Jen Schultz (DFL): 2024 Election Guide
Welcome to WCCO.com's 2024 Election Guide!
We reached out to Minnesota major party candidates running in U.S. congressional races this fall. Candidates were asked to provide answers to a set of political questions of high importance to voters.
Minnesota 8th Congressional District candidate Jen Schultz submitted her answers to the questionnaire below.
This is not a paid advertisement nor does WCCO endorse any candidate.
What do you believe are the most pressing issues facing constituents served by the office you are seeking?
As an economist, I will bring meaningful investments to our region and will focus on fixing our economy, so it works for everyone. As a labor-endorsed candidate and member of a union, I'll represent working people, not political parties. I'll help small businesses, work to increase affordable housing and access to health care, and invest in our port, infrastructure and schools — all things businesses need. I'll vote for infrastructure bills, and champion policies to bring back and protect domestic manufacturing to create jobs.
The issues that I will be addressing include:
- Reducing costs for working families by addressing corporate greed, monopolistic price gouging, unfair taxation and by providing affordable housing, child care, and health care
- Strengthening Social Security, Medicare and services for Veterans
- Protecting our rights, freedom and liberty by protecting access to reproductive health care, securing our border, and reforming immigration
What are the three big goals or policies you hope to accomplish or pass during your time in office?
To solve big problems, we first need to take money out of politics by passing campaign finance reform and repealing Citizens United. I will be a champion for health care reforms by reducing health care costs and increasing rural access to health care, including funding ground ambulance services. We need to strengthen working families and small businesses because they are the foundation of our economy and the backbone of our country. Thus, I will work to bring investment and good jobs back to the district, especially high-wage jobs that don't require a college degree. I will also help pass the bipartisan border security bill.
Do you think Congress should pass a federal law on abortion rights and what should it look like?
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade was wrong and will harm millions of people. Every person should have the right to make their own health decisions with their doctor, not politicians. I support reproductive rights including abortion, access to birth control and IVF treatment. We need to codify these long-held protections into law. Restrictive state laws are jeopardizing women's lives; women have died because of state restrictions on access to reproductive health care. In Congress, I will fight to prevent us from going back to a time when access to quality reproductive care was only available to the wealthy.
According to polls, illegal crossings at the southern border and immigration policy are consistently ranked as a top issue for Americans. What do you propose to address these concerns?
I support passing the bipartisan border security bill, increasing funding for Border Patrol agents, reforming the asylum process and creating a path to citizenship for immigrants who are working and paying taxes in our country to help our businesses address the workforce shortage.
What would you do to address violent crime and drug use?
To address crime and drug use we need to support those working in public safety. I fully support law enforcement. I am opposed to defunding the police — the police need to be fully funded. Good law enforcement is about protecting people and protecting our democracy. Law enforcement agencies should be supported in their efforts to expand and enhance their community policing efforts. We need to address the root causes of violent crime and drug use. I am committed to addressing the fentanyl crisis by increasing border security, increasing resources for the drug enforcement agencies, and increasing access to services for mental health and substance abuse.
Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States. What do you believe the federal government should do to reduce gun violence?
I support our Second Amendment right and responsible gun rights for gun owners and hunters. Our societal issue with gun violence has nothing to do with the vast majority of guns Minnesotans own. I agree with the majority of Americans who support a ban on assault weapons. I also agree with the over 90% of Americans who favor background checks for any gun purchase made, checks that include criminal history and relevant mental health history. We should also expect anyone who owns a gun to have had some training, just like we expect drivers to be properly trained. The vast majority of gun owners are not only responsible but do not own guns capable of mass shootings. Common-sense gun laws are just that: common-sense.
Do you believe there should be term limits for members of Congress?
Individuals have the ability to vote out members of Congress, but because there are no limits on campaign spending from independent sources, it is often difficult to vote out incumbents. We need campaign finance reform, so voters are able to unseat members of Congress who are no longer effective or capable of public service. Term limits should be discussed and debated as an option if campaign finance reform fails.
What economic policies do you propose to address high prices and cost of living?
As an economist I understand the importance of reducing costs for working families who are the foundation of our economy. We need to address price gouging and corporate greed by enforcing anti-trust laws to break up monopolies that are charging high prices for groceries, gas and health care. We need to make the tax system fair by making sure corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share so we can reduce taxes on working families. Access to affordable housing is an ongoing crisis in our region and has been a barrier for businesses wishing to expand. Congress needs to assist local governments to increase the supply of all types of housing by providing incentives to developers to build affordable housing, revitalize our aging housing stock, and build additional units. I support a Housing Tax Credit to help working families, policies that limit the purchasing of homes by Wall Street investors, and monetary policies to lower mortgage interest rates. Our communities and local industries grow when people can afford to live here. I have a proven track record of bringing state money home to my district in the Minnesota Legislature. I look forward to bringing jobs to the Eighth District in Congress.
I understand the importance of balancing budgets and reducing our national debt. We need to make the tax system fair by making sure the wealthy pay their fair share so we can reduce taxes on working families. We need to expand the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, eliminate income tax on tips (but not allow income to be reclassified as tips), eliminate tax on Social Security for non-billionaires, and reduce property taxes by restoring federal funding for our schools and infrastructure.
We must get aggressive as a country about creating high-paying, long-term jobs. It has become clear that we have sent far too many important and skilled jobs overseas. Many of our essential medical supplies, equipment, and drugs are manufactured overseas. We must make sure that we can rely on domestic manufacturers and suppliers for essential goods.
What is the government's responsibility when it comes to climate change? How would you address it?
Global climate change is affecting every part of the world, including Minnesota. In the last several years, Northern Minnesota has dealt with significant drought, massive forest fires and damaging floods. The science is clear: these issues will get worse unless we take urgent action. I see an amazing opportunity for our region to be at the forefront of addressing climate change. We can be a global leader in environmental technology. There's no reason for the U.S. to continue to subsidize oil and gas companies to the tune of over $20 billion annually, especially when they've raised the price at the pump dramatically while enjoying record profits. Instead, we could direct that money toward building dependable green infrastructure that reduces our reliance on volatile, autocratic regimes. Our region is uniquely positioned to take advantage of a shift to green energy. Our highly skilled and experienced workforce would welcome an influx of stable, union jobs created through building and maintaining sustainable alternative energy infrastructure.
As government, health care, and financial institutions face increasing threats to cybersecurity, what measures should policymakers and Americans alike take to protect people from these ongoing threats?
Cybersecurity breaches are becoming more frequent. Congress needs to act to protect people's sensitive information and to protect businesses. There needs to be more oversight and penalties for cybersecurity events for companies not proactively protecting consumer information. I sponsored and passed legislation as a state legislator that protects older adults from financial fraud in Minnesota. I look forward to working on this issue in Congress.
Who won the 2020 Presidential election? How confident are you in the integrity of our elections?
Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential election.
I'm confident in the integrity of our elections because voter fraud is extremely rare and often accidental if it occurs. In Texas the conservative Heritage Foundation found 103 cases of confirmed election fraud between 2005 to 2022, in a period where 107 million ballots were cast, or 0.000096% of all ballots cast. We need to achieve 0% and I believe we can attain this. We have a strong verification system of election judges, public clerks, and a Secretary of State working to ensure voting is secure, legitimate and accurate.