Rep. Tama Theis, R-St. Cloud
I am running for the Minnesota Senate to represent the people of Senate District 14 which includes St. Cloud, St. Augusta and Waite Park. It has been an honor to represent our area in the Minnesota House of Representatives and now I am running to be your voice in the Senate. Being a small business owner, parent and lifelong resident of Central Minnesota, I understand the shared values of our communities. As the State Representative for part of this district, I fought against reckless government spending and tax increases, and pushed for policies that grow jobs, strengthen our economy and used your tax dollars wisely. We need to bring common sense back to St. Paul and elect leaders who put people over politics.
We’ve all seen and felt the impact of inflation. Gas is over $3, eggs nearly $4 and the state government is sitting on a $9 billion surplus. We need to support family budgets by returning the surplus with permanent, ongoing tax relief. Hardworking families deserve their money back in each and every paycheck, not just a one-time rebate check. Senate Republicans led the way in eliminating the tax on Social Security income and voting for me sends another voice to St. Paul to fight to end this double taxation on the elderly and disabled.
Another important issue I hear about is keeping our streets safe. We might not be the Twin Cities, but we have seen more crime affect our daily lives. Restoring public safety starts first with respecting police as partners, rather than an enemy. I’ll never support anyone who wants to “defund the police.” Additionally, we need to attract qualified law enforcement applicants to job openings and retain good officers by investing in training, higher pay and loan forgiveness. I am endorsed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, which is the largest association representing licensed peace officers in the state. They support me because I will give law enforcement the tools and resources they need to keep us safe.
Finally, I know the last several years have been rough on parents, teachers, and especially students. Only about half of our students are reading proficiently at grade level and the numbers are even worse for math. I believe it is critical parents are in the driver’s seat of their children’s education. I’ll defend parents as their child’s first teacher and ensure they can be involved with their kids’ educational goals. I will also support proven solutions to help kids read and focus the classroom on the basics ― without divisive political agendas. We also must improve the mental health of our young people. We are seeing depression, drug addiction, and mental illness destroy too many young lives. Getting kids back on the path to success is the first step in keeping them healthy, happy and thriving.
The only way we can confront the enormous challenges ahead is if we work together regardless of our differences. I have and always will put people ahead of politics. I have a strong record of working across the aisle to get things done for our district and have earned the support of Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike. I’m endorsed by our small businesses, job creators and police. I’m running to fight inflation, lower crime, improve the education of our children and make Minnesota the best it can be. Once again, I am Tama Theis, and I ask for your support on or before Nov. 8.
