueur, grew up on a family farm in Gaylord
● Employment: President of First Farmers & Merchants Bank in
Le Sueur, taught farm business management at South Central
College
● Colonel in the National Guard ● Community involvement: Le
Sueur
American Legion Post, Le Sueur VFW Post, Le Sueur Lions, Le
Sueur Economic Development Authority
COVID-19 Response
● Believes the Coronavirus has “laid bare multitudes of
inequities”
● Supports state measures to slow the spread of coronavirus
● Supports measures to “return to a sense of normal” like
allowing high schools sports to compete and play
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/140https://www.erinapromformnhouse.com/https://www.electpfarr.com/
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Budget/Taxes ● Supports proposed bonding bill, fully funding
schools, and investing in infrastructure that also creates jobs and
supports a strong economy
● Believes we need a smaller, more efficient government that
supports business rather than regulates it
● Believes government should “live within its means” and pledges
not to pass the budget shortfall burden on to taxpayers
Healthcare ● Believes more should be done, beyond price
transparency and accountability, to improve universal access,
quality, and health outcomes
● Aims to bring more attention and services to address the
growing mental health crisis facing farmers and families across the
district
● Supports state funding for rural hospitals
● N/A
Environment ● Believes climate change is real and thinks we need
to use science to work together, with agriculture and business
communities, to address growing ecological conflicts and
concerns
● N/A
Agriculture ● Supports funding relief that benefits small
farming operations vs. large corporate operations
● Supports the passage of the Ag2School credit and advocates for
expanding the credit
● Aims to encourage sustainable farming practices ● Advocates
for an increase in outreach and
affordable mental health services for farmers
● Supports less regulations for farmers ● Includes agriculture
on his campaign
platform and cites his experience working in agriculture lending
to help him understand challenges facing the industry
Infrastructure ● Supports a robust bonding bill ● Believes roads
and bridges need consistent,
long-term funding streams to address: stormwater, wastewater,
rural broadband
● Believes state legislative bonding for infrastructure projects
at a time when interest rates are low is a win-win option
● N/A
Education ● Advocates for state investment in early childhood
education and to fully fund mandates for special education
● Aims to ensure that rural taxpayer dollars achieve the same
buying power as in urban districts
● Believes investment in K-12 schools supports our economy in
the long run
● Believes border to border broadband will help low-income,
rural, and students of color who are disproportionately lack access
to reliable internet
● N/A
Other ● Supports unions and employees’ right to organize ●
Strong supporter of 2nd Amendment rights
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites,
interviews, and candidate forums by volunteers from Indivisible St.
Peter/Greater Mankato. These comparisons are not officially
endorsed by any
candidate. Where there is no information for a particular
category, this does not mean that the candidate does not care about
or has not spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the
website. Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and
reach out to campaigns for more information. Candidates are
listed alphabetically by last name.
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2020 Candidate Comparison Blue Earth County Commissioner
(District 5)
County Commissioner The state of Minnesota is divided into 87
counties, each responsible for things like tax administration,
elections, transportation, parks and water management, health and
human services, law enforcement, and courts. The County Board
consists of 5 commissioners who are elected to set policy and make
decisions which govern the county. A commissioner’s term of office
is 4 years. The County Board of Commissioners is responsible for
establishing overall goals and future direction for the county and
for serving on policy-specific sub-committees related to topics of
parks, public health, public safety, day care centers, libraries,
nursing homes, etc. The board sets the budget for each county
department, approves contracts, appoints officials to carry out
resolutions and policies, and appoints citizen commissions and
committees. The County Board also approves purchases and
expenditures, sets the tax levy, and develops a Capital Improvement
Plan (CIP) which addresses the anticipated needs of the County. The
commissioners make decisions which include county buildings and
furnishings, land acquisition, computer equipment, office machines,
and vehicles. The board also establishes priorities for the
construction and repair for county ditches, and approves plans for
development and expansion of the county park. District 5: Includes
townships and cities located on the east side of Blue Earth County.
