Alec Smith was a young man who was on his way to making it in the world. He had a good job at a restaurant. He was also a diabetic. When he turned 26 and was kicked off his mother's health insurance, he couldn't afford his insulin on his own, so he started rationing it.
Alec's life mattered — but he died of ketoacidosis from rationing his insulin at age 26 because he couldn't afford his life.
"Everybody counts, everybody matters" has been my guiding principle for my career in public service. As your attorney general for the last four years, it means I've helped people afford their lives and live with safety, dignity and respect. It means I've protected Minnesotans' pocketbooks, safety and freedoms — no matter where you live, what you look like or how much money you make, no exceptions.
I've fought for a fair economy that works for everyone. I've protected Minnesotans when corporate predators scam seniors and homeowners, take advantage of students and renters, or gouge farmers and rural consumers. I've sued Big Pharma for illegally price-fixing drugs that people like Alec Smith need to live. I've put tens of millions of dollars directly back into Minnesotans' bank accounts by suing corporate bad actors and winning. It's all to help folks afford their lives and help build communities where people thrive and have hope for the future.
At a time when our most basic personal freedoms are under attack, I've also fiercely protected Minnesotans' right to choose the health care they want, including abortion care. I always will.
I've kept people safe. I'm at the national forefront of holding opioid companies accountable for the death and destruction they've caused. As a result, hundreds of millions of dollars have started to flow to Minnesota communities. I fought nursing-home fraud. I sued landlords for unsafe living conditions. I sued a gun retailer for negligently selling guns that were used in violent crimes. I sued JUUL for addicting our youth to nicotine.
In the important and defined role Minnesota law assigns to the attorney general, I've taken on the prosecution of violent criminal cases when county attorneys have referred them to me. I haven't lost one. That includes dozens of cases of murder, sexual assault and manslaughter, across the state — including convictions for the attempted murder of an Albert Lea police officer and for the murder of George Floyd.
I've fought in the Legislature for more resources to do more criminal prosecutions four years in a row. And I'm the only candidate who has been endorsed by county attorneys. Those endorsements come from your locally elected prosecutors, representing 2 million Minnesotans from all over the state.
