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United States Senate special election in Minnesota (August 14, 2018 Democratic primary)

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U.S. Senate, Minnesota special
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 5, 2018
Primary: August 14, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Tina Smith (D)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Minnesota
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic
Inside Elections: Likely Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
U.S. Senate (regular) • U.S. Senate (special) • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th
Minnesota elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

Incumbent Sen. Tina Smith (D) defeated former White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter in the special Democratic primary election for U.S. Senate representing Minnesota. Smith advanced to the special general election, which took place on November 6, 2018.

Smith was appointed to replace Al Franken (D), who resigned on January 2, 2018, due to sexual harassment allegations.[1] She was described by Rep. Keith Ellison (D) as “a progressive champion.” Smith's platform included universal healthcare, prohibiting LGBTQ employment discrimination, and universal all-day kindergarten.[2][3] She led the race in endorsements, with a list of backers that included former Vice President Joe Biden (D), EMILY's List, dozens of state legislators, and several unions.

Painter, a longtime Republican who served as an ethics lawyer for the George W. Bush administration, announced in April 2018 that he would run as a Democrat.[4] He referred to Donald Trump's (R) policies as autocratic, saying, “I'm running against Donald Trump and every one of his collaborators in the Republican Party.”[4] Painter highlighted his support for Medicare for All, addressing government officials' financial conflicts of interest, and replacing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in his campaign.[5] He was endorsed in the primary by Our Revolution of Southern Minnesota and former Gov. Arne Carlson (R).

The candidates clashed over copper-nickel mining in the state. In Congress, Smith tried to secure land for a mining project called PolyMet; the land exchange was the subject of four lawsuits brought by environmental groups.[6] Smith argued that the project must pass the state's environmental review process and that it would create jobs in the state. Painter said that such projects pose an environmental risk and that he would introduce legislation banning this type of mining near major waterways.[7]

Four other candidates ran in the August 14 Democratic primary. Tina Smith faced Republican Karin Housley and two other candidates in November.

As of August, this was one of six special congressional elections scheduled in 2018 and one of two for the Senate. There was also a regularly scheduled election for Minnesota's other Senate seat on November 6.



Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

The following candidates ran in the special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tina Smith
Tina Smith
 
76.1
 
433,705
Image of Richard Painter
Richard Painter
 
13.7
 
78,193
Image of Ali Chehem Ali
Ali Chehem Ali Candidate Connection
 
3.3
 
18,897
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Gregg Iverson
 
3.1
 
17,825
Image of Nick Leonard
Nick Leonard
 
2.9
 
16,529
Image of Christopher Seymore
Christopher Seymore
 
0.9
 
5,041

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 570,190
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Candidate profiles

Top candidates

Richard Painter

Richard Painter.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter
Painter's professional experience includes working as the S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He has also served as vice-chairman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. He served as a chief White House ethics lawyer under the Bush administration from 2005 to 2007. He is also the author of three books. Painter graduated from Harvard University.[8]

Painter's campaigning focused on introducing ethics legislation for federal officeholders, replacing President Trump's tax plan, supporting small businesses, and passing the Medicare for All bill introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I).[5] He was endorsed by the group Our Revolution of Southern Minnesota.

Tina Smith

Tina Smith.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter
Smith was appointed to the U.S. Senate following Al Franken's (D) January 2018 resignation after sexual misconduct allegations were brought against him. Prior to her appointment, she was serving as the lieutenant governor of Minnesota. She was elected in 2014. Smith also served as the chief of staff for Gov. Mark Dayton from 2011 until 2015, when she became lieutenant governor. She previously served as the chief of staff for Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

Before entering politics, Smith worked as a marketing professional with General Mills.[9] She holds a B.S. in political science from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Smith's campaigning focused on universal healthcare, all-day kindergarten, reducing student debt, and expanding background checks for potential gun owners.[10] She was endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden, EMILY's List, and SEIU Minnesota.


Endorsements

Democratic primary endorsements
Endorsement Tina Smith[11] Richard Painter Nick Leonard
Federal officials
Rep. Betty McCollum (D) ✔
Rep. Rick Nolan (D) ✔
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) ✔
National figures
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) ✔
Former Vice President Walter Mondale (D) ✔
State figures
37 Minnesota state senators and representatives ✔
Gov. Mark Dayton (D) ✔
Former Minn. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (D) ✔
Jaylani Hussein, CAIR Minnesota ✔
Former Gov. Arne Carlson (R)[12] ✔
Local figures
Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede ✔
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter ✔
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey ✔
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson ✔
Former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak ✔
Former Duluth Mayor Don Ness ✔
Ramsey County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire ✔
Nick Khaliq, Saint Paul NAACP ✔
Tony Sertich, The Northland Foundation ✔
Ann Mulholland, Saint Paul Foundation ✔
Duluth News Tribune editorial board[13] ✔
Organizations
Council for a Livable World ✔
DFL Party[14] ✔
DFL Stonewall Caucus ✔
Education Minnesota ✔
EMILY's List ✔
Human Rights Campaign Fund ✔
League of Conservation Voters ✔
National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund ✔
NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota ✔
Planned Parenthood Action Fund ✔
Population Connection Action Fund ✔
Womenwinning ✔
Our Revolution Minnesota[15] ✔
Our Revolution of Southern Minnesota[16] ✔
Unions
SEIU Minnesota ✔
United Steelworkers ✔
Minnesota AFL-CIO ✔
AFSCME Council 5 ✔
Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council ✔
Teamsters Joint Council 32 ✔


Campaign themes and policy stances

Campaign themes

The themes below were taken from the candidates' campaign websites.

