Lewis Blasts Walz’s “Highly Unconstitutional” Mask Mandate

July 22, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement condemning Governor Tim Walz’s statewide mask mandate.

“As I have been warning for months now, what started as a fight against an invisible danger has morphed into a fight against a very clear and present danger: unconstitutional power grabs being waged by radical liberals. This started with Governor Tim Walz’s highly flawed one-size-fits-all approach to COVID which quarantines the healthy and closed businesses based on embarrassingly flawed models. Now he is continuing his unfounded overreach with a statewide mask mandate.

This is not a debate over the effectiveness of masks for the ill, but rather the grounds the state—let alone the federal government as Senator Tina Smith might prefer—has to force people who aren’t con­ta­gious to wear masks? The government mandating what everyone can and can’t wear is an abuse of power and sets a horrible precedent. The Constitution doesn’t have a pandemic exemption.

All elected officials, including Senator Tina Smith, have a duty to condemn this assault on our liberties.”

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Lewis Slams Smith’s Endorsement of Omar & Acceptance of Insane, Far- Left Proposals & Statements

July 22, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement slamming Senator Tina Smith’s endorsement of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and her continued silence on everything from the left’s push to abolish the police to Attorney General Keith Ellison’s statement that rape should not be responded to by the police.

“Senator Tina Smith continues to prove that she is all in with the most radical members of the Democratic Party. Just yesterday Tina Smith heartily endorsed Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who downplayed the 9/11 attacks as ‘some people did something’ and has a long history of controversial comments, including calls for abolishing the police as well as our economic system of free enterprise, not to mention ethical scandals. An endorsement of Omar is an endorsement of the most radical and dangerous policies of the left, and Tina Smith proudly gave her stamp of approval.

Give Tina some credit, though. After months of cowering in the basement, at least she’s finally owning up to her radical, anti-American positions. Tina Smith’s ringing endorsement of Omar comes as little surprise given her affinity for the defund the police movement. When Tina Smith isn’t proclaiming there is something ‘dangerously wrong with the role police play in our society,’ she’s issuing intentionally vague statements on how we need to ‘reimagine policing.’ 

Earlier this week, Tina Smith’s fellow ‘squad’ aficionado, Attorney General Keith Ellison said police should not be responding to calls involving rape. This is dangerous, insane, and puts women across Minnesota at risk. And where is Tina Smith? For the sake of her constituents, especially women, she should be condemning this proposal, but instead she is staying silent.

By refusing to condemn or even endorsing the most radical, anarchic, anti-American fringes in her party, Tina Smith has made it clear that she agrees with these dangerous proposals and does not care about the safety of her constituents.”

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Lewis Calls for Property Tax Refund at Reopen Minnesota Schools Rally

July 13, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement after speaking at the Reopen Minnesota Schools rally on Saturday afternoon.

“It was great to see so many people—from parents to teachers to doctors—gather on Saturday at the Capitol to voice their support for getting schools reopened. We need to get our kids back in school this fall. This issue transcends politics. It’s not about right and left—this is about right and wrong. And, simply put, it is wrong to keep our kids isolated at home and not receiving a quality education.

If the Walz Administration and the Minnesota Department of Education don’t listen to the growing calls to reopen schools and are intent on keeping our kids at home this fall, then parents and taxpayers deserve their money back. They are paying for quality, in-person education—not Zoom classes! I’d also go a step further and say the federal government should be taking a serious look at districts that don’t reopen this fall. If they aren’t using the funds to educate their students, why should they —instead of taxpayers— get the money?

Politicians are always saying that our kids are our future, and we need to stand up for them. This is certainly the case in this scenario. Senator Tina Smith’s continued silence on this issue is disappointing. If she cared about the well-being of our young people, she would be joining us in advocating for the reopening of schools.

It’s time the question is put to Senator Tina Smith: ‘Do you support our children returning to school, or do you stand in favor of a never-ending, open-ended lockdown?’ Rest assured, I will not let Tina Smith off the hook on answering this question, and neither will the parents, teachers and students who want this lockdown to end.” 

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Lewis Demands Smith Clarify Position on McCollum’s Latest Assault on Mining

July 20, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. —  U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement calling for Senator Tina Smith to denounce Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s latest attempt at banning mining in Northeastern Minnesota.

“Urban liberals continue to make it painfully clear how they feel about our Iron Range communities. During a time where we need to get our economy moving again with good paying jobs—like those in mining, energy, and logging—Democrats are desperately trying to shut down our economic engine.

It should come as no surprise that Congresswoman Betty McCollum is leading the latest attack on the Northland way of life. Earlier this year, McCollum brought forward legislation that would outlaw new safe and responsible copper-nickel mines. And she’s not stopping there. Now she is coming after iron ore mining by trying to sneak a provision into an appropriations bill that would ban new iron ore mines and hinder future operations in even existing mines. This full-frontal assault on our mining communities is particularly unbelievable given the difficulties Minnesotans are facing due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Of course, this wouldn’t just impact mining communities. The city of Duluth has been squeezed by the lockdown, and the best way to get Duluth moving again is to get the Range moving again. According to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, iron ore makes up 60 percent of the total tonnage leaving the Port of Duluth. Banning iron ore mining would be a massive hit to all of Northeastern Minnesota.

