Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen and his running mate, Matt Birk, unveiled a ten-point economic redevelopment plan that the pair believes would bring prosperity to the state and those who live and work here.
The plan relied heavily on reducing what Jensen said is excessive governmental regulation on a variety of industries, including mining.
He said by allowing more mining operations, Minnesota could tap into a “trillion-dollar” economic opportunity.
“We can do this in a very responsible way, and we can steward the land,” said Jensen. “Nobody has more at stake when it comes to stewarding the land than the people who have their children and their grandchildren there.”
“We could mine those materials responsibly in Minnesota,” added Birk. “They’ve been doing it for 150 years, or we can get them from a country like China.”
The pair also touted opportunities for tourism, providing more affordable childcare for people who need to work, and increased job training programs like apprenticeships for teenagers interested in a variety of fields.
They also touched again on the possibility of eliminating Minnesota’s personal income tax, pointing to economic analysis that shows even a reduction and adjustment to the tax brackets could return the state to operating budget levels last seen as recently as 2019.
“We have to not constraint ourselves by getting too quickly to the operational details. I think we have to have people smarter than us who really know the budget—and I’ve sat down with them and so has Matt—and really try and get a feel for it,” said Jensen.
Birk said the economic situation—tax rates and too much government regulation—mean Minnesota is not retaining talent and people who want to grow their families here.
“We are losing more people 18-26 are leaving this state than are coming,” he said.
