I was raised in South Saint Paul on a steady diet of Minnesota enthusiasm. My siblings, Peter and Claire, and I spent summers going to the North Shore and road-tripping along the Mississippi river.
But it wasn’t all about outdoor leisure: Our grandparents worked in the stockyards, and we learned the value of hard work, integrity, and dedication to the task at hand. That’s the attitude we brought to summers spent herding ducks down the alley with hockey sticks, practicing day in and day out to make the school band proud, and riding bikes to friends’ houses. Every day taught us the irreplaceable value of committing to community, where kids could wander down the street and adults watch out for each other.
So after attending college in Iowa, where I found and married my lifelong sweetheart, the Twin Cities was the natural place for us to raise our family. The working-class values of our district, putting in a full day’s work, treating people fairly, and strong community are the ideals that my husband and I want to instill in our son, William.
My Background
I graduated from South St. Paul High School in 2001, and earned bachelor’s degrees in Russian and Biology from Grinnell College (IA) in 2005. After moving back to Minnesota, I was hired at the Pollution Control Agency where I’ve been working the past twelve years. While working full time, I earned my Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy from the Humphrey School at the U of M. Currently I’m a research scientist at the MPCA where I specialize in climate change policy.
Championing the environment is my passion, and I am president of my MAPE union local, and I have been a mentor for women in science, from volunteering with the girl scouts to leading Hamline University’s Women in Public Service Conference and mentoring at the University of Minnesota.
Why I’m Running
I’m running because we need scientists in our legislature, and we need more people supporting data-driven, evidence-based policy. Our public institutions – and science itself – are under attack like never before. As a working mother, I’m offended by GOP attacks on women’s rights and working families. As a scientist, I’m appalled by their complete disregard of science and efforts to roll back environmental protections. And as union local President, I’m angered that millionaires and billionaires are stopping at nothing to attack the freedoms of working Minnesotans.
I am proud of what my union has achieved, but every Minnesotan deserves the freedom to collectively bargain, fair and equitable wages, good healthcare and the opportunity to succeed. I’m running because as Paul Wellstone said best: “We all do better when we all do better.” We deserve better, too.
We need a representative who’s going to fight every day to make sure every working Minnesotan has the ability raise their children, and care for their parents, and retire with dignity. We need to end the “me first” politics currently permeating the capitol in St. Paul where our State Representatives have great health insurance but refuse to make it accessible for every Minnesotan.
Issues
Health Care
All Minnesotans deserve access to affordable, quality health care. I trust Minnesotans to seek the care they need, from providers of their choice, without politicians stepping in to make decisions.
Many Minnesotans continue to struggle with health insurance they can barely afford to use. Instead of giving insurance companies $600 million with no-strings-attached (my opponents solution) I believe we need to focus on people, not corporations that aren’t making “enough” money. A MinnesotaCare Buy-In program would allow consumers to take advantage of an affordable, high-quality, broad network of care that is currently unavailable in the individual market. We need a sustainable plan – not a quick fix.
- We need to hold Big Pharma accountable for the opioid crisis they helped create and require their ongoing funding of prevention, treatment, and community-based recovery programs.
- Minnesota seniors and vulnerable adults deserve to live with dignity in safe environments in our communities. We deserve legislators that act to improve oversight and investigation
Economic Opportunity
We all want a better future, and we know that we all do better when we all do better. To get there, we have to invest in people, not corporations. Minnesota House Republicans are focused on tiling our economy toward the rich and powerful and against working people. I will prioritize fighting for:
- Paid family leave, earned sick time, wage theft protections, and affordable child care focusing on helping Minnesota families get ahead.
- I will always stand up for working people to have a fair shake – Minnesotans deserve the freedom to join together, negotiate, and speak up for better pay and better working conditions.
Early Childhood
I passionately believe that our kids’ educational success must start at the very earliest ages. That’s why I support paid family leave for all Minnesotans and universal pre-K to ensure that when our kids enter kindergarten, no matter what district rich or poor, they are as prepared and supported as possible.
And the crisis is real: Right now, roughly 5,000 families are on the waiting list for child care assistance. Which means those families, and others like them, are forced to choose between caring for their children and looking for a well-paying job. That’s a choice no parent should have to make. So I support fully funding the Childcare Assistance Program, which helps 30,000 low-income families a month with childcare costs so they can look for work or get the education needed to land a job that can support their families.
Republicans at the Legislature continue to underfund this vital program. I am committed to bringing people together and finding common ground to standardize regulation and enforcement, and reduce burdensome paperwork requirements. Aid to these vulnerable parents simply haven’t kept up with the realities of what care costs to providers.
After all, How do we expect kids to succeed in school when they show up on day one already behind?
Education
Minnesotans deserve, and have come to expect, the best in education. Our educational system and well-prepared students are the key to Minnesota’s economy, why businesses big and small choose to stay in our state and thrive, and why families do the same.
Underfunding Schools Is Undervaluing Our Kids
You don’t have to be a politician or an educator to hear the bad news coming from school districts statewide: There are layoffs, there are shortages, there are cutbacks and ballooning class sizes. But why, when we’ve had state budget surpluses and a recovering economy?
The answer is that the Republican controlled legislature simply has their priorities out of whack. They’d rather serve the interest of big corporations and blindly pursue tax cuts for the wealthy than take a hard look at what schools need, based on what the schools themselves are saying. I support new funding to deal with these school shortfalls—not simply moving money around to pay for tax cuts.
Make Higher Education Affordable
Finally, I hear a lot from college grads about their debt burdens, and no wonder: Minnesota ranks 5th in the nation in student debt load. This crushing burden often means more and more Minnesotans aren’t pursuing higher education, or are delaying buying homes or starting businesses—in other words pursuing the American dream. That’s wrong.
It also means that an undue amount of Minnesotan students are falling prey to predatory and otherwise sketchy for-profit colleges, whose payment schemes sound good when they take the loans but ends up hurting students even more when the credits don’t transfer or the promised jobs just aren’t there.We need creative, aggressive action on this risis, and if elected in November, I will work across the aisle to build a coalition to do just that. Our college students, and our economy, deserve it.
Clean Water and a Healthy Environment
Protecting clean, safe drinking water and a healthy environment is my highest priority. As an environmental scientist, I will ensure cleaning up our water happens now and happens right. I will act to protect our waters; hold those responsible accountable; and make sure this never happens again. We have a right to a healthy environment – clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, natural areas for people and wildlife. A clean environment supports Minnesota’s vibrant economy and helps create good jobs that can’t be sent overseas: jobs in clean energy and our great natural heritage – hunting, fishing, and the outdoors industry.
You can learn more about Anne Claflin at https://www.anneformnhouse.com/
