Why do you wish to represent the citizens of the State of Minnesota in
the U.S. Senate?
Response:
Minnesotans have a proud tradition of electing people like Hubert
Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy and Walter Mondale -- U.S. Senators - who through
their commitment and hard work became strong voices for change and real
fighters for those who had no one else to fight for them. Minnesotans sent
me to Washington, D.C. in 1990 not only to shake things up but to fight for
them and get things done. They elected me to make a positive difference in
their lives. That's what I've done and that's what I will continue doing. In
1990, I said that the powerful special interests -- the pharmaceutical
companies, the big oil companies, the insurance companies and the tobacco
industry -- wouldn't like me much as a Senator. But, that was okay, they
already had plenty of representation. It was the rest of us who needed
someone fighting for them. I've been an effective Senator for working
families and children. I've made their values and priorities my agenda in the
Senate: fighting for economic security, good schools and a secure retirement,
investing in education, working to balance the budget fairly and responsibly,
reforming the political process, ensuring good jobs at decent wages, making
health care affordable and our communities, our schools and our homes safer.
I'll continue working to make a positive difference in the lives of
Minnesotans. I'll continue to take on the powerful special interests, the
corporate polluters and the tobacco companies. I'll keep standing up for what
I think is right, to vote my convictions and my conscience. I was elected in
1990 to give working families, children and seniors a voice in the Senate --
for a change. That's what I'll continue to do.