SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, DFL Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement after President Trump’s hand-picked Republican Senate candidate Jason Lewis—who Minnesotans in the 2nd Congressional District voted out last November—announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate in 2020:
“Jason Lewis spent his time in Washington repeatedly siding with powerful special interests over Minnesotans—voting to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions and to give tax breaks and giveaways to big corporations like prescription drug companies, big oil and Wall Street. Jason Lewis may want to continue fighting for special interests and big corporations, but Minnesota voters will reject this failed attempt at a second act.”
Lewis’ decision to enter the race cements the Trump campaign’s and national Republicans intent to compete for Minnesota in 2020. POLITICO reports this morning that Trump personally sent his two top political lieutenants to help steer Lewis’ campaign and that Trump “has told aides repeatedly in recent weeks that he’s determined to win” Minnesota. Lewis recently attended a briefing from the Trump campaign in Minnesota where he said “no doubt POTUS is in it here to win and make history.” Trump lost Minnesota by just 1.5 points in 2016—making it the sixth closest state in the country—and has made winning the state in 2020 a “personal priority”. And the Star Tribune reported just last month that the Trump campaign and RNC have put an unprecedented “early infusion of GOP resources” in the state.
What did Jason do while in Congress?
Jason Lewis voted to gut protections for people with preexisting conditions. Lewis voted for the American Health Care Act of 2017, which would not have protected people with pre-existing conditions. It also would have increased people’s health care costs and imposed an age tax which would have allowed insurance companies to charge older Americans up to five times more.
Jason Lewis voted to give tax breaks and giveaways for the rich and big corporations over Minnesota families. Lewis voted for the Republican tax law that provided 83% of its benefits to the richest 1% of people and gave a trillion-dollar tax cut to big corporations, including prescription drug companies, big oil and Wall Street.