Sarah Brakebill-Hacke

Candidate Introduction

My name is Sarah Brakebill-Hacke, I’m 35 years old, a graduate of Yale with a BA in Global Affairs, where I studied the effects of food insecurity on populations. I am proud to say I have received a letter of support from the DFL Native People’s Caucus. I want to lift up the 44 million people in poverty and provide them a path to success. To take care of our Seniors who have given so much to us. To lift up workers, to get them a living wage and free community and tech college to have a path to success. To honor our teachers and pay them what they deserve. To fight for clean air, clean water and health care for every American.

Background

  • Lifelong resident of Rochester

  • Former owner of direct voter contact business (8 years)

  • Rochester Community and Technical College - served as Student Body President

  • Yale College B.A. - Global Affairs and food insecurity, served as Student Council Senator, Mental Health Chair

  • Supported by the DFL Native People’s Caucus

Positions

Position statements were compiled from candidate Meet and Greet Notes and Video Recording, which can be viewed below.

CD-1 Candidate Responses - Sarah Brakebill-Hacke (2022)
Meet and Greet - Brakebill-Hacke.mp4

Healthcare

  • Committed to single-payer Medicare for All system with caps on costs of prescription drugs no greater than $100 for a month total

  • Believes we need to upgrade in-home care for seniors and assisted living choices

  • Supports subsidize healthy food to increase public health outcomes

  • Believes we should normalize alternative healthcare modalities, such as naturopathy and traditional medicine from all the world's cultures

  • Believes that healthcare is a human right along with other basic needs

  • Supports making healthcare available at no cost as is done in the UK and other societies

Climate & Environment

  • Supports full funding of solar and wind to replace fossil fuels

  • Supports Green New Deal

  • Believes we need to achieve NetZero emissions by 2050

  • Wants MN to innovate in land stewardship and regenerative farming practices

  • Believes we must reduce our carbon footprint and export new technologies to developing countries

Economy & Trade

  • Recommends negotiating fair trade agreements that focus on humanitarian efforts, fair wages, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

  • Believes universal healthcare would be a huge help to small businesses across MN

  • Supports a living wage, guaranteed basic needs security

  • Supports free community college and 4-year state university tuition to lift up the whole community and create a boom of innovation and equity

Education & Equity

  • Believes we need to support, fund, and train teachers to create an inclusive space in public schools

  • Strongly supports defending students’ civil rights regardless of background or identity

  • Supports a curriculum that teaches acceptance and affirmation of our entire, diverse population

  • Recommends Hero Pay for teachers with $10,000 annual federal stipend plus free occupation-related tuition

  • Believes teachers’ aides must be paid a living wage

DFL Candidate Forum (5/10/2022)

  • Opening: Priority is basic needs security. Medicare for all, living wage, free community college.

  • On healthcare: Also supports single payer, shares her experience with UK's model.

  • On climate crisis: we need to be carbon neutral by 2030; innovative at and alternative energy.

  • On Roe v. Wade: agrees with Ettinger on need to pass the ERA, women feel like they are in rented spaces.

  • On education: universal pre-K, teachers are lifeline, bullying is serious concern.

  • On gun violence: banning ghost guns, expand background checks. Root problems are mental health and poverty.

  • Closing remarks: voter registration is up 200% and the issue is women's rights. Let's vote for what we believe in.

Marijuana: I support legalization at the Federal level. I call on the Biden administration to issue an immediate blanket pardon for all federal prisoners who are incarcerated for marijuana offenses, release all prisoners incarcerated for marijuana offenses, and I call on the Biden administration to expunge the records through executive order of all convicted victims of the idiotic cannabis prohibition laws.

I support Rep. Perlmutter's SAFE act. The winner of the special election may be involved in a crucial vote before November on this important issue. This act would legalize banking services for state-legal cannabis businesses. This is critical for equity in the business, as many cannabis businesses are minority owned. Operating a large-sized cash business is dangerous for the safety of the workers, raises cannabis prices, and puts owners at risk. It has been stated that this act will see action before the end of the year.

I support the States Reform Act, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, and the MORE Act. I also support the HOPE Act, which would begin the process of state-level expungement.

Full federal cannabis legalization is a critical component of responsible criminal justice reform and an important plank of any racial equity platform.

As an advocate for this reform, I am proud to say I have petitioned for, or managed four different state level ballot initiatives, all of which led to successful reform of cannabis laws: New Approach Washington, voted in with Colorado the first successful legalization efforts in the nation in 2011, California cannabis legalization, in 2012, Florida medical marijuana in 2015-2016 and Oklahoma criminal justice reform in 2016, resulting in reducing all non-violent drug offenses to misdemeanors (this law was repealed by the legislature almost immediately after the voters approved it!).

I believe as the DFL candidate for CD 1 in 2022, I could effectively neutralize the effect that a marijuana candidate or candidates would have on the election. Marijuana issue voters will have no doubt determining my sincerity on this issue, because I may have done more to advance the cause of ending cannabis prohibition than anyone in the State of Minnesota.