Candidate Profile: Angie Craig For U.S. House

EAGAN, MN — The 2020 election is heating up in Minnesota and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but voters will also decide the outcome of seats in the United States House.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Angie Craig, an Eagan resident, is running for U.S. House of Representatives District 2.

Age: 48
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: My wife, Cheryl, and I have four sons – Josh, Jonas, Jacob and Isaac.
Occupation: I have served as Representative for the Second Congressional District since 2019. Prior to serving Minnesota in Congress, I started my career as a newspaper reporter, worked my way up over 20 years in business to lead a workforce of 16,000 for a major Minnesota manufacturer.
Previous elected experience: I am currently serving as Representative for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District
Family members in government: My mother and wife both served as public school teachers.
Campaign website: https://www.angiecraig.com

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The top priority for any elected official at this time must be supporting efforts to contain and combat the global health pandemic that has taken the lives of nearly 200,000 Americans nationwide. I consistently urged my colleagues to act swiftly and aggressively to provide the resources and funding necessary to enact a nationwide testing and contact-tracing plan, provide sufficient personal protective equipment to the millions of employees working on the frontlines, and invest all the resources necessary to develop and distribute effective treatments and vaccines as soon as possible. In the meantime, we must continue to support our families, our small businesses, health care professionals, first responders and our family farmers as they continue to face the threat of COVID-19. Millions of hardworking Americans across the country are struggling right now. It’s our job in Congress to do everything we can to support them and rebuild an economy that keeps the American dream alive.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My opponent and I have very different priorities for how we’d represent the people of Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. In the midst of this ongoing crisis, I’m dedicating my time and energy on the people of Minnesota’s Second Congressional District – not my opponent. I’m focused on connecting with the voters of the Second District, hearing their stories and doing everything I can to help get them through these challenging times. As your Representative, I am committed to containing and combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting to make sure that small businesses in Minnesota have the support they need to withstand this crisis, promoting legislation to ensure that every Minnesotan has access to high quality, affordable health care and working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help create an economy that works for every American.

My opponent, on the other hand, has professed his support for President Trump and his agenda 99% of the time – and applauded the President’s failed response to the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. He has also pledged to continue the failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would rip coverage away from 266,000 Minnesotans and eliminate protections for the tens of millions of Americans living with a pre-existing condition. And he has advocated for cuts to Social Security and Medicare – benefits earned over a lifetime of hard work that millions of older Americans depend on to put food on the table and access affordable care.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In my first two years in Congress, I am proud to have served as the type of leader that Minnesota’s Second Congressional District deserves – and to have fought for real results that improve the lives of hardworking Minnesota families. I have held an open town hall every month and returned more than $500,000 to Minnesota taxpayers. I have worked across the aisle to author and cosponsor nearly 500 bills and amendments, more than 75 percent of which are bipartisan – including bills to rein in $150 billion in improper payments and extend the Paycheck Protection Program for businesses impacted by COVID-19 – both of which were signed into law by President Trump. And before I was even sworn into office, I got to work crafting the For the People Act, a comprehensive reform bill that would put an end to the dark money in American politics. And in the days since, I have continued my tireless and extensive work to rid politics of corrupt special interests and restore faith in our democratic process – by introducing legislation to prohibit members of Congress from owning stocks, ban elected officials from becoming lobbyists, and block a congressional pay raise proposed by members of my own party.

I believe that my record speaks for itself. In Congress, I have strived to be an accessible, effective and bipartisan voice for change. And as long as I’m your Congresswoman, I will never give up or stop fighting for the hardworking men and women who call this great state home – because I know Minnesota is worth fighting for.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

As our nation continues to struggle with the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis, I am continuing to stand with every small business, every Minnesotan struggling to find work and all of the frontline workers keeping us safe. COVID-19 is threatening the American Dream on main streets across the Second District. Minnesota businesses need real relief now more than ever and it’s our responsibility to make sure that we are doing that. Earlier this summer, the President signed my bipartisan bill into law to help do exactly that – by extending the Paycheck Protection Program, which extends interest free loans to struggling businesses across the country. In Congress, I’ll continue to encourage Democrats and Republicans to put politics aside and work together on behalf of our first responders, our local communities and the small businesses that need help the most.

But even before the pandemic, far too many hardworking families were being left behind. We need to set a ‘fair shot agenda’ to make sure more people have the opportunity to share in the benefits of our growing 21st-century economy. As we move forward, my top priority is to make sure our economy works for all of us, not just those with the wealthy or well-connected. Americans who work hard, play by the rules, and do their best should be able to afford a middle-class life, save enough money for a secure retirement, and secure a good education for their kids.

