2024 election, Minnesota Legislature: The view of Senate Republicans

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

Simply put, the 2024 special election to fill the vacant seat in Minnesota Senate District 45 is about balance. Under single-party control, our state was knocked off balance. Extreme positions have taken hold, and the results have proven to be less than ideal for Minnesota families.

Despite historic revenues for our state, DFLers spent every dollar of the surplus and provided no meaningful tax relief for most families. They ran on giving rebate checks and eliminating the tax on Social Security for our seniors, yet they failed to follow through. Not only did they provide little relief to families, they raised sales taxes, the gas tax, license tab fees and more, all of which hit low and middle-income Minnesotans the hardest. Democrats in Minnesota said one thing and then did another. That’s not how we do things here.

Additionally, current leadership has touted funding increases for our schools, yet we’ve seen teacher layoffs, class sizes rise and test scores fall. Why? Because, under single-party control, unfunded mandates, driven by special interests, were put on our schools. Those mandates ate up most of the new funding — leaving our education leaders with two options: raise property taxes or make budget cuts. Senate Republicans offered an education budget that would have increased funding without mandates. Just imagine where our schools would be if one Democrat had put people over their party and voted for this common-sense alternative.

We have also seen public safety concerns spread across our state. Criminals are emboldened by a lack of consequences thanks to the extreme policies of Democrats. Carjackings are happening in the middle of the day. We’re seeing coordinated home break-ins in Orono. Yet, over the past two years, every Democrat in the Minnesota Senate supported a plan to make over 90% of violent criminals eligible for early release. Republicans offered common-sense alternatives, yet every Democrat voted no. Just imagine where our state could be if even one Democrat was willing to cross over and stand up to their party.

Another area of concern continues to be the rampant fraud that exists in many of our public programs. Minnesotans have seen nearly $1 billion lost to fraud. This means families who needed child care assistance didn’t receive it. This also means that families who needed food assistance for their children didn’t get it. How many people in government have been held accountable? None. Democrats care more about politics than they do about holding anyone accountable or ensuring your tax dollars are spent wisely.

Despite all these concerns, I am hopeful about our state’s future. I believe Minnesota’s best days are ahead. We can bring common sense back to state spending. We can protect Minnesotans from the left’s insatiable appetite for new taxes. We can attack the root causes of crime while holding violent criminals accountable. We can say no to mandates that will drain our school budgets. We can get to work on bipartisan solutions to things like the cost of child care, tax relief for families and seniors, and changes to our law that keep Minnesota families safe in their communities.

The people of Senate District 45 can do this with one simple vote for Kathleen Fowke, who will bring balance back to our Legislature. Kathleen will also be a leader we can all be proud of by restoring civility to our political discourse and working across the aisle to find balanced solutions to everyday concerns.

More broadly, Minnesotans deserve a responsible government that has their best interests in mind. Under single-party control, the winners were far-left political activists and big-money special interests that are funding Democrat campaigns. With a balanced government comes compromise — what Minnesotans expect from their leaders. Senate Republicans in Minnesota stand ready to lead, and we will put Minnesotans first.

Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, is the Minnesota Senate minority leader.