Of all the rare earth minerals we import, 80 percent comes from China. No wonder politicians like McCollum and Senator Tina Smith get so much corporate PAC money—they do the bidding of those multinationals who’ve outsourced to China. Tina Smith needs quit playing to her urban base and the donor class and to look out for her constituents for once.  I’m calling on Tina Smith to stand up to McCollum, denounce this provision, and stop making Northlanders feel as though their way of life and livelihoods are constantly under assault simply because she feels like scoring cheap political points.”

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Lewis Demands Smith Clarify Position on McCollum’s Latest Assault on Mining

July 20, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement calling for Senator Tina Smith to denounce Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s latest attempt at banning mining in Northeastern Minnesota.

“Urban liberals continue to make it painfully clear how they feel about our Iron Range communities. During a time where we need to get our economy moving again with good paying jobs—like those in mining, energy, and logging—Democrats are desperately trying to shut down our economic engine.

It should come as no surprise that Congresswoman Betty McCollum is leading the latest attack on the Northland way of life. Earlier this year, McCollum brought forward legislation that would outlaw new safe and responsible copper-nickel mines. And she’s not stopping there. Now she is coming after iron ore mining by trying to sneak a provision into an appropriations bill that would ban new iron ore mines and hinder future operations in even existing mines. This full-frontal assault on our mining communities is particularly unbelievable given the difficulties Minnesotans are facing due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Of course, this wouldn’t just impact mining communities. The city of Duluth has been squeezed by the lockdown, and the best way to get Duluth moving again is to get the Range moving again. According to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, iron ore makes up 60 percent of the total tonnage leaving the Port of Duluth. Banning iron ore mining would be a massive hit to all of Northeastern Minnesota.

Of all the rare earth minerals we import, 80 percent comes from China. No wonder politicians like McCollum and Senator Tina Smith get so much corporate PAC money—they do the bidding of those multinationals who’ve outsourced to China. Tina Smith needs quit playing to her urban base and the donor class and to look out for her constituents for once.  I’m calling on Tina Smith to stand up to McCollum, denounce this provision, and stop making Northlanders feel as though their way of life and livelihoods are constantly under assault simply because she feels like scoring cheap political points.”

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Biden Worried About Minnesota, Tina Smith Will Own His Record of Tax Hikes, Outsourcing, and Disturbing Behavior/Statements

July 14, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement calling on Senator Tina Smith to clarify whether she agrees with the Joe Biden’s dangerous policies and rhetoric.

“It appears the Biden campaign is starting to realize what we have known for a long time: Minnesota is in play in 2020. While the Trump and Lewis campaigns have been on the ground in Minnesota for a year, Biden’s team is only just now starting to pay attention to Minnesota, putting a trio of staffers on the ground in the state. Well, I’ve got news for Biden: it’s going to take a lot more than three people to offset the serious momentum the Trump campaign has here.

As the Biden campaign begins to have a presence in Minnesota, now would be a good time for Senator Tina Smith to come clean on what she agrees with Biden on. She eagerly endorsed Biden a couple months ago and then they both retreated to their basements, avoiding addressing some of Biden’s worst, anti-Minnesota policies. Biden opposes mining on the Range, is promising to raise taxes on the middle class, refuses to be tough on China, and supports continued outsourcing that is taking away good-paying American jobs. Additionally, Biden has a long and disturbing track record of behavior which raises serious questions about his fitness to serve as Commander in Chief. And now he is on the record saying he supports defunding the police.

The reality is Biden is entirely out of touch with what Minnesotans want and Tina Smith needs to say if she stands with Biden. Will she un-endorse Joe or will she double down on in support of these dangerous policies and rhetoric? Minnesotans deserve an answer.”

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Lewis Demands Property Tax Payments are Refunded if Schools Don’t Re-Open

July 8, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement calling for the Minnesota Department of Education to urge schools to reopen for the 2020-21 academic year.

“The more we learn about COVID, the more it becomes apparent that we have done a huge disservice to our children in the way we have handled this virus. Research has proven that COVID presents minimal risks to young people. But what isn’t minimal is the toll this prolonged lockdown and social isolation has on our kids’ social, mental, and physical well-being. Quality of education has declined, crisis hotlines are seeing their phones explode, high school seniors have missed graduations, and kids have had to forgo their favorite sports—the impact of long-term at-home learning is far more detrimental than some of our public health experts would have us believe. 

There is no rational reason to keep kids out of schools this fall, and those who continue to hinder this do not have our kids’ best interest in mind. It is unconscionable what we have deliberately done to young people. But don’t just take my word for it. Medical professionals, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have come out in support of reopening schools this fall. That’s why I’m calling for the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Health to urge school districts move forward with reopening plans for the upcoming school year. Virtual learning won’t cut it. If schools are not allowed to reopen, parents and students should be refunded their tuition or property taxes. Failure to do so is a breach of contract. 

