Q. Please list any present political offices you hold.

A. Senate District 20

Q. Please list any past political offices you've held

A. n/a

Q. Please list any civic, community, or professional organizations/clubs your a part of. (if none leave blank)

A. Various Business and church and non- profits over the years

Q. What inspired you to run for office? If you running for reelection why do you want to stay in office?

A. For my kids, David age 12 and Lilly age 16

Q. What is something that you would like to accomplish while in office?

A. More transparency in all levels of government, term limits and continue my work on health care costs.

Q. State and Local government often go unnoticed how would help keep the public informed?

A. We do facebook and weekly email updates

Q. What does being a leader mean to you?

A. Serving the district and the people of MN

Website: https://www.draheimforsenate.com/

Social Media: https://facebook.com/draheimforsenate & https://twitter.com/Draheim4Senate

Learn More About Rich:

Q. Please list any present political offices you hold.

A. n/a

Q. Please list any past political offices you've held

A. n/a

Q. Please list any civic, community, or professional organizations/clubs your a part of. (if none leave blank)

A. I am a member of both the VFW and the American Legion as well as the US Naval Academy Alumni Association Upper Midwest Chapter and the Minnesota Council of the Navy League .

Q. What inspired you to run for office? If you running for reelection why do you want to stay in office?

A. After retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2011, many policy discussions with friends and family led me to re-examine the current political climate of our state. Minnesota has become a very different place in the time since I went to the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1986. Our democracy is an experiment in progress, and recent events make it clear that we have a great deal of work to do in our pursuit of a more perfect union.

We are all Minnesotans, and we have a strong tradition of coming together to fix our problems in a way that benefits us all. It is of the utmost importance that we rebuild trust and cooperation among all our citizens if we want to solve the challenges facing our society. My leadership skills as a naval officer, diplomat, and educator will empower me to help revive our bipartisan traditions and champion ethical solutions that address our shared challenges as a community.

Q. What is something that you would like to accomplish while in office?

A. In my conversations with folks across the district, I’ve heard time and time again that the lack of access to high quality, affordable health care is the most prominent issue facing our district. I don’t consider health care to be a political issue. Equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans are aghast with the high cost of premiums, the struggles of accessing convenient, quality care, and the billing nightmares that have become all too common.

No American should be one health crisis away from facing bankruptcy. As the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world, we deserve better. In office, I want to secure an affordable, comprehensive health care system that is focused on patients, not profits for all Minnesotans.

Q. State and Local government often go unnoticed how would help keep the public informed?

A. For me, connecting with the public about the work of government is as essential as the work of government itself. As state senator, my decisions will be dictated by the collective will of the people of SD20. Any piece of legislation that I sponsor will address the problems that I hear about from my constituents. I will meet regularly with my fellow citizens of our district. I hope that these meetings will establish a direct line of communication between myself and my constituents, keep the district informed, and guide my agenda in St. Paul.

You’ll see me holding town halls at least monthly, all across our district, throughout the year. I’ll invite the representatives from both 20A and 20B to join me, regardless of which party they represent. I pledge to work with our district’s members of the Minnesota House to deliver solutions based on facts, data, non-partisan research, and building consensus among people in our district. I know I can only accomplish this by meeting regularly with my constituents.

You will hear from me regularly and I will listen to you. This I can guarantee.

Q. What does being a leader mean to you?

A. believe that to lead is to serve. Through my career as a naval officer and president or chair of various non-profits, I have dedicated my life to the protection and well-being of my community. I consider it a great privilege to have had the opportunity to serve the United States in our navy, and if elected as your next state senator, I pledge to serve the people of SD20 with integrity, morality, and ethics, and to rebuild our proud Minnesota tradition of building and adopting bipartisan solutions to our shared challenges in order to create a better life for all of us.

Learn More about Jon: