Major candidates in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race were participating in a candidate forum at FarmFest in Redwood Falls Wednesday.
On the subject of tariffs and the country's approach to trade, Republican Michele Tafoya says farmers need to look long term.
"And that is trade agreements all over the world with reliable trading partners, not just China, reliable trading partners so that you can grow," she says.
Republican candidate Royce White:
When is enough enough? You're paying China, you're paying Israel, you're paying Al-Shabaab in Somalia. You're paying the Ukraine. They're producing grain pretty well, aren't they? You're paying everybody," White said. When are the American people going to get their cut?"
Democratic Congresswoman Angie Craig:
"I think the Trump administration should expand domestic markets and quit being loosey with the football. with E-15," says Craig. "You can do all of that, but when you refuse to renew USMCA, the single most important trade agreement and markets for our farmers, you're making a mistake."
Minnesota DFL Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan:
"I think people would rather just have reliable markets and be able to sell their products, and as Congresswoman Craig said, and I agree with her, when we see $40 billion being sent to Argentina for cattle, this is outrageous. It's a setup," Flanagan added.
All four candidates are participating in next week's Primary election in Minnesota.
One person notably absent from the forum is former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze. The Republican was not invited to participate based on the rules set forth for candidate poll numbers. Schwarze, who is the GOP-nominated candidate based on voting at the Republican State Convention, made news earlier this week saying the forum was canceled.
Olson says that's a lie and the two spoke at FarmFest where Schwarze is still campaigning ahead of the Primary.
"And so I looked at him yesterday as I was leaving FarmFest and I was like, what was that about? He's like, 'no, they canceled the debate. They canceled the only debate we're gonna have.' I go, no, there's gonna be a forum tomorrow, you're just not on the stage because you're not polling," Olson told WCCO's Chad Hartman. "I said, if you really want to be serious about running for office, you can't make stuff up."
Olson says Schwarze later "threw his advisors under the bus" on their messaging.
On the Democratic side, the dynamic between Craig and Flanagan continues to show a divide on the left between moderates, and the more Democratic Socialist-leaning candidates. Olson says who wins the primary will come down to turnout, and Craig needs those in the middle to get energized to vote.
"She needs rural Democrats to vote in a primary the way they did for Tim Walz and Mark Dayton, when he beat endorsed candidates," Olson notes. "Like the 3rd District that (Dean) Phillips flipped, right? Those are moderate, anti-Trump voters. Are they gonna show up for a primary? We just don't know. They haven't had a competitive primary. Again, turnout is gonna be the factor on both sides. I think there's gonna be high DFL tournament turnout. I would say this, I think the higher the turnout, especially if it's a more traditional model, helps Angie Craig next week."
FarmFest also hosted Congressional candidates on Tuesday from all of the state's rural districts, and also hosted a forum of candidates for governor on Wednesday morning.