It’s time to stop shortchanging our students and ripping off taxpayers and parents. The well-being of our kids depends on it.”

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Lewis Backs Trump Housing Deregulation Plan

July 1, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement applauding HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s announcement to scrap the Obama-era “fair housing” rule saddling local units of government with 92-question checklists before they can develop housing in their communities. The 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing quota hamstrung local units of government with regulatory burdens that help create housing shortages in first place. President Donald Trump also expressed his support for the deregulation plan in a tweet last night.

“The Trump Administration’s plan to deregulate housing is a great step towards undoing the Obama-era regulations that have burdened the housing industry across the nation. Now, Minnesota needs to go further and scrap the unelected Metropolitan Council who has adopted a similar housing schemes in their MSP 2040 ‘master plan’ for the Twin Cities. Local officials shouldn’t have to get permission from bureaucrats who map census tracts and analyze housing stock for ‘affordability’ before they can develop their own neighborhoods. Time consuming obstacles, along with so-called ‘smart growth’ policies that limit cheaper housing in the name of high-density development in mass transit corridors, have led to an increase in suburban crime and the housing crisis in Minnesota.

The real answer is to undue the onerous land-use rules and regulations driving up the cost of homeownership. The inevitable housing bubble that followed these rules might have been great for real estate investors and the wealthy who already own property, but it’s been horrible for first time buyers. A recent Housing First Minnesota study showed that up to one-third of a new home’s price in the Twin Cites comes from fees and regulations, making it next to impossible to build a single-family home in the metro area for under $375,000.

The end of single family zoning in Oregon, California, Minnesota, and North Carolina replaced by ‘multi-family’ housing is a deliberate ploy by urban planners to end the American Dream and attack the suburbs. That’s why I fought and succeeded in reining in the Metropolitan Council while serving in the House of Representatives, and I will continue that reform in the Senate, especially by requiring that board members be elected by the public and not appointed.

It’s time to make the American Dream accessible and safe again.”

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Senator Kevin Cramer & Jason Lewis Headline Moorhead Trump Victory Office Opening

June 29, 2020

MOORHEAD, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis spoke at the Trump Victory office grand opening in Moorhead on Saturday, which the Jason Lewis for Senate campaign will also utilize to mobilize volunteers and connect with voters. North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer, MN-07 Congressional candidate Michelle Fischbach, and MNGOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan were also in attendance. 

“We are at an inflection point in Minnesota. The DFL’s radical plunge into lawlessness and socialism has alienated Minnesotans. When they aren’t imposing one-size-fits-all lockdowns, they are caving to a mob of anarchists. And folks in greater Minnesota have had enough. For decades, the DFL, including Senator Tina Smith, has taken their votes for granted. But as the Democrats’ failing policies continue to abandon farmers, business owners, and police officers, people are realizing they’ve been used, and they are ready for a change here in Greater Minnesota and all across our state,” Lewis said.

“Voters in the Seventh District may well determine who Minnesota’s next Senator is. And by the energy we are feeling on the ground, it is clear they are ready to have somebody in Washington who is looking out for them, not special interest groups backed by the urban elites in the Twin Cities. Clearly President Trump recognizes this as well, which is why he is opening campaign offices all across greater Minnesota, including here in Moorhead, an effort we are grateful to be joined at the hip with him on. We are in a battle to preserve our fundamental liberties, but with the strong support we have in the Seventh District and across greater Minnesota, we can turn Minnesota red!” Lewis concluded.

“Law and order matters. And I believe it will be the most defining issue here in Minnesota and other Democratic strongholds. Minnesota is big-time in play. It could be the difference this election. If Minnesota carries the day for Donald Trump and for Jason Lewis, it will be because the people of District 7 made it happen,” Cramer said.

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It’s Official: Tina Smith Lied

June 27, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement after Senator Tina Smith voted to block Senator Tim Scott’s police reform bill.

“For weeks now, Senator Tina Smith has been egging on violent vandals and lawbreakers with her irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric. And then, when she isn’t claiming the state of Minnesota is racist or saying there is something ‘dangerously wrong with the role police play in our society’, she has been hiding behind tepid denials to avoid addressing calls to abolish entire police departments. Well, the cat is out of the bag: Tina Smith lied.

We now know that Tina Smith’s vague statements on how we need to ‘reimagine policing’ was all a ruse because, this week, she blocked a police reform bill from being debated in the Senate, even with Democrat amendments included. Senator Tim Scott and Congressman Pete Stauber’s JUSTICE Act offers real solutions that would help root out the bad cops, while supporting the good men and women of law enforcement. It would ensure equal justice and introduce better training and accountability for police officers. But Tina Smith wouldn’t even consider the bill. I think this tells us all we need to know. There can no longer be any doubt that Tina Smith has thrown her lot in with radicals like Ilhan Omar that are backing the mob and demanding we defund the police.

Democrats have a choice to make. They can either take up common sense reforms, or they can side with radical anarchists who want to abolish the police and ‘reimagine’ them as social workers and community organizers. Sadly, Tina Smith has chosen the latter.”

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