Richard Painter

Corruption and Ethics

The corruption in Washington is staggering. The line between public service and private gain has been all but erased. Donald Trump and members of Congress have repeatedly used public office to personally enrich themselves and their families. Like a cancer, this ethical depravity has spread throughout the rest of the Executive Branch and throughout Congress.

To confront the mounting crisis of improper influence, financial conflict of interest and other ethical violations in Washington, Richard will introduce a bill to do the following:

1. Apply 18 U.S.C § 208, a previously-existing criminal statute that prohibits all unelected federal executive branch officers from participating in any matter with which they or a spouse have a personal financial conflict of interest, to the President, Vice President, and all members of the House and Senate.

2. Require the President and all members of the House and Senate to divest from individual companies’ stocks, bonds and other securities that create conflicts of interests, and instead invest in broadly diversified stock mutual funds, life insurance, bank accounts, and other conflict free assets as defined in already existing Office of Government Ethics regulations.

3. Expand the post-government-employment ban in 18 U.S.C § 207 to include a lifetime ban on former members of the House and Senate serving as paid lobbyists, and provide that violating this ban will result in criminal penalties.

4. Impose criminal penalties on any U.S. government official who receives profits and benefits from foreign governments in violation of the prohibition in the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, and mandate that the Department of Justice investigate and prosecute persons violating this prohibition.

5. Impose term limits (six years in the House, twelve years in the Senate) for Congressional leadership positions and committee chairmanships, and dismantle the seniority system that gives more power to long-serving Members.

6. Strip pensions of any official found guilty of violating any federal anti-corruption statute, including but not limited to 18 U.S.C §§ 207 and 208, bribery and gratuity statutes, insider trading laws, and other similar provisions.

Economy

Fiscal responsibility is a classic Republican talking point, but since the 1980’s it has been nothing more than lip service. Most recently, the Trump tax cuts have demonstrated that the GOP cares more about paying back their billionaire donors than any kind of responsibility. (Read CBO projections for the Trump tax plan here). Despite the blatant falsehoods by the administration, these tax cuts will not increase the job supply, nor will they benefit the average American’s paychecks.

Richard has spoken out against irresponsible spending and bloated budgets that give handouts to special interests. In his first TV appearance ever while he was an undergraduate at Harvard, Richard asked a question on an episode of “Firing Line” which criticized the irresponsible deficit spending of the Reagan administration (see the transcript here).

Richard plans to craft and implement policy that is actually designed to help American workers and to improve the economy. Richard supports the following measures:

  • Replacing the disastrous Trump tax plan with a plan that decreases taxes on working-class Americans by increases the tax burden on millionaires and billionaires.
  • Eliminating expensive handouts to big corporations
  • Fighting to achieve a balanced budget

REGULATION OF THE FINANCIAL SECTOR

Rather than hold the Wall Street CEOs responsible for the damage they caused in 2008, the Trump administration has appointed them to high office. Recently, they have worked to repeal safeguards put in place to prevent another financial collapse. In addition, the administration is actively working to gut the chief consumer protection body in the country, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In 2015, Richard co-authored “Better Bankers Better Banks” which advocated that officers of banks that become insolvent or banks found to have violated the law be personally liable for a portion of the loss or fine incurred by the bank.

Wall Street needs to be held responsible when their policies harm Americans. Richard supports:

  • Reinstating and solidifying the Dodd-Frank regulations on Wall Street
  • Improving consumer protection against exploitation from banks
  • Fining bankers, not shareholders for a bank’s misconduct (for more details, click here)
  • Denying any future bailout money to failing banks

FREE TRADE We have seen throughout history that trade wars are destructive for nation’s economies. Our current administration seems to have missed this history lesson. Trump’s spat with China threatens to launch the US into a disastrous trade war which will inevitably harm the country.

Trade should be free and fair. To achieve this, Richard supports:

  • Policy that emphasizes fair treatment of labor
  • Respect for the environment
  • Protecting American industry from illegal dumping by foreign exporters. We can target illegal dumping of steel and other products through diplomatic actions; thus preventing a devastating trade war.

FARMERS AND TARIFFS

Farmers export more goods than any other industry in America. They will be the hardest hit by the forthcoming tariffs imposed by this administration. (For a detailed analysis of the threat posed to Minnesota by these tariffs, click here).

Richard will listen and work with the farmers in our great state to best serve them in Washington. This includes

  • Resisting tariffs
  • Passing a responsible farm bill
  • Reducing unduly burdensome regulation.

