Jason Lewis, a local talk-show host from the Twin Cities who was syndicated nationwide from 2009 until his retirement in 2014, is running for Congress in Minnesota’s second congressional district this year. Hoping to succeed retiring Republican Congressman John Kline, Lewis has come out of retirement, winning both the endorsement of the second congressional district’s Republican party and the party’s primary on Aug. 9 by a substantial margin. His race against Democrat Angie Craig has been hard-fought in the traditionally Republican-leaning southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. Despite Craig’s overwhelming advantage in fundraising, Lewis has managed to keep the race a true toss-up, a testament to his personable style and ability to play to a crowd.
Decidedly in the style of a man who has come out of retirement to pursue something, Lewis is passionate about small government and keeping power in the hands of the states and the people. His desire to decrease the scope of the federal government extends to both home and abroad. He embraces the non-interventionist tradition of the old Republican Party. He states that the Democratic Party “is the party of intervention at home and abroad,” and that such action should be opposed by people who are fond of liberty. This does not, however, indicate that he holds moderate views on immigration: he believes that the border must be secured before Congress can truly deal with the undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States.
Lewis does hold some libertarian views on some things, however, as a strong supporter of personal property rights. The right to personal property was his primary basis for opposing many elements of the War on Terror, including domestic surveillance and civil asset forfeiture, a program where police may confiscate property or money suspected of being used for criminal activity without proof. His statements against the National Security Agency’s program of domestic surveillance were reminiscent of those made by Rand Paul, a prominent critic of the USA PATRIOT Act and related government overreach, on the Senate floor.
As far as his own race goes, Lewis believes that although his opponent has had more fundraising success than he has, he holds an advantage in ground game and in name identification. Comparing his opponent to Minnesota’s popular senior senator, Amy Klobuchar, he argues that Angie Craig has much more personality than actual political substance, and she will become a party-line liberal in Washington.
A career talk-show host who decided to run for Congress, Jason Lewis is a passionate candidate and open defender of the ideals of liberty. Should he win the seat, the residents of Minnesota’s second congressional district will have an resolute voice in Washington.