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Greg Pariseau
Greg Pariseau was a 2014 Democratic candidate for District 38B of the Minnesota House of Representatives.[1]
Campaign themes
2014
Pariseau's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
| “ | MNSURE
With the Affordable Care Act and MNsure making coverage easier to obtain, more Minnesotans now have health coverage than ever before. The state’s uninsured population has dropped by over 40%, from 8.2% to just 4.9% of the state, since MNsure began enrollment in October of 2013. As of July 2014, there were 250,000 Minnesotans who obtained affordable health coverage because of MNsure. Lowest Premiums in the Nation. Because Minnesota has a state-based exchange, and because our Commerce Department regulates health insurance rates, most Minnesotans have access to health coverage with lower premiums than anywhere else in the country. Even people in the two regions with higher costs still saw insurance rates at or below the U.S. average. Most People Like What Obamacare Does, Even If They Don’t Like “Obamacare.” While “Obamacare” remains generally unpopular, most of the components of the law are popular and most people want to see the program improved, not repealed. Republicans are stuck on “Repeal”. Republicans continue to echo far-right Tea Party rhetoric, clamoring for ACA repeal. Minnesota Republicans blocked every effort to create a state-run exchange (even from their own members) in 2011-2012. No Republicans voted for the 2013 legislation authorizing MNsure. Republicans continue to offer lots of criticism but no real solutions for improvement. During the 2014 Session, the GOP mainly offered floor amendments designed to undermine MNsure or highlight its mistakes (e.g. background checks on people accessing MNsure data). K-12 EDUCATION and HIGHER EDUCATION Democrats made 2013-14 the education session, investing in the World’s Best Workforce through high-quality, fairly funded schools and affordable higher education. Quality education is vital to our state’s long-term economic competitiveness. When Republicans were in charge they irresponsibly borrowed a record amount from Minnesota schools while protecting wealthy special interests. Democrats balanced the budget responsibly and added $150 million to the rainy day fund to prevent future deficits and keep the state from having to borrow money from public schools to cover its debts. After the GOP delivered the largest cut to higher education in Minnesota’s history, Democrats froze tuition for all public college (U of M and MnSCU) students and increased financial aid funding. As a result, middle and lower-income public college students in Minnesota are paying less out of pocket on net for college now than before DFLers took control of the legislature. THE BUDGET Paying back the schools: One of the biggest accomplishments of the DFL Legislature is paying back our schools (“school shift”). In 2011, the State owed the schools over $2.8 billion. By December 2013, this debt was repaid in full. Putting middle-class ahead of corporate special interests: The budgets passed by the DFL Legislature make strong investments in the top priorities of middle class families in Minnesota, including education, property tax relief, jobs, protecting seniors and the disabled, and making college affordable. We did this while by closing corporate tax loopholes and asking the wealthiest Minnesotans to pay their fair share. Budgeting for the future: The DFL Legislature added $150 million to the budget reserves, bringing the total in the “rainy day fund” and cash flow account to $1.16 billion. Additionally, through honest budgeting, Minnesota is expected to have $600 million surplus into the future. Republicans botched the budget: When Republicans were in charge in 2011-12, they shut down state government and refused to compromise, balancing the budget with a combination of deep cuts and accounting gimmicks, including borrowing billions from our schools – all while protecting wealthy special interests. We shouldn’t return to the failed budgeting of the past that put special interests ahead of Minnesota families. JOBS After years of cuts at the hands of Governor Pawlenty and Republican legislators, the DFL Legislature in 2013-14 made extraordinary investments in job creation and economic development. These investments will make it easier for Minnesota employers to invest in their businesses and grow their workforce. Recent indicators have already demonstrated that Minnesota’s economy is on the right track. Our unemployment rate is among the lowest in the nation, we create jobs at a faster rate than other states, and our economy (GDP) is growing well above the national average. Republicans have given up on economic development. They insist the only way for government to help businesses grow is to keep taxes low and get out of the way. They no longer believe that the State has a role in job creation. SENIORS Democrats listened to seniors and made it a priority to invest in overdue funding for nursing homes and long-term care providers. In 2011-12 Republicans made deep cuts to seniors and Minnesotans with disabilities in order to protect tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest Minnesotans. The DFL Legislature changed course and made seniors a priority. WOMEN'S ECONOMIC SECURITY Democrats raised the minimum wage and are working to end gender discrimination in pay. Giving all families a fair shot to succeed will help build an economy that works for all of us. Republicans would prefer to go back to a health care system that would let health insurance companies charge women more than men, forcing women to pay more for mammograms and life-saving cancer screenings. Republican leadership voted against equal pay for women and making sure mothers are treated fairly in the workplace. Republican leaders even tried to repeal the equal pay law that successfully closed the gender pay gap in local government jobs. CAPITOL OFFICE BUILDING DFL members had concerns about the original building plan. As a result, we were able to take out amenities like a reflecting pool and fitness center, adjust the façade to make it more modest, and reduce the cost of the building to tax-payers by $17 million. Over 100,000 Minnesotans visit the Capitol every year. If we want to renovate the Capitol in a manner that makes our government accessible to the public long term, finding new permanent space for the Senate is necessary. Despite Republican claims that the DFL is a self-serving legislature, the facts speak for themselves. The GOP left Minnesota with a $600 million deficit and an over $800 million IOU to schools when they refused to ask wealthy special interests and corporations to pay their fair share. By closing corporate loopholes and asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share, the DFL honestly balanced the 2013 budget. Now, our schools are paid back, our economy is growing, and we had a strong budget surplus.[2][3] |
” |
2012
Pariseau's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[4]
Taxes
- Excerpt: "I will go to the House of Representatives and work to ensure no more taxes are collected than needed and only those services required are offered. That will entail debate, discussion and compromise."
Government Service
- Excerpt: "Government is meant to be a service to the people. That has been forgotten. This community has a history of electing people familiar to us. People that we know on a first-name basis. People that went to the Capitol to help make laws. But, they also responded personally when contacted by someone with a problem."
Elections
2014
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 12, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Greg Pariseau was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Matt Dean was unopposed in the Republican primary. Dean defeated Pariseau in the general election.[5][6][7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Matt Dean Incumbent |
56.1% | 9,529 | |
| Democratic | Greg Pariseau | 43.8% | 7,444 | |
| Write-in | Write-in | 0.1% | 21 | |
| Total Votes | 16,994 | |||
2012
Pariseau ran in the 2012 election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 38B. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 14 and was defeated by incumbent Matt Dean (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Dean Incumbent |
52.4% | 12,374 | |
| Democratic | Greg Pariseau | 47.6% | 11,248 | |
| Total Votes | 23,622 | |||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Greg + Pariseau + Minnesota + House"
See also
- Minnesota House of Representatives
- Minnesota House of Representatives District 38B
- Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2014
- Minnesota State Legislature
External links
- Official campaign website
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
Footnotes
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed July 1, 2014
- ↑ Pariseau for State House, "Why I Run," accessed October 21, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Pariseau for State House, accessed October 17, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "State Canvassing Board Report," August 19, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed July 25, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 Election Results," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2012 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed June 18, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Canvassing Report - State Primary - Tuesday, August 14, 2012," accessed April 23, 2014