Environment

ABOVE THE FRUITED PLAIN: PLANS AND POLICIES TO PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT

The state of our environment is in an existential crisis. Climate change threatens our food supply, our sources of clean water, and our very ability to live on this planet. We have already seen some of its disastrous consequences, but those promise to be just the beginning. Some scientists believe we have reached a point of no return for the environment. Many politicians (at least those who do not deny climate change outright) have taken this as an invitation to abandon any commitment they once had to preserving the state of the Earth. Richard will not go so gentle into that dark night. In the Senate, Richard will work tirelessly to ensure that Minnesotans and citizens across the country will be able to enjoy the beauty and majesty of our lands for generations to come.

COPPER/NICKEL MINING

Minnesota is home to some of the most beautiful natural wilderness areas in the country. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness consists of nearly one million acres of pristine Minnesota lakes, forests, and wildlife. The Boundary Waters also contains vast quantities of metals such as copper and nickel, which foreign entities now seek to exploit and leave Minnesotans cleaning up for centuries.

The PolyMet-Glencore project has the appearance of a Minnesota operation, but the reality is that Glencore pulls the levers and will make off with the loot. Glencore is a Swiss-based international commodities broker, and the funding for the PolyMet project comes largely from wealthy foreign financiers like Nate Rothschild (of the Rothschild banking family), and seedy and corrupt figures such as Oleg Deripaska; the Russian oligarch who is now under sanctions from the U.S. government, and was a close associate to former campaign manager Paul Manafort. Likewise, the Twin Metals operation is controlled by Andronico Luksic, a Chilean billionaire who certainly has no interest in the wellbeing of Minnesotans or their cherished northern wilderness.

Minnesota has a complex, layered system of permitting and protections designed to safeguard its environment, and ensure that any resource extraction is in the interest of her citizens. Similarly, the checks and balances built into our system of representative democracy exists to ensure that the voices of citizens are heard, and representatives to just that: represent. On these mines, like so many other pressing issues, Richard has seen those safeguards, checks, and balances thwarted by politicians who have a direct financial interest in seeing the mining project succeed.

Copper/Nickel mining has serious environmental consequences. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is a political office, and we have little reason to be confident in their ability to protect Minnesota from these consequences. The legal framework governing these kinds of mines was designed to regulate taconite extraction, and it does not properly or address the concerns with sulfide mining. Additionally, Glencore’s Chairman, Tony Hayward, former Chairman of British Petroleum during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, gives us reason to question the company’s commitment to safety and environmental-consciousness.

For these reasons, Richard vehemently opposes H.R. 3115, a bill that passed the U.S. House in early December, 2017, to push through a land swap needed for the completion of the PolyMet mine. Enacting this legislation will void four pending lawsuits on the matter, preventing Minnesotans from questioning the legality of the land swap and eliminating the judicial branch's role.

Additionally, Richard opposes the MINER Act (H.R. 3905), which will prevent the completion of a two-year Forest Service study related to economic and environmental issues associated with mining near the Boundary Waters. This act will allow PolyMet to shoot first and ask questions later. Unfortunately, when it comes to our environment, “later” will be too late. Minnesotans have a right to know the kind of damage these mines will do to our rivers, lakes, and ecosystems before the monied interests in Washington push them through. The MINER Act also designates Minnesota as the only state in the nation unworthy of public lands protections, requiring Congressional intervention into decisions regarding public lands in Minnesota. We deserve better than that, and Richard will fight to make it so.

While preventing these mines is the smart environmental and economic choice, it comes with consequences. Minnesota’s rural areas are struggling to find gainful employment, and the PolyMet-Glencore projects would offer a small amount of jobs in those areas. But these are not the kinds of jobs that will solve the endemic problems in our rural regions. Read more about Richard’s Rural Revitalization Plan here.

CLEAN ENERGY

Apart from his dedication to conservation and protecting the environment, Richard also believes that we ought to focus on developing jobs that are sustainable. Donald Trump’s promise to bring coal mining back to the U.S. is disingenuous. We need to move forward and expand the creation of clean jobs across the state. Richard supports creating these jobs by expanding tax credits that can help grow solar energy farms across the state.

Today, clean energy jobs are the fastest growing subset of jobs in the United States with the greatest opportunity for exponential growth. Investing in clean energy will increase jobs in all areas of processing such as installation, manufacturing, sales and distribution, and project development. Clean energy investment is critical to the improvement of public health, sustainable economies and limiting the effects of climate change. More information on his plans to expand the development of clean energy jobs can be found on her Rural Revitalization Plan.

Richard also stands for fair, free, common sense trade policies that protect American jobs while promoting clean energy investment. The Trump tariffs threaten to eliminate Canadian imports of components of solar panels set for final manufacture in the U.S. - a move that will certainly cost American jobs. Using American resources is important to our economy, but the tariffs imposed by this administration will do nothing but increase the prices of goods while falsely propping up a sector of unsustainable jobs. Richard believes that clean energy jobs are essential to state and national economies, as well as the future of our environment. He supports trade policy that will grow the clean energy sector.

Finally, Richard believes the United States should be a leader in the global fight against climate change and rejoin the community of nations as a participant in the Paris Climate Accord. The United States ought to always be a role model on the global stage. By withdrawing from the Accord, Donald Trump indicated to the world that climate change is not an issue to be taken seriously. Not so. If we do not commit ourselves to developing and implementing bold, innovative policy to address climate change, the country and the planet will suffer.

Rural Revitalization Plan

SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES

Small businesses are essential to the U.S. economy; without local businesses and entrepreneurs, the nation would be overtaken by large corporations with little regard for local communities. Richard will support small businesses by enforcing tax cuts, providing small government grants, and ensuring SBA loans as well as loans from local banks. Richard’s efforts to support small businesses will help facilitate a sense of community within Minnesota’s cities and towns, thus generating vibrant local economies. Most importantly, supporting small businesses will bring new job opportunities to rural communities.

IMPROVE RURAL BROADBAND

In the current globalized system, internet access is nearly essential for the success of small businesses and local communities. Small businesses in rural communities often have difficulties due to slow or absent internet access. According to a recent Minnesota Employment and Economic Development report, there are 252,000 Minnesota households that lack quality high-speed broadband service. A majority of these are in rural areas. From the same report, 26.55 percent of rural Minnesota households lack quality high-speed service, compared to less than two percent of Twin Cities metro area residents.

By pushing for increased funding for broadband in rural regions, Richard will help boost internet capabilities and help local small businesses be more competitive in the greater market. Increasing the efficacy of rural broadband will benefit local businesses and economies, bring an influx of new jobs, and revitalize the economy.

ENCOURAGE CLEAN ENERGY JOBS

Clean energy is the future of jobs and economic development in the United States. Due to increased fossil fuels and greenhouse gases emitted by traditional energy sources such as burning coal, the environment is quickly deteriorating. In order to mitigate these negative impacts on the environment while revitalizing local economies and expanding job opportunities, Richard will push for the implementation of clean energy sources throughout Minnesota.

Today, clean energy jobs are the fastest growing subset of jobs in the United States with the greatest opportunity for exponential growth. Investing in clean energy will increase jobs in all areas of processing such as installation, manufacturing, sales and distribution, and project development. Clean energy is essential to ensure the longevity of our planet. Investing in clean energy sources will not only mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change, but will also create new jobs and lead to greater economic prosperity.

Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports will devastate the ability for American companies to manufacture green technology. We have begun to see these effects already. Richard opposes these tariffs and the trade wars that will inevitably ensue. Using domestic products and materials is important, but these tariffs will be catastrophic, and will surely rob Minnesota of clean jobs.

INVEST IN SKILLED WORKERS

Skilled workers are essential to a flourishing economy and promoting job opportunities. Richard will encourage employment and training programs as well as adult education and literacy programs to invest in the capabilities of workers. Richard will invest in skilled workers and as such, will invest in small businesses to be more competitive in the global economy. Improving the capabilities of individual workers will make local businesses more competitive, increase jobs, and improve local and national economies.

Election Reform

CITIZENS, NOT CEOS: TAKING MONEY OUT OF POLITICS

Money in politics is a rot that is growing. The disastrous Citizens United decision gave free reign to corporations and lobbyists to buy influence with politicians. Commonsense solutions to the most pressing issues facing the country have been thwarted by monied interests. While many voters on both sides of the aisle have paid lip service to the issue, there has been no serious push on the federal level.

In the Senate, Richard would take the following steps to eliminate the insidious influence of money in politics:

1. Introduce a bill requiring complete transparency of money in politics, including contributions to, 501(c)(3) organizations, 501(c)(4) organizations, PACs, Super PACs, and any dark money organizations engaging in communications intended to influence elections. All such contributions will be recorded by the FEC and made publicly available.

2. Enact the Taxation Only With Representation statute giving every taxpayer the right to designate the first $200 of their taxes to the campaign(s) of his/her choice.

3. Vote against the appointment of any Supreme Court nominee who will not, under oath, commit to overturning the decision on FEC vs. Citizens United.

4. Provide funding to state legislatures to organize and sponsor televised debates for both the primary and general election of all federal and statewide offices, as well as any other offices at the discretion of the legislature.

Health Care

Many people have described health care as the single greatest policy issue of our time. Affordable, effective health care for everyone is not only socially beneficial, it is a basic right. It is in the interest of the consumer and also the small business owner to ask the question: how do we get the highest-quality health care for the best price? How do you avoid having health-care issues interfere with the ability to start businesses?

The answer is single-payer health care. Richard supports the passage of Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All bill (or whichever single-payer bill is on the table). This bill would decrease the price of health care while ensuring that every American has access to the care they need.

Additionally, Richard opposes the repeal of the ACA Medical Device Tax. Medical device companies provide invaluable products that save lives; but they are profit-driven corporations nonetheless, and it is too often that they drive up the costs of health care to unattainable levels. The Medical Device Tax helps balance the scales and keep down the cost of care.[5]

Tina Smith

The themes below were taken from the candidate's website.

