Karin Housley

Karin Housley was born in South St. Paul, Minnesota, and lives in Stillwater. Housley graduated from South St. Paul High School in 1982. She earned a B.A. in communications and media studies from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo in 1988. Her career experience includes working as a television news producer at the ABC and NBC affiliates in Buffalo and owning her own realty business in Minnesota. Housley served as a board member of the Washington County Agricultural Society and the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce.[1][2]

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Campaign website

Housley's campaign website stated the following:

Social Security

Minnesotans work hard – and when they retire, they deserve the money they’ve paid into Social Security. That’s why we must work together on protecting Social Security, preserving its solvency for future generations. Social Security should not be privatized; instead, we need a bipartisan solution that protects benefits without increasing taxes or raising the age of retirement.

Healthcare

Obamacare has failed hardworking Minnesotans. A government takeover of health care has driven up costs, hurt small businesses, and reduced the quality of care. I believe in a patient-centered, market-driven health care system that provides individuals and families with affordable, accessible coverage and care.

Economy

A strong economy is the foundation for a strong Minnesota – but a growing national debt and increasingly wasteful spending threatens the prosperity of future generations. By balancing the budget, cutting taxes, rolling back burdensome regulation, and encouraging innovation, we can continue to grow an economy that provides an opportunity for all Minnesotans to thrive.

Values

Life is a gift, and it should be protected. As a mother and grandmother, I believe every effort should be made to protect and honor life.

Second Amendment

The rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental guarantee of our Constitution. I believe we can protect the rights and freedoms of law-abiding gun owners while also addressing the growing issue of gun violence, but only if we work together. We must enforce existing gun laws, better address mental illness, and prevent violent criminals and known terrorists from gaining instant access to firearms.

Taxes

It’s your money, not the government’s – and as a small business owner, I understand the crushing impact high taxes have on job creation. I believe a healthy economy begins when hardworking Minnesotans keep more of their earnings and businesses are free to spur economic growth.

Trade

I believe in free and fair trade, unhindered by practices that unfairly disadvantage one side of a trade relationship. In a global economy, American workers are positioned to succeed as long as we are playing by the same set of rules. To grow our economy, we should encourage free trade – but not at the expense of our national security or shipping jobs overseas.

Military

A strong military is essential to keeping America free, safe, and prosperous. Maintaining a strong global military presence is vital to American interests, our allies, and peace around the world. In Washington, I will be a steadfast supporter for the brave men and women of our military. We need to ensure that we maintain a trained and ready force, support current operations, prepare for future missions, and ensure that military families receive the care they deserve.

Immigration

America was founded by immigrants and immigrants continue to enrich our nation. But in order to continue this legacy, we must modernize and fix our broken immigration system. Securing our borders is the first step toward a workable immigration plan that attracts the best and brightest students and workers, ultimately improving our economy and preserving our global competitiveness. I support immigration policy that maximizes public safety, strengthens families, and expands economic opportunity.

Agriculture

Minnesota’s agricultural industry is the backbone of our economy, supporting over 430,000 jobs and responsible for $121 billion in economic activity each year. From the farmers harvesting the fields to the families gathered around their tables, a sound agricultural policy benefits all Americans.[10][11]

Campaign advertisements

The following is an example of an ad from Housley's 2018 election campaign.

"Play Fair" Housley campaign ad released September 6, 2018

Housley's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Jobs & the Economy

I want to help get this state back on track to being prosperous. Now, more than ever, we need to focus on growing our economy & improving our job climate. We need to keep our businesses here and we need to help to create more jobs. I will work diligently for job growth in our state by easing the taxes, high fees, & complicated state regulations.

We need to be fiscally responsible, stop runaway spending and stick to a balanced budget.

Economic Development

Being in the real estate business, we saw a turn in the economy before it was publicly declared a “recession.” Homes were taking longer to sell as the pool of buyers was drying up and there weren’t as many potential buyers relocating to the Twin Cities.

Tens of thousands of Minnesotans have lost their jobs, endured pay cuts, benefit cuts and reduced hours.Minnesota’s poor business climate has contributed to this financial demise. Our anti-business tax, regulatory, and job creation climate has made this recession worse for Minnesotans than it really had to be.

It’s no surprise that this is where we ended up. It’s a logical result of public policies enacted by our legislature that have handcuffed our employers, employees and everyone else who has tried to grow a small business, pay taxes, give back to their community and keep the state moving forward productively

Education

I will work with parents and educators to:

Improve the quality of teaching.

Address the student problems outside of the classroom.

Hold schools accountable.

Prepare ALL students for life after high school.

Health Care

The ever-increasing cost of health care and outrageous cost of prescription drugs must be addressed. Opening our health care system to competition, increasing consumer-based decision-making in the process and providing greater incentives for those who purchase long-term care insurance are a couple cost-friendly approaches with promise.

At a cost of over one trillion dollars, the new health care law is too costly. And contrary to what my opponent might say, it won’t create sustainable jobs, because we don’t have the money for it. My goal is to make Minnesota one of the ten lowest states in health spending per capita by 2015. We can do that by opening the insurance marketto competition. Focusing on preventive care and rewarding healthy individuals.[11]

—Karin Housley[12]

Housley's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[13]

Jobs & the Economy

Excerpt: "I want to help get this state back on track to being prosperous. Now, more than ever, we need to focus on growing our economy & improving our job climate. We need to keep our businesses here and we need to help to create more jobs. I will work diligently for job growth in our state by easing the taxes, high fees, & complicated state regulations."

Education

Excerpt: "I will work with parents and educators to: Improve the quality of teaching, Address the student problems outside of the classroom, Hold schools accountable, Prepare ALL students for life after high school"

Healthcare

Excerpt: "The ever-increasing cost of health care and outrageous cost of prescription drugs must be addressed. Opening our health care system to competition, increasing consumer-based decision-making in the process and providing greater incentives for those who purchase long-term care insurance are a couple cost-friendly approaches with promise."