For years, Minnesota Democrats have made standing up to the pharmaceutical industry, often referred to as Big Pharma, one of their political calling cards. This year, candidates such as Keith Ellison and Matt Little are among those campaigning against Big Pharma.
However, there is one Minnesota Democrat who has a long history with Big Pharma. In fact, he is a former lobbyist for Pfizer, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and one of several creators of the oft-criticized COVID-19 vaccines.
Jim DeMay is the Democratic nominee for House District 36A, a north metro district in the Minnesota House of Representatives that includes Lino Lakes, North Oaks, Centerville, Circle Pines, and part of White Bear Township. For years, DeMay was a Pfizer lobbyist.
According to lobbyist disclosure records from the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, DeMay was first registered as a Pfizer lobbyist in Minnesota in 2011. Disclosure reports show he represented Pfizer’s interests in Minnesota until 2023.
However, DeMay’s efforts on behalf of Pfizer go further. According to a LinkedIn profile belonging to DeMay, the DFLer was a government relations director for Pfizer that directed “all aspects of government relations across six states.”
In written testimony DeMay submitted to the Wisconsin Senate in January of 2021, DeMay described himself as “Director of Pfizer State Government Affairs in the Midwest.” Alpha News also found records of DeMay lobbying the Iowa Legislature on behalf of Pfizer.
DeMay makes no mention of his time as a Pfizer lobbyist on his campaign website. Instead, he talks about his time as a Mounds View School Board member. Alpha News contacted DeMay with questions for this story, but he did not respond to a media inquiry.
Big Pharma lobbyists have recently become a topic of discussion in the race for governor.
Last month, the Minnesota DFL slammed GOP gubernatorial nominee Lisa Demuth for her association with Ben Golnik, a longtime Republican operative and volunteer on Demuth’s campaign. Golnik is currently a lobbyist for Novo Nordisk, another pharmaceutical giant.
“Minnesotans deserve to know what Big Pharma and tobacco lobbyists have been promised by Lisa Demuth and her top advisors,” Minnesota DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom said in a September statement criticizing Demuth’s association with Golnik.
Ironically, DeMay’s campaign announced earlier this week that Carlbom would be in the north metro area to campaign for DeMay on Wednesday.
Alpha News contacted the Minnesota DFL to ask why Carlbom is campaigning for a former Big Pharma lobbyist when he was outraged at Demuth’s association with a similar lobbyist. However, the state party did not respond to a media inquiry.
In the race for House District 36A, DeMay faces Republican Sebastian Stoss. Two years ago, Republican Rep. Elliott Engen won the district by just over 8 points. Engen chose not to seek reelection earlier this year, and the contest for the seat could be close.
At present, the House is split with 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats. As such, a change of just one seat would result in either the DFL or the GOP taking the House majority.
According to the most recently available campaign finance reports, DeMay’s campaign for House had roughly $90,000 in cash on hand as of July 20. Meanwhile, Stoss’ campaign had just $13,202 in cash on hand as of the same date.
DeMay has been endorsed by the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters Association, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Minnesota Nurses Association, and Education Minnesota.
Stoss, a former Republican staffer, has been endorsed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, multiple board members of the Centennial School District, and former Republican state lawmakers.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
