State Sen. Karin Housley (R-District 39), visited the Austin Daily Herald newsroom on Friday morning to share her campaign platform, as well as urging voters to come out to the polls for the upcoming Aug. 14 primary.

The South St. Paul native— and the endorsed GOP nominee—will be running in a special election to win former DFL Sen. Al Franken’s seat, who resigned late last year amid alleged sexual misconduct accusations. U.S. Sen.Tina Smith (D-Minn.) was appointed to the seat by Gov. Mark Dayton and is also running to hold onto the seat.

This race was not uncontested within Housley’s party, as she’ll also be running against two other Republicans: Bob Anderson of Hastings and Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey of Woodbury.

However, Housley remained confident that she would continue onto the Nov. 6 general election, as she travels around Greater Minnesota to meet with people from varying industries from mining to farming and said she had a broader perspective and insight into the needs of those living statewide.

“The campaign’s going well, and for the first time in a while, we’re going in the right direction,” Housley said. “There’s so many diverse issues from northwest Minnesota to southern.”

She’s a small real estate business owner, and entered politics in 2010, which there was an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the state senate.

However, Housley was elected into the Minnesota Senate in 2012 to represent St. Croix River Valley, and serves as  chairwoman of the Aging and Long-Term Care Committee, vice chair of the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, and is on the Veterans and Military Affairs and the Jobs and Economic Growth committees. She’s been there ever since.

However, one of the major factors that played into Housley running for U.S. Senate was her frustrations with Dayton’s and Smith’s leadership, and said that the officials did not have the best interests of “all Minnesotans” at heart.

“I couldn’t let Tina Smith represent all Minnesotans because there’s more to Minnesota than Minneapolis and St. Paul,” she said. “She’s metro-centric and forgets about all the people in Greater Minnesota.”

These were several issues and tenets that Housley highlighted in her campaign:

Protecting elders from abuse

Housley stated that she was running because she felt that Dayton and Smith failed to protect aging Minnesotans, referring to the hundreds complaints that were made statewide regarding alleged mistreatment and abuse in nursing homes, assisted-living centers and other care facilities that were highlighted in state news reports.

“The Dayton-Smith administration failed to protect the elderly in nursing homes across the state,” she said. “We need to hold them accountable. I felt that I needed to step up and run.”

Supporting farmers and fair, free trade

During her tour, Housley stated that she met with many farmers in Greater Minnesota who expressed anxiety and fear over the ongoing trade dispute with China. Describing Minnesota’s agricultural industry to be “the backbone of our economy,” Housley stated that she believed in supporting farmers and free trade that’s not hindered by “unfair practices” and one-sided trade relationships.

“We need to protect our farmers,” she said. “Our soybean farmers have such a hard career and with added anxiety over trade issues and tariffs, making sure they’re comfortable is a top priority for us in this campaign.”

Military veterans

Housley supports the military and maintaining a strong global military presence to American interests, according to her campaign website. She also believes in supporting veterans and ensuring they and their families are cared for.

Taxes

Citing her experiences as a small business owner, Housley stated that she understood the impact of high taxes on job creation, and believed that a healthy economy begins when Minnesotans are able to keep more of their earnings and businesses are free to spur economic development and growth.