Candidate Rick Nolan says he already knows what he’ll introduce as his first bill, if elected Nov. 6 to serve as the 8th District representative in Congress.
In a northern tour of the huge district Wednesday, former U.S. Rep. Nolan told The Journal that the campaign for the 8th District House seat now held by U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack is among the five most expensive races in the country.
“I was told yesterday that more outside money is coming in attack ads against me than any other Democrat in the country,” Nolan told The Journal. “Ten to $13 million will be spent before it’s all done and that’s obscene.”
His first bill if elected, he said, will be to reverse the United States Supreme Court decision involving Citizens United that prohibits the government from restricting political expenditures by corporations and unions.
Nolan said reversing the decision would take “all the corporate money out of politics” and the second bill he would introduce would be to provide public financing for campaigns “so that representatives are beholden to the general public not the most well financed billionaires.”
Nolan said a number of polls show him leading Cravaack in the race, but he said he wouldn’t make any predictions at this point.
Nolan, who was accompanied in his visit to International Falls Wednesday by his wife, Mary, said his life is a bit more hectic these days than prior to the primary election.
“I’m spending 80 to 100 hours a week and we’ve put on 150,000 miles on the car,” he said. But that’s to be expected when campaigning in a district that’s larger than 10 states.
“The good news is we live right in the middle of the district; the bad news is it’s two or three hours to every population center,” he said.
Business is in the Nolan family’s blood, he said. He owns a business, his wife owns a business, two of his kids have their own business, and his sisters-in-law have their own business.
A business, he said, can have a fair year, a good year, a great year, a bad year. In politics, he said there’s no in between winning or losing.
“You just have to give it your all and you owe that to yourself, but more importantly you owe it to all the people that are contributing, volunteering and counting on you,” he said.
Sleep doesn’t come in lengthy periods at this time in the campaign. He said he tried to nap in between cell phone coverage from Bigfork to the Falls in the car, but Mary joked that she was driving and Rick was a little nervous. After visiting the Falls, Nolan traveled to Duluth Wednesday night and started Thursday with a 7:30 a.m. interview.
Nolan said the campaign has hit hard his message: The economy, jobs, Medicare, taxes, ending the war in Afghanistan, stopping nation-building abroad and rebuilding America. He said his theme has not changed since he threw his hat into the ring.
“I am what I am and that’s what I believe,” he said.
Nolan said he’s surprised by the amount of money in this election. “What does billionaire Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas (who has contributed to the Cravaack campaign) have to do with this district, unless he’s trying to protect his billions? What do the Koch brothers (who have contributed to Cravaack) have to do with the district, unless it’s trying to protect their billions?”
Nolan said the differences between he and Cravaack are clear.
Nolan said he wants to do away with the Bush-era tax cuts, while Cravaack not only wants to continue those cuts, but supports the Paul Ryan budget that provides an additional $4 trillion in tax cuts to the rich.
Nolan said provisions that give big corporations tax breaks for moving their operations off shore is supported by Cravaack; Nolan said he opposes that and favors providing incentives to keep operations in the United States.
Other differences, said Nolan, are that Cravaack wants to increase military spending and building abroad; Nolan wants to spend less. He said Cravaack wants to spend less money in infrastructure building; Nolan wants to spend more. Nolan said Cravaack wants more tax cuts for the super rich; Nolan wants less.
Nolan said Cravaack wants to do away with Medicare as it stands; Nolan said he recognizes the need for reform, but will try to protect it and keep it solvent without cutting benefits. He said campaign ads valued at millions of dollars make it difficult for people to understand the truth of the Democrats’ plan.
“I read where they are planning to spend another $3 or $4 million on ads these next couple of weeks,” said Nolan laughing. “There won’t be any room for regular programming.”
Nolan said members of Congress spend more time in call rooms raising money than in committees doing the work of Congress. “That is a threat to our country and that may be at the essence of why they’re not collaborating, why they’re not cooperating, why they’re not getting their job done. They’re not working at what they should be working at — the work of Congress. Everybody’s campaigning and nobody’s governing.”
Nolan said his first term served in Congress, members met 48 out of 52 weeks; now, he said, this Congress is meeting 32 out of 52 weeks.
“The only way to get things done is going to work getting bipartisan support and compromise,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nolan said he’s not concerned about deer hunting starting before the Nov. 6 election. He said he hopes hunters go to the polls and their deer stands.
The Friday before the opener, Nolan said he and Mary play host to a venison stew feed for family and friends and that tradition will continue this year.
Nolan said he’ll be hunting on the Nov. 3 deer season opener. But Mary reminded him that he’d hunt the morning and then hit the campaign trail later in the day.
“No, I am not,” Nolan said winking. “That’s what the staff thinks. But I am hunting that day.”
