Kelly Morrison (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 3rd Congressional District candidate Kelly Morrison submitted her answers to the questionnaire below.
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What do you believe are the most pressing issues facing constituents served by the office you are seeking?
One of my top priorities is lowering costs for Minnesotans. As a doctor, I know what it's like to see my patients struggle to afford the medication they need, so when I got to the Minnesota legislature, I took on Big Pharma and passed legislation lowering prescription drug costs. We also need to take on the high cost of housing and childcare so families can afford their lives.
I also believe everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities. We need to make sure our law enforcement officers have the resources they need to do their jobs well - that's why I supported legislation providing $300 million in aid to local law enforcement, including police, fire and 911 departments, and I co-authored legislation to crack down on violent carjackings. We also need to take on gun violence, which is now the number one killer of children in America, and I support common-sense policies such as universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders.
Finally, I believe we need to protect our freedoms, including a woman's right to make her own health care decisions. I helped lead the effort in Minnesota to protect reproductive rights in our state, and if elected, I will be the only pro-choice OB-GYN in Congress.
What are the three big goals or policies you hope to accomplish or pass during your time in office?
As a doctor, I know how outrageous the cost of prescription drugs are. Congress recently passed legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate lower costs for 10 prescription drugs – which is a great start, but I want to expand that list and drive costs down for more drugs.
I also know how important it is that women are able to make their own health care decisions without interference from the government – and that includes abortion, contraception, and IVF. I successfully worked to protect reproductive rights in Minnesota, and now I want to do the same thing on the federal level and protect reproductive rights for women across the country. That means codifying the protections of Roe v. Wade into law – there's federal legislation, called the Women's Health Protection Act, that would do just that, and we need to pass it.
Finally, my husband is a former Army Ranger and a combat veteran, so supporting our veterans is personal to me. In the Minnesota legislature, I was proud to co-author and pass legislation that provides 9/11 veterans and their families with service bonuses. I want to pass legislation in Congress to strengthen resources and services for those who have served our country.
Do you think Congress should pass a federal law on abortion rights and what should it look like?
As an OB-GYN, I know how critical it is to protect reproductive rights. Congress should pass federal legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into law, and if elected I will work to get this done. These medical decisions should be between a woman and her health care providers - not politicians.
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?
Immigrants are an essential part of our country's cultural and economic fabric, and we need to ensure that we are always a beacon for the world's talent.
Right now our immigration system is broken, and Congress needs to take action to fix it. I supported the bipartisan border legislation, which was endorsed by the Border Patrol, that would have given the President emergency powers to secure the border and would give law enforcement more tools to stop fentanyl from entering our country.
I also support comprehensive immigration reform to fix our legal immigration system and reform our visa system, so that our businesses have the workers they need to grow and succeed. Comprehensive immigration reform isn't just the right thing to do – it's good for our economy and would save taxpayers money.
What would you do to address violent crime and drug use?
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities. First, we need to make sure law enforcement has the resources they need to do their jobs. During my time in the Minnesota legislature, I helped pass legislation providing $300 million in aid to local first responders including police, fire, and 911 departments. I also co-authored legislation to crack down on violent carjackings, and supported efforts to crack down on gun violence and get guns off our streets. Finally, we need to invest in crime prevention so that young people can live up to their potential and lead satisfying and productive lives.
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?
As a physician and a mother, I am appalled that the number one killer of children in America is now gun violence, and I am ready to work to end that preventable tragedy.
I supported the passage of universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders in Minnesota and I support reinstating the ban on the sale of assault weapons. We should close the gun show loophole, and improve reporting and tracking of stolen guns. I know the urgency of curtailing gun violence and will continue to take this issue on in Congress.
Do you believe there should be term limits for members of Congress?
I believe that the voters should decide how long their representatives serve in Congress.
What economic policies do you propose to address high prices and cost of living?
We need to lower costs for families. I've worked with Republicans and Democrats to take on the high price of medication, and I believe we need to take swift action to lower the cost of housing and child care to make it easier for families to live their lives.
When it comes to tackling the high cost of housing, we need to significantly increase the supply of housing, which is critical to lowering costs, and provide more support to first-time homebuyers so they can get started on the path to homeownership. We also need to take on the hedge funds and private equity that are buying up large numbers of single-family homes and pricing out middle-class families from buying those homes.
Finally, we need to invest in innovation, infrastructure, and entrepreneurship to help grow our economy, and make sure we have a tax system that works for everyone – which is why I helped pass the largest tax cut in Minnesota's history.
What is the government's responsibility when it comes to climate change? How would you address it?
As we see more wildfires, floods and other extreme weather wreak havoc on homes and businesses, we need to take swift action to tackle climate change and plan mitigation strategies. This will not only help avert catastrophic warming – it will also create good clean energy jobs.
I have also been a leader in the effort to protect Minnesota's water, including championing legislation to protect our lakes from invasive species, and I will continue this work in Congress.
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?
We need to do more to strengthen our cybersecurity systems and protect our national security and Americans' privacy. We should invest in improving our security systems and continue to develop public-private partnerships to ensure we are utilizing the best of our country's talent to tackle these challenges.
Who won the 2020 Presidential election? How confident are you in the integrity of our elections?
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the 2020 Presidential election, and I am confident in the integrity of our elections.