Public Safety

Minnesota has always been a safe place to raise a family.  In recent years, an unfortunate combination of societal tumult, shutdown-related financial strain, and logistical challenges for our police departments have led to an increase in carjackings, home invasions, and other crimes that would have been unthinkable for prior generations.  We should strive for a community where everyone feels safe to walk alone at night, regardless of their gender, race, age, or ZIP code.

Therefore, I support the complete funding of law enforcement, effective crime prevention strategies, and a judicial system that holds offenders accountable. I also advocate for restorative justice programs for first-time, low-level offenders.  Robust support for law enforcement and the protection of our civil liberties are not mutually exclusive goals; and I would encourage community engagement in public safety oversight

Fiscal Responsibility

Having a prosperous and sustainable community requires fiscal responsibility at the municipal and state levels. I believe that individual families are generally best positioned to prioritize their own spending, so our state government should strive to minimize taxpayer burden while maintaining the reliable and timely delivery of essential services. In the event of a budget surplus--as we recently experienced--I'm in favor of issuing taxpayer refunds rather than withholding the funds for unspecified future use. I also would encourage restraint in future spending, adequate oversight to avoid misappropriation of funds, and reinstitution of a statewide "rainy day" fund. 

Energy

I will advocate for an energy policy emphasizing energy independence, economic growth, and technological innovation. This approach supports a dual energy strategy, which includes the responsible development of traditional energy sources like oil and natural gas alongside the expansion of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal and low-cost, safe nuclear power. The energy sector can thrive by reducing regulatory burdens, promoting free-market principles, and lowering energy costs for consumers and businesses. Investments in energy infrastructure and technology are also crucial, ensuring that Minnesota remains at the forefront of energy innovation while creating jobs and stimulating economic growth. This balanced approach aims to ensure our affordable, reliable, and clean energy future.

Environment

We only have one earth. We must protect it. This is a visceral conviction of mine borne of many summers serving as a backpacking guide in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of New Mexico. I saw firsthand that our stewardship of the earth is a solemn obligation and privilege; it is a covenant between humans and nature that requires a prudent balancing of our natural resources with human coexistence. We move in the right direction when we pair human innovation with the free market to craft sustainable environmental solutions. By encouraging private-sector investment in clean-energy technologies, promoting conservation, and supporting responsible land and resource management, we can protect our natural heritage while ensuring economic vitality. It’s essential to empower local communities and property owners--who are often the best stewards of their environments--to take initiative in conservation efforts. We can achieve sustainable environmental protection without sacrificing economic prosperity.

 

Data Centers

AI’s like what’s said of the Chinese character for “crisis” — filled with both danger and opportunity. Accounting for its dangers, we need to consider legislation such as child safety rules and chatbot liability. Also, data centers must maintain the same environmental standards as any other industrial complex, and operate with recycled water; further, they are not to be accorded secretive sweetheart deals and subsidies. Within these parameters, AI offers economic growth, medical advances, and enhanced national security and should be encouraged.

 

Fraud

Aristotle said the persuasiveness of a message springs from its logic, its emotion, and the credibility of those who bear it. In our current moment, the DFL wins on the first two, fails on the third. First, credit the logic of the DFL for their airtight solutions to fight Minnesota’s fraud. Second, credit the DFL for selecting a charismatic former television reporter as their candidate for Senate — a score for emotional appeal. But in the third instance, that of credibility, they have failed miserably. The DFL downplayed fraud for years: both the Dayton and Watz administrations punished whistleblowers and fired investigators; meanwhile, Ellison and both DFL legislative caucuses sat on their hands for years (Minnesota Fraud and Prevention and Oversight Committee: Session Notes). Moreover, my DFL opponent for House two years ago denied outright that widespread fraud was occurring in Minnesota (LWV Forum), while at the same time my campaign was shouting it from the rooftops. They only prioritized fraud when it made national news in December. Simply, we cannot trust them. They’re a day late and a billion short. We’re well past the point of good ideas; we need trustworthy actors to act.

 

Health Care

Since Obamacare took full effect in 2014, total health care spending in Minnesota has climbed from $42 billion to $69 billion, and the average family’s employer premium has risen more than 60%. Health care policy should be judged by three tests: quality patient care, affordability, and innovation. The surest way to meet all three is a market that rewards choice and competition, not one weighed down by onerous regulation.

Government-run health care is not the answer. Vermont passed a single-payer law in 2011, then abandoned it when the tax bill came due. Today its individual market carries the nation’s highest premiums.

Minnesota can do better with practical, cost-saving reforms:

• Strengthen eligibility requirements and enforcement, so public programs serve those who truly need them
• Ease hospital-bed moratoria, so new capacity can compete
• Expedite prior authorization, so patients get care without delay
• Encourage Direct Primary Care, giving families an affordable, personal relationship with their doctor
• Build on the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, bringing more providers to Minnesota patients
• Maximize price transparency, so patients can shop and compare

Together, these steps put patients, not bureaucracies, at the center of Minnesota health care.

 

Homlessness

Minnesota’s vast increase in homelessness is a humanitarian crisis first, a housing issue second. Many of those trapped it are either mentally ill or chemically dependent: they need treatment first, housing second. Some of these unsheltered souls are best served by civil commitment as their quickest path back to rejoining society in a meaningful way.

 

More Voters. Less Waste.

DFL leaders accuse Republicans of “voter suppression” for supporting election integrity. Yet Minneapolis holds mayoral and City Council elections in odd years, when turnout is lower. If encouraging participation matters, why defend a calendar that leaves fewer voters deciding who runs City Hall?

I believe secure elections and broad participation go hand in hand. As a result of my service on Edina’s School Board, I helped move our elections to even years. That change took persistence—and demonstrated that reform is possible.

If elected to the Minnesota Senate, I will introduce legislation requiring regular municipal and school district elections statewide to take place in even-numbered years. Standalone odd-year elections require a separate round of staffing, polling-place operations, and other administrative expenses rather than sharing those costs with state and federal elections. Consolidating elections would eliminate this unnecessary duplication, save taxpayer dollars, and promote broader voter participation—delivering greater accountability at a lower cost.

 

Housing

Minnesota’s housing affordability problem is largely a problem of our own making. A 2019 study by Housing First Minnesota’s Housing Affordability Institute found that a new home in Lake Elmo costs $47,000 more than an identical home in Hudson, Wisconsin, just ten miles away, with land, infrastructure, and regulatory costs driving the gap. Layered building codes, energy mandates, and permitting fees add up, and families pay the bill.

Zoning compounds the damage. As Richard Kahlenberg argues in Excluded, restrictive rules like single-family-only zoning and large minimum lot sizes limit supply and wall out working families, pushing prices beyond their reach. When even a liberal scholar reaches this conclusion, it’s worth listening.

 

Abortion

I'm pro-life.

I've given money to Focus on the Family's ultrasound clinics for years. 78% of expectant mothers bring their pregnancies to term after seeing their baby's ultrasound. These pregnancy clinics supply a much-appreciated service to many facing unexpected pregnancy and deserve legislation defending their existence.

Further, I support parental notification laws.

With abortion permitted up to the moment of birth, Minnesota has the most liberal abortion laws in the world. This sits uncomfortably with most Minnesotans: for example, I've noticed in SD-50 that most pro-choice people are pro-life in the third trimester.

I'd like a win here. I'd count it as a success in my first term as Minnesota Senator if we could agree to place restrictions in the third trimester.