Tina is a fierce advocate for a Minnesota that works for everyone – not just the lucky few. And she knows that when we work together and put Minnesota values first, nothing can stop us from turning that vision into reality.

The Minnesota Way Forward

It’s true: we are living through one of the most challenging times in the history of our country. Many of those in Washington seem to think their job is to take care of the wealthy and powerful – at the expense of working and middle-class families.

But Tina believes that things can – and will – change for the better. Her belief is grounded in what she knows to be true about fellow Minnesotans: we get together to solve problems, to lift each other up, to find and stand on common ground. We’re creative, we’re practical, and we don’t just complain about what’s holding us back – we come up with solutions.

Tina knows they’re no match for the people of this state when we come together, stand shoulder to shoulder, and each do our part to create the reality Paul Wellstone described where "we all do better when we all do better."

A Strong and Diverse Economy

Tina is a fierce advocate for economic opportunity and a diverse economy that works for everyone so that businesses grow and workers get better jobs and better pay. To build a diverse economy, Tina believes we need to invest in manufacturing and technology, help small businesses grow and create jobs, and expand our agriculture economy.

Tina championed raising the minimum wage in Minnesota. She supports expanding paid family and medical leave so that parents can stay home to take care of their children and family members without the worry of losing a paycheck. Tina introduced a bill in the Senate to develop more local partnerships to promote career and skill training opportunities

Workforce for Today’s Economy

Tina recognizes that not every young person in Minnesota will go to a four-year college, or that they want to. That is why she travels the state bringing together high schools, two-year community and technical colleges and local businesses to promote career and skill training opportunities. In fact, she recently introduced a bill in the Senate to help develop more of these partnerships. Tina is committed to finding solutions to help ensure Minnesotans have the skills to fill high-demand jobs and help close the skills gap.

Affordable High-Quality Health Care

Every Minnesota family deserves access to high-quality health care that they can afford. When Tina talks to Minnesotans, the number one issue she hears about is the rising cost of healthcare – including the cost of prescription drugs. That is why Tina supports universal health care, is working to hold Big Pharma responsible, and fighting for solutions to save Minnesotans money.

Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs

The first bill Tina introduced would help to lower the cost of prescription drugs by addressing a corporate loophole that giant drug companies use to game the system and keep affordable generic drugs off the market. This unfair practice makes it harder for seniors, families, and all Minnesotans with medical needs to afford life-saving drugs.

Tina is not only pushing legislation, she also wrote letters to Big Pharma CEOs asking them what they did with the money they got from the GOP tax bill and whether the money was used to lower prescription drug prices for consumers.

Addressing the Opioid Epidemic

Too many Minnesotans are losing their lives to the opioid epidemic. That is why Tina is working with community leaders, health care professionals, and lawmakers to find a bipartisan solution for the opioid crisis.

  • In the Senate, she is supporting a bill that would require prescription drug companies to pay a “penny-a-pill” and help fund treatment options to end this devastating epidemic that is plaguing our communities.
  • As Lt. Governor, Tina also advocated for better prevention and treatment options.

Expanding Mental Health Services in our Schools

Tina wrote legislation with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska to help expand mental health services in school and local communities to ensure our children, wherever they live, have access to the resources they need.

Quality Education for All Minnesotans

Every student deserves a strong public education system from early childhood to adulthood that prepares them for the workforce.

All-Day Kindergarten

As Lt. Governor, Tina fought an uphill battle to establish all-day kindergarten for all Minnesota children. Supporting our littlest learners improves access to education and helps close the achievement gap while saving parents from costly childcare expenses.

College Affordability

The student debt crisis is out of control. As tuition continues to skyrocket, Tina hears from too many Minnesotans facing financial uncertainty from looming student loans. That’s why Tina is working with Senator Elizabeth Warren to help reduce the burden of student debt by allowing people to refinance their student loans at lower rates. On top of tuition, textbooks add to the amount students need to spend. To address this, Tina helped secure $5 million to be used for a pilot that helps allows students to cut down on the expense of costly textbooks.

Action on Gun Violence

Tina is working to pass common-sense reforms to help end needless gun violence. That is why Tina is standing up to the NRA and working to ensure all people can feel safe at their schools, in their communities, and at their places of worship. Tina has never and will never take money from the NRA.

Common-sense Reforms

Now is the time to pass much-needed gun reforms. Tina is the cosponsor of bills to expand background checks and to ban the sale of bump stocks, assault weapons, and high-capacity magazines. She is also working with Senator Amy Klobuchar to ban people convicted of stalking from having firearms.

Support Minnesota Traditions

Tina understands and respects Minnesota's long-standing hunting traditions. As a hunter and angler, Tina will work with Minnesotans to urge Congress to make our communities safer.

Supporting Minnesota’s Farmers and Rural Communities

A growing agricultural economy and vibrant rural communities are the heart of Minnesota. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, Tina is working to pass a Farm Bill that invests in Minnesota farmers and rural communities, and expands essential broadband infrastructure across the state.