As our country continues to endure the economic challenges of this crisis, we must begin to think about how we put people back to work in the jobs that build our communities and critical American infrastructure. I’ll keep fighting for an economy that works for Minnesota’s working and middle-class families. That’s why I’m so focused on developing opportunities for career and technical training in Minnesota. A four-year degree isn’t for everyone, and right now, students are living in a world of uncertainty. We should be highlighting and expanding the many opportunities made available to young workers through technical programs in Minnesota and across the country.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?

While I am fully supportive of efforts to address systemic racism and reform our criminal justice system, I do not support defunding the police. In fact, I voted twice to increase funding for our local police departments for community oriented policing. Our country needs both a more just law enforcement system and our valued police officers to truly keep our communities safe. And I believe that we can accomplish both of those goals if we work together.

The murder of George Floyd sparked a nationwide conversation about the issues of police reform and systemic injustice that impact millions of Americans, both here in Minnesota and across the country. Since Mr. Floyd’s death, I have spent a great deal of time listening to community members across this district about how we can address these challenges. I joined community members in West St. Paul for a listening session and talked with students in the Black Honor Association at Eastview High School. I talked with sheriffs, police chiefs, mayors, county commissioners and faith leaders. In those conversations, we talked about how we can work together to address systemic racism, including in policing.

In pursuit of that goal, I cosponsored and helped pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — a wide-ranging bill to promote accountability in policing, to change the culture of law enforcement, and to build trust between police officers and our communities. That bill would ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants, prohibit racial and religious profiling, set a national training and accreditation standard, encourage and provide funding for community policing, establish a use-of-force database, and most importantly, hold bad actors accountable in a court of law. Our bill was the single most substantial policing reform bill in Congressional history. While there is more work to be done, I’m deeply proud to have played a role in helping to pass it.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

I grew up for a portion of my childhood without health insurance. I still remember the box of bills that sat on our kitchen table when my sister got sick. So I know firsthand – if health care isn’t affordable, it isn’t accessible. And right now, families across Minnesota are struggling with skyrocketing health care costs. Many are struggling to find health insurance plans that meet the needs of their families without breaking the bank. The government has the power to help solve those issues and ensure that every American has access to affordable health care. That’s why I ran for Congress – to find real, commonsense solutions to this issue that is putting quality of life and access to lifesaving medicine out of reach for so many Minnesota families.

I was named a Co-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition Health Care Task Force, responsible for developing policy proposals that expand access to and reduce the cost of health care for all Americans. Shortly after being sworn in, I launched a district-wide health care listening tour to talk with community members, health experts, and providers about how to lower the cost of healthcare and increase the accessibility of quality healthcare to all Americans. In Congress, I wrote and passed a bipartisan bill to bring down the cost of health insurance premiums on the individual market, I helped pass a bill to save Americans $500 billion in prescription drug costs over the next decade, and cosponsored legislation to stop brand name drug companies from keeping more affordable, generic options off the market. In Washington, I’m calling on all of my colleagues to stop playing politics with health care. Because until we can work together, we cannot make any progress toward better health care for our constituents.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Since the day I was sworn in, I have prioritized showing up, listening and working across the aisle to solve the real problems facing Minnesota families in the Second Congressional District. I’ve held a public town hall every single month that I’ve been in Congress – because the people of this district deserve to be heard. I’ve worked hard to reach across the aisle and fight for progress with members of both parties. In fact, more than three-quarters of the bills and amendments I have sponsored or cosponsored have been bipartisan. President Trump even signed two of my bills into law, which is as many as any other member of the Minnesota delegation – Democrat or Republican. I’ve fought to lower the sky-high cost of health care and prescription drugs so Minnesotans pay less out of pocket. I helped pass the USMCA Trade Agreement, helping to stabilize markets for our family farmers and protect the American worker – without giving a handout to Big Pharma. And I’ve fought to reform Washington itself – by introducing bills to permanently ban Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists and prevent sitting members of Congress from owning stocks while in office.

But we still have so much work left to do. We must continue to support our families, our small businesses, health care professionals, first responders and our family farmers as we continue to face the threat of COVID. Millions of Americans across the country are struggling right now. And it’s our job in Congress to do everything we can to keep them afloat and rebuild an economy that puts the American worker first. We must prioritize the pursuit of justice and equity and find ways to make our country a fair and safe place for everyone no matter their race or identity. We have a long road in front of us. Together, we can build a country that’s stronger, more equitable and greater than ever before. But in order to do that, we need to come together as a country, allow our wounds to heal and to look out for one another as we work together to create a country we can all be proud of. I remain as committed as ever to working hard on behalf of every Minnesotan – to giving every family a fair shot at economic security, high-quality education, and affordable healthcare. And I look forward to continuing that fight for you next year.

Also read: Candidate Profile: Tyler Kistner For U.S. House