We are coming to the end of a long and hard fought campaign. On Tuesday November 2 we the voters will make the decision on how we want to be governed and who we want representing us in the government. There are clear and significant differences between where my opponent and I stand on the important issues in this campaign and I humbly ask for your vote to be your State Senator as I believe I am far better qualified to effectively represent our common interests.

Our district and state faces many problems, most of which having been caused by government either not fulfilling its core responsibilities or getting involved in areas where it should not be. Most definitely, our problems are not due to we the people paying too little in taxes or not relinquishing enough of our liberties to government. It is time to make a stand and take back control of our government, and it starts on Tuesday at your polling place.

Below is a summary of my positions versus those of my opponent:
I advocate policies that strengthen the private sector and reduce the interference of government into our daily lives and our businesses. As in the past, if government gets out of the way the private sector will provide economic growth and associated creation of jobs to bring us out of the current recession. This includes a move to zero-based budgeting, lower taxes, and reducing government spending to within it’s means. My opponent has stated on several occasions that tax increases are inevitable and a belief in the failed practice of base-line budgeting where most budget items get an automatic increase each biennium. The policies of her party transformed a $2 billion state budget surplus into a $6-8 billion deficit since they assumed power in 2006.

I oppose any Obama-care style government imposed health insurance requirements and/or move to socialized medicine. We have the best health care in the world, but the system is encumbered by unwise tax policies and unnecessary regulations on the insurance and health care delivery industries that drive up costs and bureaucracy. A huge improvement can be made simply by allowing health care consumers to shop for their insurance across state lines and giving individuals the same tax breaks as employers when purchasing insurance. My opponent has stated that our health care lags behind much of the world and is in favor of Obama-care style government policies that will negatively impact the availability and quality of care at any price.

I support our Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms for the protection of our selves, our property, and for all legal purposes of our choosing. I am an NRA member and proudly carry the NRA endorsement in this election. I support maintaining and strengthening the "shall issue" policy when it comes to carry permits. I oppose any direct as well as back-door gun control legislation to restrict access to firearms to law-abiding citizens or attempt to tax or regulate ammunition or sport activities out of existence. My opponent voted against carry reform and has an "F" rating from the NRA. Before the primary the NRA sent out one of their "orange card" alerts urging a vote against her because of her voting record in the legislature against the interests of NRA members. These alerts are not issued frequently and are generally reserved for the most flagrantly undesirable candidates.

I support photo voter id and other safeguards to protect the accuracy and integrity of our elections. As a member of the Minnesota House, my opponent voted against requiring photo id as a condition to voting.

I believe that the right to life is the most fundamental of all of our God-given rights and am strongly pro-life and pro-family. Government policies should not hinder the ability of people to support their families and raise their children according to their values and beliefs. I oppose state funding of abortions and of organizations that promote abortion. I will also do all in my power to allow the people to vote for constitutional protection of traditional marriage between one man and one woman. My opponent advocates very liberal so-called “pro-choice” policies on abortion and for several years has had a 100% rating from NARAL, a leading pro-abortion advocacy organization. The leadership of her party has also actively blocked the right of the people to vote on constitutionally protecting traditional marriage, and I see no reason to believe that she will deviate from her past record of voting with her party’s leadership.
I urge you to take some time between now and Tuesday to carefully look over both my website (http://www.ginabauman.com) as well as that of my opponent (http://www.barbgoodwin.com) and decide for yourself whose ideas and qualifications will better represent your interests as well as those of our district at large. Feel free to contact me per the information on my web site if you have any questions or concerns.

Mention also needs to be made of the other candidate in this race, Rae Hart Anderson. Anderson competed with me and one other candidate for the GOP endorsement, which I won with 90% of the vote. Since then Rae has been thrown out of the Republican Party largely for her unwillingness to abide by party rules, inappropriate public behavior, and a refusal to work constructively with others. She is running without any endorsement by any party and has run a very disjointed and misrepresentative campaign (see this prior post on Enlighten New Brighton for more on this). Her flagship issue is pro-life, but her abrasive demeanor and inability to work within conventional channels will not help advance the pro-life cause. As an independent, Rae would have few if any legislative allies to caucus with and has demonstrated that she will more than likely drive away people who may be leaning toward a pro-life way of thinking. Check out her web site (http://www.hartanderson.org) for yourself. Other than being pro-life, there is little in the way of consistent or coherent policy positions or political philosophy. Realistically, the only role Rae Anderson has in this election is that of a spoiler. A vote for Anderson with the intent of promoting the pro-life agenda will have the exact opposite effect if it ends up tilting the election to my hard-core pro-abortion opponent.

I am confident that I and my fellow conservative candidates are on the right side of the issues and we will win this election if all of us who believe in personal liberty and limited government get out and vote on Tuesday. In the past two elections far too many of us like-minded people stayed at home and we ended up with elected officials who have not represented our best interests. 2011 can be the year where we start undoing the damage that has been caused by four years of liberal dominance in the state legislature. It all starts with your vote for conservative candidates this Tuesday.

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement throughout this long election season. The finish line is in sight and the race is ours to be won if we have the resolve to do so. Once again, I encourage you to get out and vote on Tuesday and ask for the honor and privilege of representing you in the Minnesota Senate.