Cities include: Madison Lake, St, Clair, Eagle Lake, Mapleton, and
Pemberton. Greater Mankato Growth Bios:
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/141 Greater Mankato Growth
Candidate Forum Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vDQI-KHjo
Candidates Kip Bruender (Incumbent)
Allen Marble
https://www.facebook.com/Allen-Marble-for-County-Commissioner-101454141591193/
Background ● Born, raised, and resides in Eagle Lake ● Has
served as Nicollet County
Commissioner in the 5th district for 18 years ● Employment: owns
a automotive repair
business in Eagle Lake ● Previously served as Mayor of Eagle
Lake
for 6 years
● Lives in rural Good Thunder ● Employment: Hog farmer on a
6th
generation farm ● Previously elected and served as a Soil
and
Water Conservation Supervisor in Blue Earth County
Priorities/Key Rural Issues
● Believes the top priorities for the county are: COVID-19
safety, maintaining the county budget, and keeping county taxes
“relatively low”
● Believes environment issues are very important in terms of
water quality and river erosion issues and should be balanced with
planning and zoning concerns
● Believes top priorities for the county are: budgeting,
broadband, watershed quality, maintenance of roads and bridges,
preventing erosion
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/141https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vDQI-KHjohttps://www.facebook.com/Allen-Marble-for-County-Commissioner-101454141591193/https://www.facebook.com/Allen-Marble-for-County-Commissioner-101454141591193/
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Budget/Taxes ● Aims to keep tax levy low and affordable for
county residents
● Voted in past years to operate the budget at a deficit by
using reserves to balance the budget
● Believes in using the reserve fund to balance the budget
during the pandemic emergency
● Believes the county should “watch taxes” and understand its
impact on farmers
Transit ● Believes transit to rural areas is a challenge due to
low participation of ridership when the board tried pilot programs
in the past
● Believes public transportation is difficult to bring to rural
areas because of low population in the country and townships
Rural Broadband
● Believes the county should be a facilitator in engaging the
private sector and does not support using levy dollars toward
broadband unless it is to organize efforts to work with the private
sector
● Believes broadband is very expensive and considers whether the
investment is worthwhile if the technology advances beyond what we
are currently using
Infrastructure/ Projects
● Believes general maintenance of buildings and infrastructure
is important but is concerned by the expense
● Stated that the next project should be updating the county
shop facility
● Voted in the past to support improvements to the Human
Services building and the Justice Center
● Prioritizes maintenance of equipment and infrastructure
Diversity/ Opportunities for all
● Believes growing diversity is a good thing and can contribute
to the workforce as long as people are “law abiding citizens”
● Voted to support an increase in funding to the Greater Mankato
Area Diversity Council
● Believes jobs and trades provide opportunities and that people
should not burden the human services system or the taxpayers
Note: This information has been compiled from campaign websites
by volunteers from Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. These
comparisons are not officially endorsed by any candidate. Where
there is no information for a particular category, this does not
mean that the candidate does not care about or has not
spoken about the issue - it just may not appear on the website.
Voters are encouraged to visit candidates’ websites and reach out
to campaigns for more information. Candidates are listed
alphabetically by last name.
-
2020 Candidate Comparison Blue Earth County Commissioner
(District 4)
County Commissioner The state of Minnesota is divided into 87
counties, each responsible for things like tax administration,
elections, transportation, parks and water management, health and
human services, law enforcement, and courts. The County Board
consists of 5 commissioners who are elected to set policy and make
decisions which govern the county. A commissioner’s term of office
is 4 years. The County Board of Commissioners is responsible for
establishing overall goals and future direction for the county and
for serving on policy-specific sub-committees related to topics of
parks, public health, public safety, day care centers, libraries,
nursing homes, etc. The board sets the budget for each county
department, approves contracts, appoints officials to carry out
resolutions and policies, and appoints citizen commissions and
committees. The County Board also approves purchases and
expenditures, sets the tax levy, and develops a Capital Improvement
Plan (CIP) which addresses the anticipated needs of the County. The
commissioners make decisions which include county buildings and
furnishings, land acquisition, computer equipment, office machines,
and vehicles. The board also establishes priorities for the
construction and repair for county ditches, and approves plans for
development and expansion of the county park. District 4: Includes
the western part of Blue Earth County, the western edge of Mankato,
as well as Amboy, Butternut, Cambria, Garden City, Good Thunder,
Judson, Lake Crystal, Rapidan and Vernon Center. Greater Mankato
Growth Bios: https://greatermankato.com/candidates/121 Greater
Mankato Growth Candidate Forum Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vDQI-KHjo
Candidates Paul FitzSimmons
https://www.facebook.com/Paul-FitzSimmons-for-County-Commissioner-101668931608654/
Kevin Paap
https://www.paapforcommissioner.com/
Background ● Born and raised in Lyra Township near Good
Thunder
● Employment: hog farmer, owns and operates a livestock
management business in Mapleton, owns and operates a grain elevator
in Good Thunder
● Community involvement: Sons of American Legion and other
veteran support organizations, served on various pork producer
boards
● Lives in Vernon Center, lifelong resident of Blue Earth
County
● Employment: MN Farm Bureau President, farmer, EMT, emergency
medical instructor at South Central College
● Community involvement: 28 years on the Vernon Center Volunteer
Fire Dept, serves on several agriculture organization committees
and boards
Priorities/Key Rural Issues
● Foresees balancing the budget to be a top priority due to
COVID-19 challenges
● Aims to make it easier for small business to operate in rural
areas, wants to support
● Believes the top priority is managing the budget and
addressing the decrease in revenues and increased expenditures due
to the COVID-19 pandemic
https://greatermankato.com/candidates/121https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vDQI-KHjohttps://www.facebook.com/Paul-FitzSimmons-for-County-Commissioner-101668931608654/https://www.facebook.com/Paul-FitzSimmons-for-County-Commissioner-101668931608654/https://www.paapforcommissioner.com/
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Priorities/Key Rural Issues (cont’d)
small businesses with loans to help with business planning and
sustainability
● Advocates for “Freedom to Farm” zoning ordinance that prevents
litigation against farmers
● Opposes restrictive permitting of feedlots and calls for
consistency in the process
● Aims to focus on rural economic development and adding value
to crops and livestock
● Believes in a “direct and protect” philosophy where the county
engages in long range planning while protecting natural and
economic resources
Budget/Taxes ● Stated he errs on the side of lower taxes and
wants to ensure taxpayers are “getting a bang for every dollar
spent”
● Believes county government should be run like a business
● Stated he is a “fiscal conservative” and the county should
refrain from spending money without revenues to support the
spending
Transportation ● Believes road maintenance is one of the top
responsibilities of the county, but road construction should not be
constant and disrupt businesses or be a deterrent for commerce
● Believes transportation is “critical” for people and farmers
a