Shannon Bruce

Shannon Bruce earned a high school diploma from Thomas Jefferson High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado Denver in 1989. Her career experience includes working in government affairs.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I want to bring civility, common sense and civil discourse back to the Capitol so we can accomplish good things for Minnesotans. My background in public policy and government affairs serves as a solid foundation for this important work. We have more things in common with our friends on “the other side of the aisle,” that unite us than divide us. We all want affordability of housing, food, healthcare and education. We all want safe neighborhoods, good schools, fair taxes and government leaders we trust. We all want the most vulnerable people in our communities to be supported and for everyone to be treated with dignity and respect. With the right leadership in the Senate we can focus on taking positive steps to improve Minnesota’s economy, environment, education and the quality of life for everyone who calls Minnesota home.

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?

Affordability is central to our quality of life. It’s a complex issue influencing the costs of housing, healthcare, government services, food, daycare, transportation, education and more. Government program fraud is driving the need for more bureaucracy, making programs more expensive. EVERY DOLLAR LOST TO FRAUD IS A DOLLAR THAT CAN’T GO TOWARD SERVICES, REAL HELP FOR FAMILIES OR TO LOWER THEIR TAX BURDEN. Middle class seniors are being driven from their homes because they can’t afford their property taxes and working suburban families in our district are seeing dramatic property tax increases caused by the county’s revenue losses brought about by the flight of businesses and residents from our crime ridden cities. Let's fix this!Safe Neighborhoods. The ability to thrive depends on safety. I support local police to enforce the law and put the safety of our families and children first. The judicial system must do their part in keeping criminals off our streets. I will support legislation that stops the catch and release policies that have fostered disrespect for the law and proliferated rising crime rates in our cities.Improve Education. Our future depends on it. We simply cannot accept MCA scores that show Minnesota student proficiency is below 50% in both reading and math. I want to remove political agendas from classrooms and get back to focusing on core skills that prepare our kids for success in the real world.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordability, Accountability, Public Safety, Education, and Elections

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

Honesty, integrity, other-centeredness