State Sen. Scott Jensen has decided to not seek reelection in 2020, and he had some pointed words for critics on the right who have called him a "RINO" or Republican In Name Only.
"I think people are out there trying to hijack the Republican Party and I think it's happening," he told host Chad Hartman on 830 WCCO.
Jensen said he was drawn to the Republican Party when Ronald Regan ran for president in 1981 and that Regan's message of faith, family, freedom, personal liberties, American exceptionalism, limited government and "peace through security," had resonated with him.
"Those were the things that drew me to the party. It wasn't the notion that there's two or three litmus test issues and if you don't happen to say everything right on those two or three issues, then you're not a Republican," he said.
RINO's in the MN legislature... GOP Sen. @paulgazelka and GOP sen. Scott Jensen. These POLITICIAN's are fighting against our God given 2nd amendment freedoms!
— Randy Quick (@RandallJQuick) February 2, 2019He added:
"I don't let those people tell me what a Republican is because I don't think they know. They can call me any name they want, but if they think that the Republican Party in the breadth of it has to do with two issues, they're just dead wrong."
Jensen also argued that third parties need to have easier access to the ballot.
Listen to the full interview below.
The section of on the Republican Party is the last question, starting at the 12:40 mark. Jensen discusses the insulin bill in the fist part of the interview. He said he thought it was time for Sen. Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, Speaker Melissa Hortman and Governor Tim Walz to step in and work out a deal.
"They need to say, okay, we're close. We'll try to help carry the ball the rest of the way," Jensen said.
