For Minnesota Senate District 3 and Representative 3B, we believe Sen. Tom Bakk and Rep. David Dill offer what Borderland needs at the Capitol.
Bakk and Dill know us. Each of the lawmakers have close ties and connections to Borderland as they have served in adjacent districts. And, as a result, they understand the issues that affect us and the challenges we face on a number of issues.
The choice for Borderland in these races is clear: Bakk and Dill.
In the races for U.S. senator and 8th District representative, we pick Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Rep. Rick Nolan.
Klobuchar is an easy choice. Again, she knows us because she had made a great effort to discuss local issues and visit our community.
Klobuchar chairs and serves on committees important to this area. She is chair of the Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion which could assist us in job creation and growth.
And we’ve seen little of her challenger Kurt Bills and wonder if he truly knows about us.
In the race for the 8th District representative, we lean toward former Rep. Rick Nolan.
We believe that Nolan’s previous experience as a state and federal lawmaker gives him insight and knowledge into the process. Nolan was the youngest member in the Minnesota House when he was elected in 1969 and served three terms. He also served in Congress from 1975-1981. If elected, Nolan would retain the seniority gained in Congress, which would be of value to the district. At a minimum he would be the head of the newly elected class and would be a ranking member, if not a chairman, of a committee depending on who controls Congress. He said he’d like to be a part of the transportation and national resources committees — both of which are important to this area.
And we believe his experience as a business owner in a small community may help him understand what’s needed to get our economy growing.
Perhaps most importantly, Nolan talks about and has shown in the past bipartisan cooperation and compromise — something we believe is lacking in Congress. Without partnerships across the aisle, this Congress will be at a standstill and so will the U.S. economy.
Cravaack has made an effort to get to know this community, not an easy task in such a huge district, and he deserves credit for that.
Many of his supporters say he’s accessible, and he has been to The Journal. But he doesn’t seem to completely understand the issues and challenges this diverse district must face and overcome to become economically healthy again.
And we believe Cravaack’s tight ties with the Republican Party have been a part of the divisive nature of Congress, which has not benefited the nation or this district.
The Journal’s views in endorsing the above candidates are not meant to instruct voters, but instead to provide another opinion to consider as we take part in this precious and valuable process of electing the people who will lead us into the future.
