The Minnesota Republican Party is calling on Sen. Amy Klobuchar to explain her plan for public safety in Minnesota, noting the Democratic gubernatorial candidate does not list public safety among the main priorities on her campaign website.
The Minnesota GOP argues that recent Somali gang shootings in the Twin Cities suburbs underscore the need for candidates to address crime and public safety.
“Public safety is the first responsibility of government. Yet Amy Klobuchar’s campaign website does not list it among her stated priorities. That omission speaks volumes,” Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Alex Plechash said in a statement.
Klobuchar’s campaign website currently lists her priorities as lowering costs, making government accountable and rooting out fraud, preparing Minnesota’s workforce, expanding the agricultural economy, and supporting conservation.
Public safety is not listed as a standalone priority or policy plan. Her workforce plan on her website does mention public safety in the context of creating more pathways to jobs in the industry.
Plechash pointed to recent violence in Edina and Eden Prairie as examples of public safety concerns extending beyond Minnesota’s largest cities.
“Gunfire at a church in Edina. A shooting outside a homecoming football game in Eden Prairie that forced families to evacuate and led to the cancellation of the homecoming dance. Violence is disrupting traditions and threatening places where Minnesotans should feel safe. Our suburbs are not immune,” he said.
“Parents should be watching their children on the football field—not searching for them after a stadium evacuation. Families deserve a governor who treats their safety as an urgent responsibility,” Plechash continued.
He called on Klobuchar to explain how she would address gang violence, support law enforcement, and deal with repeat violent offenders if elected governor.
“Where is Amy Klobuchar’s plan to confront gang violence? To support law enforcement? To keep repeat violent offenders from hurting more people? If she wants to lead Minnesota, she owes Minnesotans answers,” Plechash said.
The Minnesota GOP contrasted Klobuchar’s website with Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth’s public safety proposals.
Demuth’s campaign has released a standalone public safety plan that, among other things, calls for stronger sentences for repeat violent offenders, increased penalties for assaulting police officers and fleeing law enforcement, additional funding for violent crime enforcement teams, expanded school safety funding, and new efforts to recruit and retain law enforcement officers.
Demuth also held a public safety roundtable in Eden Prairie this week with more than two dozen community members and law enforcement officials, according to a press release from her campaign.
“As the only candidate in the race with a public safety plan, I was honored to receive the endorsement of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis this week,” Demuth said following the roundtable.
“Between the ISIS-inspired terrorist plot at the Mall of America and the wave of Somali gang violence, people are rightfully concerned about safety in their communities. The message I am hearing again and again is, ‘enough is enough,’” she added, referring to the recent arrest of Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud.
According to the Department of Justice, Mohamud was plotting to carrying out a terrorist attack at the Mall of America in support of ISIS. Klobuchar posted about the arrest on social media, calling for “major coordinated investments in anti-terrorism and local law enforcement to stop attacks like these.”
Alpha News reached out to the Klobuchar campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
