Joe Radinovich, DFL Party
1. I am a 4th Generation Cuyuna Iron Ranger, raised in a family of miners, union electricians, and health care workers. My hometown, Crosby, is approximately three hours south of International Falls by way of Highway 6. My experience growing up in a small, rural town taught and instilled in me the importance of community, public education, and strengthening the middle class in hard times and economic uncertainty. After graduation from high school, I worked to expand the union movement as an American Federation of Government Employees organizer. I also proudly represented my hometown in the state legislature from 2013-2015, when Democrats made historic reinvestments in our schools and working families.
2. I am no stranger to hardship and will always stand up for what’s right when it comes to representing you in Congress. For example, I was recently endorsed by the United Steelworkers union, and will fight for fair trade policies in Washington to make sure the hardworking men and women of the paper mill have a strong voice at the table. I’ll also stand with our loggers and workers in the forest products industry. As a Member of Congress, I will work with Koochiching County and I’Falls leaders to help attract new business development to the Borderland and be a strong supporter of Voyageur’s National Park.
3. I believe the biggest challenge facing working families in our nation and especially in our district is the pressure brought on by our changing economy as a result of increased mechanization and globalization. As our nation grows wealthier and more productive than ever, workers are not sharing in that increased productivity and, in fact, have experienced stagnant wages for the better part of the last 40 years. To address this challenge, we need to make investments in skills training and re-training, protecting the rights of workers to unionize, and fortifying complementary systems and services that make work possible—like healthcare, childcare, paid family leave, and public education — which will give all of us the stability, employability, and safety we need to build our futures. We also must ensure that every American has the ability to retire with economic security in this changing economy by protecting and strengthening Social Security, Medicare and pensions.
4. I am one of more than 100 House challengers are calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to make a government and election reform bill the first item on the agenda for the next Congress in 2019. I think elected leaders need to be accountable to the people who elect them, not to the corporate special interests that finance their campaigns. That’s why I haven’t taken a dime from corporate PACs in this race. My opponent can’t say the same.
Pete Stauber, Republican Party
1. From playing hockey to my two-plus decades of committed public service in law enforcement, I am a problem solver. My wife, Jodi (an Iraq war veteran) and I have four children and they are one of the reasons I am running for Congress. We have to do all we can to ensure the American dream is within reach for their generation so they can enjoy the freedom and prosperity that has made America great.
2. I believe I am the best candidate for this office because I have lived my message whether it by being a husband and a father of four, a small business owner, a police officer or a professional hockey player. I have been on the campaign trail for over 15 months and my blue-collar commonsense conservative message is resonating.
3. The good news is jobs are up, unemployment is down, small businesses are surging, confidence is rising, and optimism is high. Despite the economic surge, we can do better and we have more work to do. I will always fight to make this economy better, to make it deeper, and to ensure that everyone has a shot at their version of the American dream. I want to unleash the economic engine of the 8th District and take away some of the onerous regulations that are hindering Main Street small businesses and major job-creators like PCA.
4. Minnesotans in the 8th district continue to tell me how frustrated they are with health care systems that, in our part of Minnesota, lead to skyrocketing premiums or no access at all. In Congress, I would be committed to working with Republicans and Democrats on true health care reform that lowers costs and increases access to quality health care by covering pre-existing conditions, setting up Associated Health Plans, allowing insurance companies to cross state lines, and doing all we can to ensure health insurance is portable and affordable.
Ray Skip Sandman, Independence Party
I grew up on the Fond du Lac reservation in Brookston, Minnesota. It is here that I learned my respect for our environment. There was a natural spring on our property. I remember when our old water pump broke. We had to drink and get all of our water from the spring. My dad would always tell us kids to not play around it or put anything in it because this is all we had to drink and cook with. That left a lasting impression on me. This is where I developed my love and deep gratitude for Nature’s gifts. I realized then how critical it was to protect our natural environment. I enlisted in the Navy in 1971 and then later into the army. I did two tours of Duty in Vietnam and was honorably discharged.
I spent 25 years working as a Corrections Counselor for North East Regional Corrections Center (NERCC). I tried to help as many of the people under my charge as I could. I worked for the Mille Lacs band as a traditional healer. I used traditional Native American remedies to help people with physical, emotional and spiritual health. After Mille Lacs, I returned to Fond du Lac Reservation to work at Mash ka wisen Treatment Center as their traditional healer and spiritual advisor working with those who suffer with addiction.
I have been married to my amazing wife Babette for 29 years now. I am also a grandfather and great grandfather. Babette and I have opened our home for decades as foster-parents. We have tried to share our traditions and love to these kids and their families. We hoped to make a better community for all families through a traditional support system.
I bring the experience of a lifetime filled with service. I have served my country as a soldier at war. I have served my community as an activist for issues I feel passionate about and as a Corrections officer working with those who are trying to make changes in their lives. I bring the experience of understanding of how those marginalized in our society can still make a difference. I care about my fellow Americans and want to do the best I can for them. I care deeply about the environment and our responsibility to protect what sustains us as people. I want to serve the citizens of the 8th congressional district and not big money donors who have paid for the Republicans and the Democratic candidates in this race. I will work for the people who will send me to Washington.
There is so much that needs addressing, but healthcare needs to be a priority. People are literally dying for lack of basic healthcare. I believe healthcare is a basic human right. I would like to see a model for healthcare based in Minnesota’s very own Mayo Clinic. It is a model of healthcare in our country, as long as you are not focusing on profits over patients. I also want to focus on bringing good paying jobs to the 8th Congressional District and raising the minimum wage. We have spent decades not raising the minimum wage while inflation and cost of living have skyrocketed. I watch as people younger than me and my wife struggle to make ends meet. Too long now, workers struggle to make ends meet and their employers shirk the duty of paying people what they are worth. This needs to be addressed and that is why I am asking for your vote on November 6th.
