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Longtime Austin lawyer Brandon Lawhead has it his priority to find middle ground in the political arena and it’s a staple of his run for the newly redistricted Senate District 23 seat against Republican candidate Gene Dornink.

Not only is it the partisan nature of the current political landscape, but it’s also the events taking part in the country, including the insurrection of Jan. 6.

“I’m running because I fundamentally want to change politics in America to civil debate, listening, discussion, collegiality, and a sense of getting work done for the people,” Lawhead said. “I hope we can, collectively, make politics honorable again, where people volunteer and more young people will be inspired into public service. This isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s crucial for a democratic process.”

It’s for those reasons, Lawhead decided to run in the first place and he believes that his background as a lawyer can help in that regard and help in a number of different ways including interest-based negotiations, understanding the human implications of proposed legislative action or inaction and understanding the fiduciary duty to a client.

“A lawyer must always act in their client’s best interests, not their own,” Lawhead said. “It’s extremely frustrating to see the foregoing legislative game-playing, while people’s lives are at stake.”

Lawhead said that if elected, he hopes that he can coordinate visions of local, state and national interests to benefit the state, including economic growth and development for southern Minnesota.

That includes Lawhead’s hope of working with First District challenger Jeff Ettinger should he be elected.

It would also include rebuilding infrastructure, funding law enforcement, fully funding public education, improving upon strengths which in Lawhead’s opinion includes low population and access to the outdoors and finally building a tax base so property and landowners and farmers don’t carry the burdens.

“Time and events have given us a historic opportunity, which we may never see again,” Lawhead said. “We need to seize it.”

Lawhead said that his campaign and ideas fall on both sides of the aisle and he wants to find like-minded people to try and bridge that gap.

At the same time he’s looking for ways to find those ideas that benefit voters.

“I am a fiscal conservative and a social liberal,” he explained. “I find myself ‘in the middle’ of the two political parties. I see great ideas on both sides of the aisle.”

“Things are getting worse, not better,” He continued. “Voting for a party simply breeds partisanship. We need to start voting for people who will bridge the political divide.”