In their own words: Candidates Klobuchar and Newberger on key U.S. Senate issues

Nora G. Hertel
St. Cloud Times
Minnesota state Rep. Jim Newberger, left, will run in 2018 for a U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, right.

ST. CLOUD — State Rep. Jim Newberger launched his campaign for U.S. Senate in August 2017, with hopes of replacing incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar and adding a Republican to Minnesota's D.C. delegation.

Newberger and Klobuchar each won their party's endorsement and primary election.

Klobuchar has served as U.S. senator for two terms. She previously served as Hennepin County Attorney for eight years, starting in 1999.

Newberger became a state representative in 2013 and has worked as a paramedic for three decades. 

The election takes place Nov. 6. Early voting is already underway. 

RELATED: Smith v. Housley: U.S. Senate candidates on healthcare, immigration and the economy

Klobuchar and Newberger responded to a St. Cloud Times survey with reader-chosen issues. Here's what the candidates had to say about the economy, immigration and health care.

What are your values?

AMY KLOBUCHAR: I'm guided by the values I learned growing up in Minnesota. My grandpa worked 1,500 feet underground on the Iron Range. My dad was a newspaperman, and my mom taught second grade until she was 70. My husband, John, is a native of Mankato, and we have a daughter, Abigail.

When Abigail was born, she was very sick. Even though she was in intensive care, the hospital discharged me after just 24 hours. I then helped pass one of the first laws in the country guaranteeing 48-hour hospital stays for new moms and their babies.

Every day I see the tenacity that gets Minnesotans through a cold winter, the ingenuity that makes us home to some of the best companies in the world and the humility that keeps us working together. That's what I learned growing up and those are the values that I carry with me in the Senate.

JIM NEWBERGER: I was born and raised in Minnesota. I've been married for 27 years with three grown daughters, and I've worked as a fulltime EMT/paramedic for 30 years. My first paramedic job was in St. Cloud at the old Murphy Ambulance Company. I graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in mass communications and political science.

I am in my third term of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and I am the vice chair of the Jobs and Energy (Affordability Policy and Finance) Committee. My hobbies include hiking, watching "Star Trek" and BBQ.

RELATED: Newberger wants to balance Senate delegation

What will you do to improve Minnesota’s economy from the Senate?

In this file photo U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar listens during a roundtable discussion on Alzheimers at the Good Shepherd Senior Campus in Sauk Rapids.

KLOBUCHAR: My focus has been on moving our economy forward by strengthening the fundamentals that lead to sustained economic growth and more good-paying jobs. That means investing in education, updating and enhancing our current policies to focus on training the next generation of workers to compete in a global economy, increasing our emphasis on exports — including for small and mid-sized businesses — responsibly reducing red tape and addressing our nation's debt.

NEWBERGER: I will work with our president to further his plan to Make America Great Again. I support tax cuts for job providers and for families. We need to expand trade between Minnesota companies into markets in the U.S. and abroad. I will work to reduce the regulatory burden on Minnesota's industries.

What’s your stance on immigration, including DACA youths, refugees and the families with children seeking asylum?

KLOBUCHAR: Passing comprehensive immigration reform has been one of my priorities in the U.S. Senate. A comprehensive immigration reform bill should include the prioritized enforcement of existing laws, enhanced border security, DACA (also known as the DREAM Act) and an accountable pathway to earned citizenship.

I will continue to work to pass the DREAM Act, which allows immigrants brought to the United States as children, through no choice of their own, to stay in the only country they consider home — as well as comprehensive immigration reform, which we must pass for the good of our economy and our country. I support our refugees and have worked with Congressman Tom Emmer on this issue and have also long advocated for thorough vetting and supported strong national security measures.

Jim Newberger

NEWBERGER: I support securing our border and promoting legal immigration. The DACA youth should be granted permanent resident alien status and given the opportunity to earn their American citizenship.

Also, we need to shut down the refugee program and fix it. We need to ensure that everyone brought here will agree to live under American law only. Local communities need to have input when they are selected for resettlement. We need to ensure that the refugee program does not create an undue financial burden on communities selected for resettlement. I don't care who you are, what you look like or where you are from, if you come to America, then live under American law. If you can do that, then I say, "Welcome to America." If you do not want to live under American law, then don't live in America.

We should not separate children from their families when seeking asylum.

How will you address the rising cost of healthcare, insurance and prescription drugs?

KLOBUCHAR: The Affordable Care Act is a beginning, not an end, and changes still need to be made. We must bring down costs and premiums by implementing reinsurance on the national level like Minnesota did on a bipartisan basis in the state and providing cost-sharing reductions. However, we cannot go backwards by repealing key ACA protections. The law prohibits abusive practices like denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions, helps seniors pay for prescription drugs by closing the gap in coverage known as the "donut hole" and allows young people to stay on their parents' plans until they are 26.

To bring down prescription drug costs, I am leading bills that would lift the ban that prohibits Medicare from negotiating for the best possible price of prescription drugs on behalf of the 41 million seniors and allow for the importation of less-expensive, safe drugs from Canada to to be sold in America.

U.S. Senate candidates Jim Newberger and Amy Klobuchar share what they would do with the economy if elected in 2018.

NEWBERGER: We need to put a permanent end to ObamaCare. In Minnesota, it became a 350 million dollar website that failed. We need to open up the insurance markets to competition across state lines and bring back underwriting of individual policies. Competition will bring down the cost and increase the quality of health care. We must also have a safety net for the most vulnerable members of our society, such as MinnesotaCare, to make sure that no one falls through the cracks, especially those with pre-existing conditions.

What other problems will you focus on if elected? And how will you tackle them?

KLOBUCHAR: As your senator, I am focused on advancing a competitive agenda for America. We need to be a country that thinks, invents, makes stuff and exports to the world. That's why I'm working to prepare our students for the jobs of tomorrow that our businesses are creating today through workforce training and apprenticeships, to invest in Minnesota's infrastructure and to lower costs for Minnesotans, including the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs.

I have one goal: getting things done for the people of our state. At a time when not enough is getting done because of gridlock, grandstanding and the grip big interests have on Washington, I've gotten things done by putting partisanship aside and working across the aisle to find ways to strengthen our economy and support Minnesota families, workers and businesses. I'm proud to represent our state and hope I can earn your support in 2018.

NEWBERGER: I will be a strong voice for all Minnesotans. My opponent, Sen. Klobuchar has a 90 percent rubber-stamp voting record with the far left. Every Minnesotan deserves a voice in the U.S. Senate. If you are in the moderate middle or land anywhere in the Conservative right, then you have had no voice for over a decade. It's time for everyone to have a voice.

I am pro-life and I will fight for the unborn. Sen. Klobuchar is not pro-life. She supports late-term abortions and taxpayer-funded abortions.

Nora G. Hertel: 320-255-8746, and on Twitter @nghertel