Lori Swanson in 2018 MN Governor's race
On Civil Rights:
Will fight for all citizens to receive the same civil rights
Minnesota does best when it is tolerant and fair-minded.˙ Every Minnesotan deserves to feel included, respected, and welcomed in their community and to fair and equal treatment under the law.˙
The Swanson Administration will support equitable and inclusive policies that give every Minnesotan a fair shot at opportunity and success. Lori has a proven track record of fighting for the individual rights of all Minnesotans. ˙
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Drugs:
Joined with other AG's to investigate opioid manufacturers
Over 30K people will die from opioid-related overdoses this year in the U.S.A.The USA has less than 5% of the world's population but uses 80% of the world's prescription opioid painkillers.˙People who abuse prescription painkillers often turn to
street heroin because of its lower cost.˙I have joined with a number of other AG's in an investigation into the potential legal culpability of pharmaceutical manufacturers in the marketing and sale of opioid prescription painkillers.
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Education:
Believes schools need K-12 funding & teachers need support
Lori inherited a 1949 edition of National Geographic from her grandmother. The article quotes a Minnesota state official saying that the strength of Minnesota rests between the ears of its children.˙ The same is true today. Lori will support and fund
our K-12 schools and support our educators. We must close the achievement gap.˙ About 80% of a child's brain development occurs by age 3.˙ Early childhood education and pre-k is both the right thing to do and the fiscally smart thing to do.˙
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Environment:
Won settlement for corporation to pay $890M for pollution
Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes.˙ We need to protect these lakes--and our climate, rivers, forests, and other natural resources for future generations.˙ We should reject the false choice that we cannot both protect our natural resources
AND provide economic opportunity to Minnesotans.˙ Lori has already shown the way.˙ She secured the largest environmental settlement in Minnesota history when she got a corporation to pay $890M for decades of pollution.˙
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Families & Children:
Find options to make childcare affordable
There are at least 600K Minnesota families with a child age 12 or younger, many of whom rely on child care providers.˙ But the average annual cost of childcare at a center can be up to $16,000 per year.˙ Many middle-class and low-income families simply
cannot afford childcare.˙ We need to do better: We should consider common-sense licensure reforms to make it easier to start a childcare business and cheaper to operate one, while making sure to adequately protect children in the care of others.
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Government Reform:
Fight to make campaign financing fairer & all-inclusive
We should overturn Citizens United.˙ Corporate spending on elections drowns out the voices of regular people.˙ As AG, Lori filed briefs in opposition to the Citizens United decision in the U.S. Supreme Court, and she supports efforts to encourage
a fairer, more inclusive political process.˙ She supports strengthening Minnesota campaign finance laws to require better transparency on election spending and supports efforts to encourage small donor participation in the election process.˙
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Gun Control:
Supports variety of common sense gun safety reforms
Lori supports common-sense gun safety reforms.˙ We should ban bump stocks.˙ We should have enhanced background checks.˙ We should allow law enforcement to petition judges to remove guns from people who pose a danger to themselves or others.˙ ˙
Public health authorities should be able to study the causes of gun violence, so long as adequate safeguards are in place to protect individual privacy.˙We must help make our schools safer places of learning for our kids.˙
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Health Care:
Plans to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all
Health care costs--which comprise about 20% of the economy--are straining the budgets of too many families and businesses.˙ We need to make health care more affordable and accessible: Farmers, the self-employed, and everyone else should be able
to buy into Minnesota Care. Lori will lower prescription drug costs allowing Minnesotans to purchase prescriptions at reduced prices that the state pays to drug companies using its buying power.˙Lori will expand access to treatment for drug dependency.˙
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Jobs:
Prioritize decent jobs that pay the bills
Minnesotans have a great work ethic.˙ But too many Minnesotans continue to be squeezed financially, with wages not keeping pace with the rising cost of health care, child care, college, and housing. Lori wants people who are willing to work to have
a shot at a decent job that pays the bills.˙ She will prioritize job creation and an economy that works for all Minnesotans.˙Lori will work to create an infrastructure and workforce conditions that support a modern economy.
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Technology:
Crucial need to repair and modernize infrastructure
Poor roads cost Minnesota motorists $1.2 billion every year in extra car repairs, and the average Minnesotan wastes 40 hours a year stuck in traffic.˙ 40% of our 4,800 bridges are at least 40 years old, and 50 percent of our highways are at least
50 years old.˙ We need to improve our roads, bridges, and mass transit networks.˙Minnesota needs a modern transportation infrastructure to bring products to market and to allow people to get to and from work and to go about their daily lives.
Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website LoriSwanson.com
Jul 4, 2018
On Immigration:
Joined forces to fight against Trump's zero tolerance policy
Minnesota AG Lori Swanson has joined with 20 other Democratic attorneys general nationwide in demanding that the Trump administration end a "zero tolerance" policy that has resulted in children being separated from their parents at the U.S.-
Mexico border. The state prosecutors say in a letter to U.S. AG Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen that the policy is inhumane and draconian. And they say raises serious concerns regarding the violation of children's rights.
Source: Seattle Times on 2018 Minnesota Gubernatorial race
Jun 19, 2018
On Crime:
Warns citizens about new methods of phone scamming
AG Lori Swanson is warning of a wave of modern variants of traditional phone scams that are creating a surge in fraud and identity theft plaguing people across the United States. Swanson said innovations in technology--notably, software capable
of "caller ID spoofing"--enables scammers to mask their identities and locations in more sophisticated ways. By using these new tools, scammers impersonate local numbers or legitimate businesses, which allows them to target victims with relative ease.
Source: Twin Cities Pioneer Press on 2018 Minnesota Governor race
May 9, 2018
On Homeland Security:
Joined other AG's in fight to keep transgendered troops
Minnesota AG Lori Swanson is asking Congress to block President Donald Trump's tweeted ban on transgender troops serving in the military. Nineteen state attorneys general wrote the House and Senate Armed Services committees this week asking them to
write protections for transgender troops into the 2018 Defense Department budget that Congress is hammering out. "The new policy is also blatant discrimination," the attorneys general wrote. "It has no place in our Armed Services.
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune on 2018 Minnesota Governor race
Jul 29, 2017
On Energy & Oil:
Proceed with caution approach to solar energy gardens
Solar power currently provides less than 1% of Minnesota's total electricity generation. But the push for more production continues, and utility customers are being heavily encouraged to "invest" in "community solar gardens." Not everyone is convinced
these "gardens" are a bright idea. Even the Office of Minnesota AG Lori Swanson admits "the sun does not always shine in Minnesota" and "a solar developer's claim that its facility will produce a certain amount of energy may not pan out."
Source: AmericanExperiment.org on 2018 Minnesota Gubernatorial race
Jun 9, 2017
Page last updated: Dec 11, 2018