Chip Tangen

George "Chip" Tangen earned a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College in 1986 and a law degree from University of Minnesota Law School in 1990. His career experience includes working in business development.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a native Minnesotan, raised in Eden Prairie. From a very early age I was captivated by politics and continue to this day to thrive on respectful, thoughtful discussions with people who have differing perspectives.

In my youth, I envisioned a possible future in elective office, and secured degrees in political science and law, along with internships and campaign work. My professional career began on Capitol Hill, where I was legislative counsel to Rep. Jim Ramstad, a rare member of Congress that worked across party lines to get things done. In the end, though, my front-row seat enabled me to see that this was not to be my career path. Looking back, my unacknowledged uneasiness was rooted in a growing dissatisfaction with the two-party system and its failure to address policy reforms in a constructive fashion. Ten years ago, I formally left the GOP for the Libertarian Party, and in more recent years I’ve become an activist on behalf of the entire third-party movement, testifying regularly at the state capitol on reform measures. Today I’m interested in applying my life experience to the office of Secretary of State and have no ambitions for any other office.

I have been married for 36 years to a woman who continues to inspire and guide me. We have two adult children, who are strong independent thinkers. Our grandson is not old enough to talk but he's clearly a Vikings fan.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Structurally, we need to begin electing Secretaries of State who are unaffiliated with the two major parties so that all Minnesotans have confidence in our governing system. We would never stand for a Cheesehead to referee a Vikings-Packers game, so why should we have a lower standard for our elections? Situations have arisen in which the current Secretary of State made decisions that aligned with his party’s interests. At the very least, the perception of bias simply cannot be erased, no matter how well-intentioned a DFL or GOP Secretary of State may be. Minnesota has the opportunity to inspire other states to remove major party politics from this office.We need to replace polarization with coalition-building made possible by multiple parties, but we can’t do that if alternative candidates cannot qualify for the ballot. This problem is especially acute at the state legislative level, where only 3% of the seats have independent or third-party candidates this year.

To begin, we need to clear the obstacles so more independents can run for office: online nomination petitions; fewer signatures; and more time to qualify.

The legislature should pass the Minor Party Ballot Access bill (HF 3534) so viable third parties can regularly field candidates. This will not clutter ballots. Nor will it enable bad actors to run faux candidates, which was a concern raised in prior ballot-access debates.In Minnesota, we should insist on maximum voting opportunities and high standards for electoral security. Despite what the two major parties say, we can achieve both.

Voting is a constitutional right, so I oppose efforts to make it harder for eligible citizens to cast a vote. Minnesota’s efforts to expand voting is admirable (same-day registration, no-excuse absentee ballots and even vouching).

However, if there are concerns about a voter’s eligibility, Minnesota should follow the practice of nearly every other state and use provisional ballots, which are kept separate and not tabulated until eligibility is confirmed. This common sense approach addresses participation and security concerns, and yet the major parties refuse to embrace it.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My passion is to end polarization and give voters more choices on the ballot by reforming our state’s regressive ballot access laws. But I address this elsewhere and I think the question is meant to address personal views that are unrelated to the office of Secretary of State. I am passionate about the First Amendment and abhor censorship of any kind of speech. My top two policy concerns are the failure of policymakers to confront the national debt (currently $40 trillion) and my opposition to our nation’s repeated involvement in wars of choice.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

While I could name political leaders, past and present, my character was instilled in me by my mother and father. Both were kind-hearted, respectful, and concerned with the world around them. My father was active in various boards and on our city council, and he instilled in me the wisdom to truly listen to people and not be a blowhard.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The true test of character for an elected official is whether he or she will stand by the principles and policies for which they advocated, even in instances in which their self-interest would be negatively affected when implemented.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The office of Secretary of State has several functions that are largely of an administrative nature, but the core responsibility concerns oversight of our election system. The Secretary must of course operate without bias, and at the very least not give any appearance of bias.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Beginning with Joan Growe, a top metric for many Secretaries of State has been for Minnesota to lead the nation in voter turnout, which they believe can be achieved by making it easier and easier for people to vote. And yet, despite regularly leading the nation in voter turnout, many eligible voters still stay home: at least 20% in presidential election years, and 40% in other years. Many voters tell me they choose not to vote because they won’t settle for the “lesser of two evils.” My preferred legacy, whether I’m elected Secretary of State or carry on as a citizen activist, is to get those disenfranchised voters off the sidelines by ensuring they have more choices on the ballot. As a bonus, this will drive the voter turnout metric higher.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Grocery store bagboy. I still retain the talent to fill a paperbag efficiently.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I consider myself very blessed with regard to life struggles. But as to tendancies I struggle to address, one would be focusing my aptitude for attention to details on the right details!

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The Secretary of State affixes the Great Seal of Minnesota to laws and orders to give them effect. Periodically, there will be a vacancy in an elected office, and the governor issues a “writ of special election” to set the rules. As the constitutional officer responsible for elections, the Secretary of State should not be a rubber stamp for special election rules that make it all but impossible for candidates to qualify for the ballot by petitioning. The most egregious example, for an election in January 2025, allowed just one day to collect 500 signatures.

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

The moon landing.