Priorities

I’m running for Congress to bring down costs, take on corruption, and invest in our small towns.

I grew up as a poor kid in Stewartville right here in Southern Minnesota, and I made it to the middle class because I worked hard and people invested in me. Today, my wife and I are raising four boys on the salaries of a teacher and a paraprofessional, and we know just how expensive groceries, utilities, housing, and healthcare are these days. I’ve now held 21 public, in-person town hall meetings, one in every county in the district, and I’ve heard from so many parents, seniors, and young people who are facing similar challenges. People are working hard and struggling just to get by, and the American Dream I got to live is slipping away for the next generation.

There’s a lot that our government could do to make life cheaper and easier. But when career politicians are bankrolled by billionaires and big corporations, they become defenders of the broken status quo, helping the wealthy and well-connected at our expense. When only 2% of Congress comes from the working class, it’s no wonder that Washington keeps leaving communities like ours behind.

Here’s what I’ll fight for in Congress:

• Bringing down costs: I’ll vote to end the massive tariffs and Iran War driving up the price of groceries, gas, and fertilizer. I don’t take any corporate PAC money, so I can actually take on the corporate monopolies and health insurance companies that keep raising costs, suppressing wages, and extracting obscene profits at our expense. I’ll cut red tape so we can quickly build new homes, expand childcare options, and support our small businesses. And I will support tax cuts for working families and small businesses, paid for by raising taxes and closing loopholes for big corporations and the super wealthy.

• Taking on corruption: As a math teacher, I believe parties have been reckless with the budget and our tax dollars. I’ll support a balanced budget amendment and I’ll vote against raising the debt ceiling until the budget is balanced, so that we finally take the $40+ trillion national debt seriously. We need real accountability and reform for the massive fraud we’ve seen right here in Minnesota, and I released a plan to get our money back and to send every public official who broke the law to prison. Unlike my opponent, I support term limits and a ban on pardons for family and donors, and I will vote to ban members of Congress from selling stocks and from becoming lobbyists. Perhaps most importantly, I will always stand up to corruption in government no matter which party or politician is responsible for it. Read my full Taxpayer Protection Pledge here.

• Investing in our small towns: Our small towns need actual investments, not excessive regulations or outside exploitation. That means finally passing a bipartisan farm bill, ensuring farmers have the right to repair their own equipment, and extending tax credits for health insurance. It also means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Veterans benefits, and undoing the recent cuts to Medicaid (Medical Assistance) and SNAP. It includes investing in clean water, special education, and medical research and ag innovation that creates new jobs here in Minnesota, not in China. And unlike our current congressman who has supported data centers in southern Minnesota, I support a moratorium on data centers until key protections are guaranteed. You can read my full plan on data centers here.

And regardless of whether you vote for me or not, I believe we all deserve a representative who actually shows up. That’s why I held 21 in-person town hall meetings (one in each of our congressional district’s 21 counties) before the election. And if I’m elected, I’ll hold another 21 town hall meetings (one in every county) during my term in Congress. I’ll also make constituent services a top priority. You’ll never have to play hide and seek to find me.

I’m ready to rebuild the American Dream, and I hope you’ll join me in that effort.

- Jake Johnson