Working with Minnesota Farmers

Tina fought for a spot on the Agriculture Committee because agriculture touches every community in Minnesota. That's why Tina travels across the state to meet with farmers in their community and listen to what matters to them. Tina is working to pass a Farm Bill that prioritizes Minnesota farmers by investing in farm-to-table programs that bring locally grown food to Minnesota schools and restaurants; including strong safety net programs for those dealing with low commodity prices, and keeping nutrition assistance programs in the bill.

Tina has also cosponsored bipartisan legislation to expand Minnesota's farm exports by helping farmers, rural cooperatives, and small businesses sell more commodities abroad.

Expand Rural Broadband

Access to reliable and affordable broadband is critical for rural and tribal communities. That is why Tina has introduced a bill to increase available funding for broadband projects in tribal communities and in remote and low-income areas. Tina’s bill would expand broadband to areas that are not currently served, allowing Minnesotans the opportunity to connect, compete, and create the lives they want.

Affordable Housing Across Minnesota

In many places in rural Minnesota, there is a devastating lack of affordable housing. Tina has introduced legislation to help Minnesotans afford to stay in their homes by maintaining rental assistance through the Rural Housing Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's important we do everything we can to help families and seniors stay in their homes and their communities.

Women’s Economic Health and Security

Women deserve economic opportunity and fairness as well as reproductive freedom. As Lt. Governor, Tina helped develop and pass landmark bipartisan legislation which works to close the gender pay gap by helping to ensure equal pay for equal work, increases workplace protections, and expands medical family leave. Tina is leading on this issue in the Senate as well.

Equal Pay

While we have made progress as a nation toward closing the long-standing gender pay gap, women, especially women of color, earn far less than then men on average. That is why Tina is co-sponsoring The Paycheck Fairness Act to addresses this by helping to ensure all women can succeed.

Pro-Choice

Tina is a strong advocate for women’s health. As a former Planned Parenthood executive, she deeply respects the right of women to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves and their families – and is committed to protecting this right.

Supporting our Veterans

Tina is strongly committed to making sure we support our veterans and their families.

Hire Veterans

Veterans make a selfless commitment to our country, and they deserve the utmost respect when they return home. That is why Tina is working with Minnesota businesses so that they hire veterans – making sure that when vets return home, they get the support they need and opportunities they deserve.

Quality and Timely Health Care for Veterans

Veterans should have access to quality, timely health care. That is why Tina is committed to pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs to end the backlog of cases so that veterans don't have to wait months to get treatment – which can put the lives of patients at risk.

Standing up for our LGBTQ Family

We need to defend the progress that’s been made for LGBTQ equality and fight the injustices that still exist for too many LGBTQ Americans. That is why Tina pushed to pass marriage equality making Minnesota the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage, that’s why she pushed for legislation to prevent bullying in Minnesota schools, and why she is supporting a bill to make it illegal to fire someone for being LGBTQ.

Tribal Communities

Tina is working closely with Minnesota’s eleven tribal communities to make sure they have the resources and support to address critical issues like the lack of housing, workforce needs, the opioid crisis, and holding non-native people responsible for crimes committed on tribal land.

Tina introduced the Community Connect Grant Program to help increase available funding for broadband projects in tribal communities. Expanding broadband to areas that are not currently served is essential to making sure Minnesotans can connect, compete, and create the lives they want.

She also introduced a bill to help tribal communities in Minnesota address the opioid crisis by making sure they have the resources to tackle this issue in a way that works for tribal communities; and has called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to host an opioid roundtable in Minnesota to hear from farmers, tribal communities and families dealing with this epidemic.

Protecting our Environment

It is the Minnesota way of life to enjoy all four seasons in the magnificent parks and trails across the state. As a member of the Senate Energy Committee, Tina has made it a priority to protect our land, water, and air, while working with innovative, clean energy businesses to grow jobs. That is why she supports the Paris Agreement to fight climate change, and why she is a champion for growing Minnesota’s strong clean energy economy.

Protection for Dreamers and Immigrants

We need to stand up with immigrant communities and protect those facing unfair deportation.

  • Tina supports a pathway to citizenship for DREAMERS and opposes the President's actions to end DACA
  • She pushed to prevent the President’s unfair and unnecessary deportation agenda impacting Minnesota’s Liberian community
  • Tina introduced the HELP Separated Children Act to help force ICE to defend families, not separate them

Taking on Special Interests and Campaign Finance Reform

It’s time to end the system of unlimited dark money that is corrupting our elections. In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of unlimited, unaccountable political campaign spending making it easy for billionaires and special interest groups to secretly spend billions to sway elections. That’s why Tina supports a Constitutional Amendment that would reverse the Citizens United decision and end the ridiculous influence of corporate money in politics.

Strengthening Unions and Fighting Unfair Trade Deals

Unions play a critical role in Minnesota’s economy – they provide workers with livable wages, a safe work environment and quality benefits for their families. That’s why Tina supports working together at the state and federal level to strengthen the rights for people to organize, collectively improve working conditions, and protect their pensions.

