Come election day on November 8, the narrow governor race will be decided between current governor Tim Walz and the GOP candidate Scott Jensen. Dr. Scott Jensen has been a member of the Minnesota State Senate since he was elected in 2017, and was born and raised in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.

Scott Jensen earned his medical degree from our own University of Minnesota. After receiving his M.D, he was a professor at the University of Minnesota. Jensen also served on the Waconia school board in the early 2000’s (the public school district I attended K-12). His family practice was located in Watertown, a neighboring city of Waconia. 

Ex-Minnesota Viking Matt Birk will be his running mate for Lieutenant Governor. Birk was born and raised right in St. Paul. He was a Harvard graduate with a degree in economics, which followed him being drafted in the NFL. Playing as a center, he lasted 14 years in the NFL. Two of his greatest accomplishments in the NFL were winning Super Bowl XLVII and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. For those not aware, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is one of the NFL’s greatest awards. It recognizes the player with the best show of excellence of charity work off the field. 

His motives for running for governor are rooted in addressing some issues in Minnesota in an effort push the state into thriving again. The Covid-19 pandemic also served a purpose for running for governor. Jensen blames our current governor, Tim Walz, for the direction that Minnesota is heading in right now. Small businesses really took a massive hit during the pandemic, with Walz not wanting to reopen the state which halted economic activity and growth. In Scott Jensen’s website (https://drscottjensen.com/), his “prescription” for Minnesota includes “A pandemic ravaged our most vulnerable populations in congregative care and our Governor took no pinpointed actions to stop it.”

On his website, you can also find many of his plans published for 8 different issues listed as follows: to stop crime in MN, to fight inflation, to lower energy costs, to reduce gas prices, to protect and support women, work for excellent education, push for economic development, and for rural prosperity. Each plan contains a new detailed page of exactly how Dr. Scott Jensen will heal these issues. 

The plan that stuck out to me most was his “The FIT Plan: Fight Inflation Together,” plan (https://drscottjensen.com/). His plan includes “both aspirational and specific initiatives to protect and enhance the family budget, ranging from tax and spending policy, to regulation and permit reforms.” This will include all of the following: get proactive on energy, more money in your pockets NOW, increase worker pay, eliminate abuse and fraud, veto all wasteful projects, eliminate social security taxes, reduce cost of living, hire competent watch dogs, fight costly mandates, and increase job growth. He seems to be very motivated and willing to dig deep for all of Minnesota, and his website reflects that. 

On Tuesday, October 18, governor Walz and Jensen had their only televised governor race debate. Along with all of the issues mentioned above, Dr. Scott Jensen has strong feelings toward the crime rates in Minnesota. Jensen seemed to be putting the blame on Governor Walz as he said “Arguably he is the godfather of the crime epidemic that has swept our country,” per an AP article on the debate (Minnesota Gubernatorial Candidates go on attack in debate). Dr. Scott Jensen has plans on his website on how he will combat the crime rates in Minnesota. One anonymous University of Minnesota student mentioned “Dr. Scott Jensen is a very motivated candidate who will get Minnesota heading back into the right direction,” when asked about his opinion on Jensen. 

As election day comes November 8, it is important to cast your vote at the polls, regardless of what candidate you stand behind. It’s a very important civil duty to exercise because you have the power to help set the state of Minnesota how you best see fit. Do your research, and be ready to let your voice be heard come election day in Minnesota.