Tea Party challenger for Amy Klobuchar’s Senate seat stops in Austin

A small convoy rolled into the Austin Hy-Vee parking lot Wednesday to spread a basic message: less national debt and less government oversight.

Kurt Bills, who rolled in with his campaign buses, followed by the Tea Party Express Mobile Call Center, greeted people at Hy-Vee and briefly explained why he should be elected as a U.S. Senator for Minnesota.

“We need a U.S. Senate that’s actually going to put a budget forward,” he said.

Bills — a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and a Tea Party Republican — is challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Bills is in the midst of a statewide tour in which he will make a stop in every county. Wednesday, Bills stopped in Mankato, Austin and Rochester.

He told Austin listeners that as a high school economics teacher in Rosemount, he sees the problems with national debt and wants the U.S. Senate to do more about that. He is running, he said, for America’s youth.

“I’m running because of all the questions the kids ask me,” he said.

While Bills’ students obviously know about his campaign, that’s not something they talk about at school, Bills said.

“We keep it really professional,” Bills said. “They’re just great, young people.”

Like most candidates, Bills said he wants to help the middle class. Bills, referencing his own children, noted high college costs, among other issues. He added he has the experience from 18 years of teaching, serving on the Rosemount City Council and in the Minnesota House.