The people of Southern Minnesota don’t ask for special treatment. They ask for a fair shake. They ask for honest government, safe communities, good schools, and the chance to build a better life for their children than they had themselves.

That’s not too much to ask.

When I ran for office, I promised to take the values of our farms, our small towns, and our Main Streets to Saint Paul. Those values haven’t changed. We believe in hard work. We believe in personal responsibility. We believe government should live within its means and answer to the people who pay the bills.

Over the past year, we fought to stop extreme legislation that would have taken Minnesota in the wrong direction. We worked to expose waste, fraud, and abuse in state government. We stood with parents, supported our law enforcement officers, and fought for the farmers, workers, and small businesses that keep our communities strong.

But there is still more work to do.