My friends know that this thing was a last minute thing. I didn’t even think of running for office until I was contacted the last weekend of the deadline.
I am passionate, but haven’t had the chance to get organized. So a little late, but here are my passions to bring to the capitol:
1. Everyone deserves healthcare, regardless of their ability to pay. Not everyone has 3000 dollars to spend on an MRI. Not everyone can fork out 100,000 dollars when they get cancer. GoFundMe and other crowd sourcing to pay for healthcare is a shame on our society. When a person is recovering from the worst day of their life, they should not have to go bankrupt on top of it. “He who knows to do good and does it not, for him it is sin” – (The Apostle James).
2. People with disabilities deserve to live their lives free from interference. They have the same right to autonomy as all other citizens. Our care for people with disabilities must be done in such a way so that they remain as independent as they wish to be.
3. Women who are in danger of violence in the home must have legal protections, safe places to escape to, access to advocates, and just laws to protect them from violence and harm. Protective orders must have the teeth of the law behind them.
4. Public Education must be protected, funded and free from the interference of religious busybodies. Art and science, music and theater, are all crucial in the full development of human beings. Opportunities must be given for kids to explore their gifts and abilities without shame. School boards, for the most part, are passionate about the education of the children of the community and must be empowered and funded enough to make an impact, regardless of the income levels of the communities they serve. Rural schools deserve the same opportunities as city schools.
5. Rural health must be financed and fully staffed with qualified professionals. Incentives, such as student loan forgiveness, should be offered to attract skilled medical professionals. Farmers feed the world, and deserve access to skilled professionals.
6. Our beautiful state must be protected from those who would rape the land and its beauty. Farmland must be kept fertile and well-watered; boundary waters must be protected, rivers and lakes and streams are the veins of Minnesota and must be clean and pure. Any business that threatens or potentially threatens clean water and air must undergo rigorous EPA testing. Standards must be in place for Data Centers, Nuclear Reactors and other potentially harmful industries.
And finally, billionaires and corporations have been fleecing us for decades. The wealth has not trickled down. It has been stolen from those who do the work.
The second quarter of 2026 brought record profits to corporations, and yet the workers and their families are working two jobs to afford less than the bare necessities for survival. The fruits of their labor are lining the pockets of those in power.
We must recover the stolen wealth through fair taxation, and put it back in the hands of the people through Medicare for all, infrastructure, schools, libraries, arts, music, and public parks.
These are my passions. I hope you will join me.
Sam Powell for Senate 