Priorities

I'm focused on bringing down costs, taking on corruption, and investing in our small towns.

I grew up as a poor kid in a small town 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, and healthcare are these days. As I’ve traveled across our congressional district, I’ve met families losing their local clinics, small business owners closing their doors, and farmers being squeezed by tariffs and rising input costs. I worry that my kids and my students won’t be able to make it in this economy, even if they work hard and play by the rules.

Life shouldn’t be this expensive, and it doesn’t have to be. There is so much 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. 

I’m running for Congress to change this, so that we can finally start building an economy that works for all of us. Here’s what that looks like:

• Bringing down costs: I’ll vote to end the massive tariffs driving up prices and shutting down export markets. I’ll take on the corporate monopolies that are raising costs for consumers and producers, and keeping wages low for workers. I’ll cut red tape so we can quickly build new homes and expand childcare options. And I will support tax cuts for working families and small businesses, paid for by raising taxes and closing loopholes for the super wealthy.

• Taking on corruption: I won’t take a dime of corporate PAC money, so I’ll always answer to you. I will vote to ban members of Congress from trading stocks and from becoming lobbyists. I’ll support constitutional amendments to establish term limits, to ban pardons for family and donors, and to require a balanced budget. Perhaps most importantly, I will always stand up to corruption in government no matter which party or politician is responsible for it.

• Investing in our small towns: Our small towns need actual investments, not excessive regulations. 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. Finally, it includes investing in clean water, special education, and medical research and ag innovation that creates new jobs here in Minnesota, not in China.

Regardless of whether you vote for me or not, I believe we all deserve a representative who actually shows up. That’s why I’ll hold 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 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. I hope you’ll join me in that effort.

- Jake Johnson