Protect Hard-Earned Pensions

Tina was appointed to the newly created bipartisan committee on pensions to address the crisis that is putting the pensions of more than 22,000 retired Minnesotans at risk. Tina is concerned that allowing pension plans to fail will create a ripple effect that would devastate Minnesota families, businesses, and communities. Minnesotans who have worked and paid into their retirement plan their whole lives should not have to worry about how they take care of themselves when they retire. That is why Tina will fight to protect the pensions of hard-working Minnesotans.

End Harmful Trade Policies

Minnesota's Iron Range is an essential part of our economy, and illegal steel dumping puts too many jobs in Minnesota's Northland at risk. Tina's first trip as Senator was to Eveleth, Minnesota – the heart of the Iron Range – to listen to the issues steelworkers are currently facing. She pressed President Trump to take action to combat foreign steel imports that were threatening our national security, and she supports efforts to end steel dumping and hold foreign governments who don't play by the rules accountable.

As the trade discussion in Washington continues, Tina has pushed the President to support trade policies that help Minnesota communities and businesses.[10]

New York Times interview

The New York Times interviews Richard Painter about his views of President Trump and Painter's decision to run as a Democrat. The transcript is below.[17]

You served for two years as George W. Bush’s ethics counsel. Since Donald Trump took office, you and a couple of other ethics experts have been in high demand, especially on cable TV. You may dislike Trump, but you have to admit, he’s been a boon to the ethics-industrial complex.

Well, he certainly created a lot of attention on ethics issues. Previously, people would violate ethics rules, but it was not quite as rampant as what’s going on here. We’ve been through a phase somewhat like this before, during Watergate, when ethics was front and center in the news.

You were about 12 years old when Watergate happened. Were you paying attention as a kid?

Oh, yeah, I was watching those hearings. I remember hearing a man named Archie Cox had been fired and asking, Who fired him? The president. What was he doing? Investigating the president. You figure that out: There’s something wrong with that.

Which of President Trump’s potential ethical violations bothers you the most?

Well, that depends on how broadly you define ethics. If ethics is limited to financial conflicts of interest — that’s really what I did in the Bush White House — that’s a huge problem for me because Trump refused to sell his businesses. We don’t know where he’s getting his financing. All we know is he won’t share his tax returns. Certainly, since he was elected, things have blown up in areas relevant to ethics. It’s a scary situation if you have a president obstructing justice, particularly when it’s about whether his political campaign was infiltrated by a foreign adversary.

Who is the worst ethical offender in Trump’s orbit?

Probably Scott Pruitt. His conflicts of interest have a direct impact on environmental regulations and our ability to protect the planet. Then he has the gall to try to use his Christian faith to stay in office. I’m active in the church myself. I find it a really offensive use of religion when you have somebody in there who’s clearly corrupt, and he’s destroying the environment, and he’s using religion to justify it.

What happens after Trump? Has he permanently moved the goal posts on the ethical behavior of a president, or will we go back to the norms and standards we had before him?

I think we’ll go through a period when there’s a revival of concern about ethics. After Watergate, we got the Ethics in Government Act, which has a lot of additional regulations. The course I teach, Professional Responsibility, was brought into law-school curriculums and required by most states for admission to the bar beginning in the 1970s. I think we’re going to go through another period when people insist on higher standards of ethics from both political parties.

You’re a lifelong Republican, but now you’re running for Senate in Minnesota as a Democrat. It’s Al Franken’s former seat, which is a little paradoxical because you’ve been very vocal that he shouldn’t have resigned in the first place, in the face of sexual-misconduct allegations.

I do not know the facts. It’s the same problem we have with Trump — everyone wants to jump to conclusions. With Trump, it’s Republicans jumping to conclusions that he’s done absolutely nothing wrong despite glaring evidence that he has. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees need to investigate. With Franken, an ethics committee needed to investigate and find out the facts. I would have fully supported that.

Why not stay with the G.O.P. and try to save it from the inside?

When people are making up stories about Bob Mueller on Fox News and those get traction in congressional committees and in the White House, at a certain point, I’ve got to say no. At what point are we moving from a situation where I’m in the moderate wing of the party that plays by essentially the same rules as the Democrats, to a party that really is behaving as if it does not want to function in a democracy?

Campaign tactics and strategies

Campaign advertisements

Richard Painter

"Richard Painter - Dumpster Fire Ad" released June 17, 2018

Tina Smith

"I'm Tina" released June 8, 2018

Debates and forums

On August 7, five special Senate election candidates participated in a forum at Minnesota Farmfest 2018. The forum included DFL candidates Tina Smith, Richard Painter, and Nick Leonard and Republican candidates Karin Housley and Bob Anderson.

View a video of the forum here.

Campaign finance

The table below contains campaign finance reports obtained from the Federal Election Commission.


Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Tina Smith Democratic Party $9,221,474 $8,787,691 $433,783 As of December 31, 2018
Ali Chehem Ali Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Nick Leonard Democratic Party $2,775 $2,499 $275 As of July 17, 2018
Richard Painter Democratic Party $298,780 $290,337 $8,442 As of December 31, 2018

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Noteworthy events

DFL publicly criticizes Richard Painter

Weeks ahead of the Democratic primary, the DFL publicly criticized Richard Painter. In an email to reporters on July 26, DFL spokeswoman Ellen Perrault referred to Painter's Democratic bid as "blatant political opportunism and [an] attempt to deceive voters.” The email followed an interview with Minnesota Public Radio in which Painter declined to call himself a Democrat.[18]

In response, Painter's campaign argued in a statement that the DFL was applying "a dangerous litmus test." It said that Painter would caucus with Democrats if elected to the Senate but that he would not "swear an oath of allegiance to any person or party" because his "allegiance is to the people of the United States of America." The statement also said that his views align with those of most Democratic voters.[18][19]

The DFL followed up on July 30 with criticisms related to Painter's past and present connections, including his work with the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, which the DFL said contributes money to conservative groups, and his role in the George W. Bush administration.[18]

Painter responded to the criticisms by saying that he held a nonpolicy role in the Bush administration and that he works on the audit and investment committees of the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, roles that do not involve deciding where they contribute money.[18]


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Nineteen of 87 Minnesota counties—21.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Beltrami County, Minnesota 9.72% 9.89% 10.15%
Blue Earth County, Minnesota 3.69% 9.48% 12.95%
Chippewa County, Minnesota 28.70% 1.87% 5.87%
Clay County, Minnesota 1.95% 7.92% 16.02%
Fillmore County, Minnesota 21.70% 7.34% 8.26%
Freeborn County, Minnesota 17.24% 14.11% 17.13%
Houston County, Minnesota 13.87% 3.16% 10.69%
Itasca County, Minnesota 16.35% 9.83% 12.92%
Kittson County, Minnesota 22.05% 6.03% 18.54%
Koochiching County, Minnesota 19.85% 9.45% 10.10%
Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota 25.60% 0.90% 5.92%
Mahnomen County, Minnesota 2.92% 18.56% 25.31%
Mower County, Minnesota 7.82% 22.61% 23.61%
Nicollet County, Minnesota 3.04% 7.83% 10.52%
Norman County, Minnesota 13.34% 10.79% 26.94%
Rice County, Minnesota 3.06% 8.27% 11.50%
Swift County, Minnesota 25.57% 9.83% 13.79%
Traverse County, Minnesota 23.30% 4.44% 5.41%
Winona County, Minnesota 2.90% 12.85% 19.09%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Minnesota with 46.4 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1860 and 2016, Minnesota voted Republican 50 percent of the time and Democratic 47.5 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Minnesota voted Democratic all five times.[20]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Minnesota. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[21][22]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 68 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 27.6 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 62 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 30.4 points. Clinton won 12 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 66 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 12.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 72 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 23.8 points. Trump won seven districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ MPR News, "Al Franken officially resigns Senate seat," January 2, 2018
  2. ↑ Roll Call, "Keith Ellison Will Not Challenge Smith for Franken’s Seat in 2018," December 14, 2017
  3. ↑ Tina Smith 2018 campaign website, "Tina's Vision," accessed May 17, 2018
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bloomberg, "Former Bush Ethics Lawyer, a Trump Critic, Enters Minnesota Senate Race," April 30, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Richard Painter 2018 campaign website, "Healthcare," accessed June 20, 2018
  6. ↑ Minnesota Public Radio News, "Sen. Tina Smith's amendment would complete PolyMet land swap," June 8, 2018
  7. ↑ Minnesota Public Radio News, "Former Republican, DFL incumbent square off for U.S. Senate nomination," July 26, 2018
  8. ↑ Richard Painter 2018 campaign website, "About," accessed June 20, 2018
  9. ↑ Mark Dayton for a Better Minnesota, "Tina Smith," accessed August 9, 2014
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Tina Smith 2018 campaign website, "Tina's Vision," accessed June 20, 2018
  11. ↑ Tina Smith 2018 campaign website, "Team Smith," accessed June 20, 2018
  12. ↑ CBS Minnesota, "Former Gov. Arne Carlson Endorses Painter’s Democratic Senate Run," May 7, 2018
  13. ↑ Duluth News Tribune, "Our View / Endorsement: It's Smith in crowded Senate primary," July 25, 2018
  14. ↑ MinnPost, "DFL endorses Erin Murphy for governor," June 2, 2018
  15. ↑ Our Revolution Minnesota, "2018 Endorsements," accessed July 22, 2018
  16. ↑ Facebook, "Richard Painter on Facebook," accessed July 17, 2018
  17. ↑ The New York Times, "Why Richard Painter Felt the Need to Switch Parties," June 27, 2018
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Star Tribune, "DFL in Bitter Clash with Senate Candidate Richard Painter, August 1, 2018
  19. ↑ Minnesota Public Radio, "Senate hopeful Painter’s party ties cause flare-up," July 27, 2018
  20. ↑ 270towin.com, "Minnesota," accessed June 29, 2017
  21. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  22. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017


Minnesota's current delegation to the United States Congress
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Tom Emmer (R)
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