It’s Time For The 2020 General Election
The 2020 General Election is drawing ever closer. Are you registered? Minnesotans can register here. Early no-excuse voting has already started, and you can still request your ballot by mail. It is not too late! If you do request your ballot by mail, you can mail it back or deliver it yourself; if you decide to not request a ballot by mail, you can still vote early in person - or even on election day itself, if you have to! MPR News had Secretary of State Steve Simon answer questions about early voting - I suggest that everyone give it a listen. Now, research your candidates and get out there! Get voting!
The Candidates
US Senator
Tina Smith (Incumbent) - Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Jason Lewis - Republican
Oliver Steinberg - Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis
Kevin O'Connor - Legal Marijuana Now
US Representative District 5
Ilhan Omar (Incumbent) - Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Lacy Johnson - Republican
Michael Moore - Legal Marijuana Now
United States Senate
Senator Tina Smith is Minnesota’s incumbent junior senator. She served as the 48th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota until she was appointed to fill Al Franken’s seat, and then won the 2018 special election to fill the remainder of Franken’s term. As Lieutenant Governor, Smith was more active than her predecessors; that drive followed her into her senatorial career. Unfortunately, she believes that we need to reimagine the police instead of abolishing it (as I’ve mentioned before, we must defund/dismantle the police), but many liberals [Note 1] are holding that stance, I believe. However, she has been championing better health care for all, has talked openly about her struggles with depression, and is working to destigmatize mental illness.
The Honorable [Note 2] Jason Lewis was the US Representative from Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District from 2017 - 2019, after hosting a radio show. He believes that the current president should nominate a new supreme court judge, and believes that the refusal of the senate to confirm a judge during the end of the Obama presidency is “apples and oranges”. He has also been spouting debunked theories about wildfires and BLM, as well as downplays the danger of the pandemic. His website doesn’t have a section to discuss his issues or platform, but he does talk about his helping pass tax cuts regulatory reform while ignoring that he was a one-term representative who was unseated at the next election.
Strangely, I can find very little about Oliver Steinberg or Kevin O'Connor (though I discovered that there is another Kevin O'Connor running for US Senate out in Massachusetts). Both the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party and the Legal Marijuana Now Party gained major-party status after the 2018 elections, and are both parties that are organized around the support for legal marijuana. Steinberg does list some constitutional amendments that he would author and support.
United States House of Representatives
Representative Ilhan Omar is the incumbent U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district. She is a prominent member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has solid endorsements, and has made strong actions for key issues that I strongly believe in. She also wants to dismantle the police and supports legislation to create a new federal agency to create police misconduct (which I support), and she cofounded the Black Maternal Health Caucus and the Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health. Despite being the target of major harassment and death threats, she still strives to accomplish what we voted for her to accomplish.
During the primaries, Lacy Johnson had Congresswoman Omar on the front page of his website. The Republicans were essentially running a campaign of “I hate Ilhan Omar” and mostly focusing on that; however, campaigning has changed. His issues page actually has issues on it, and he has a jobs plan. His jobs plan talks openly about the lack of equity in hiring practices regarding women and persons of color, but the plan itself is pretty much just an entrepreneurs investment fund and business opportunity zones. He has had careers mostly in computer technology and has lived in North Minneapolis for over 40 years.
Michael Moore (no, not that Michael Moore, nor the Senator from Massachusetts - but I can’t tell if he’s the Michael Moore who ran for State District 1B in 2016) says that he was a key force in changing hair braiding laws in Minnesota. I can’t find anything on that, but my friend Naomi Kritzer was able to find information about the situation and wrote about it (you should totally follow her - she’s totally awesome). Apparently, he isn’t for the legalization of marijuana, even though that’s what the party is about (at the same time, Congresswoman Omar is for the legalization of marijuana)? And his platform positions are rambling and sometimes incoherent - I’m wondering if he is doing this for the recognition.
Who am I voting for?
I’m voting for Senator Smith and Representative Omar. They’re experienced, they have actively been trying to make things better for everybody, and they keep moving forward. The other candidates are either supporting conspiracy theories, have questionable positions, or are virtually unknown.
Notes
Liberalism is not leftist. Leftists are to the left of liberals - for example, AOC and Biden would not be in the same party if they were in another country.
Per the Protocol School of Washington’s On-Line Guide, former representatives continue to be ‘the honorable’, unless being removed from office or resigning in disgrace.
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