MN State Senate District 26

My ballot has two names for the district 26 MN state senate seat: Aleta Borrud, DFL, and Carla Nelson, Rep (incumbent). Come with me on a little journey through some state headlines from the last couple months that are important to the rationale for my vote. 

About a month ago, the MN state senate crossed my news feed in an upsetting way. In a surprise move during a special session, the GOP majority voted on party lines to remove Nancy Leppink, the Walz-appointed commissioner of the state Dept of Labor and Industry. There is a MinnPost story here. Basically, the state senate has authority to 'advise and consent' to commissioner appointments according to the state constitution, but in practice, the appointments are rarely contested or voted on at all, which leaves a door open for the senate to take a vote denying consent at any time, removing the appointed commissioner -- and that's what they did. 

The reason for the vote? To pressure Walz to end the state of emergency due to COVID-19. The state senate was shooting a hostage, and that isn't even my inflammatory analogy - it's a quote from the state house GOP leader, Kurt Daudt (its in the story linked above, seriously). 

The state senate did the same thing again in a special session on September 11th. After Walz extended the state of emergency (Minnesota's case load in September is as high as it has been all year), the GOP responded by removing the Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley, reinforcing the act as a pattern of appointed commissioners being targeted in order to put political pressure on the governor. 

Isn't this really the fault of the state senate GOP leader, Paul Gazelka? While I personally think Gazelka is desperately trying to be a mini-McConnell and I despise it, Carla Nelson got to vote on both of these measures. Firing someone with no warning to make a political statement. 'Shooting hostages' to get what they want, which is apparently a state government that doesn't take the pandemic seriously even as all our neighbor states become national hotspots. 

Carla could have also voted against that practice, and shown a bit of respect for the public servants Leppink and Kelley whose departments are working on behalf of the people of Minnesota. 

Let's dive down one more level. Obviously, Gazelka didn't say he was shooting prisoners - he's picking commissioners that have done things the GOP doesn't like. In the example of Leppink, here's one of the complaints:

Leppink is enforcing Minnesota's 2019 law criminalizing wage theft. It was a widely bipartisan piece of legislation, but when Leppink started actually holding businesses responsible for paying employees the wages that they are owed, I guess she turned into a socialist boogeyman. 

She also negotiated a deal to make worker's comp smoother for medical workers who get COVID. She enforced rules about fire sprinklers in barns used for weddings. She's clearly a monster that needs to be stopped. 

Again, Carla Nelson voted for her removal (or technically, voted no on consent to her appointment), as a way to complain about and politically pressure the governor regarding emergency powers to enact public health measures for a pandemic response. 

I have rabbit-trailed. I'm sorry if you're actually trying to read this, but I'm also not sorry, because being an informed voter is important. 

And in the interest of not being entirely negative about Nelson, she put up an instagram post of her joining in what I truly think was a wonderful effort by local leaders to do something positive and constructive and artistic in the midst of pandemic times - I think public art is a fantastic tool to build community. She was also a teacher before going into politics, and I have a lot of respect for that. 

Overall, I'm not impressed with Nelson as a candidate more than I want her to feel political repercussions for the choices I outline above. While her positions are not as far from mine as many republicans, but those of her opponent Dr. Aleta Borrud are a much better fit. 

Borrud's platform reads pretty much like a list of my own priorities. Women's reproductive health and choice is part of her healthcare section. Equity across lines of race, sexuality, and income is a theme throughout the issues. She indicates bolder steps toward environmental sustainability than her opponent. 

Importantly to me, Borrud's statements directly addresses racism and police violence issues. Neither is given space on Nelson's website. George Floyd's murder has highlighted that these are huge problems in Minnesota - we have embarrassing racial disparities in income, wealth, education, and those problems don't go away if they are not being actively worked. 

Nelson has had her seat for long enough. I will definitely be voting for Aleta Borrud, and against the actions of the MN state senate GOP that Nelson supported. 

Rochester is split between state senate district 25 and 26. I am in 26 in SW Rochester - here is a map of where they sit, for reference. You can find your own ballot if you haven't at this site.