“Raised by a single mother, Angie Craig and her family struggled to make ends meet,” said DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján. “Angie had to fight with everything she had to put herself through college and achieve her American Dream. It is Angie’s perseverance in championing affordable healthcare and workforce training that will make her a trusted voice for the people of Minnesota. She represents the best of Minnesota values, and is building a robust campaign to flip this seat in November.”
To: Interested Parties
From: Rachel Irwin, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: August 14, 2018
RE: The Case Against Jason Lewis
The primary results in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District set up a fierce re-match between healthcare leader Angie Craig and embattled incumbent Rep. Jason Lewis.
Jason Lewis sold himself as an outsider in 2016, but it didn’t take long for him to go to Washington and become the ultimate insider. In his first term Lewis has abandoned any sense of independence, embracing the worst of the GOP policies that betray Minnesota’s middle class families.
Lewis prioritized special interests ahead of the working families when he voted for a GOP Tax Scam that gives the majority of the benefits to the ultra-wealthy and corporations. And in a year when healthcare is top of mind for voters, Lewis is obsessed with destroying protections for people with pre-existing conditions and raising healthcare premiums. Angie represents a refreshing alternative. She knows firsthand what it’s like to feel the pressure of mounting healthcare bills, and she’s making lowering healthcare and prescription drug costs a priority.
Given Lewis’ record in his first term, the formidable candidacy of Angie Craig, and the energy and enthusiasm on the side of DFLers, all signs point to Craig flipping this seat in November. Add in the newly-obtained audio from Lewis’s radio days that expose his offensive beliefs that line up with his out-of-touch voting record, and it’s clear Lewis will be looking for another radio gig in November.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Roll Call: Lewis “remains vulnerable in a rematch with Democrat Angie Craig” [Roll Call, 5/10/18]
Washington Post: “Democrats are excited about a rematch between first-term GOP Rep. Jason Lewis and Democrat Angie Craig. … This time around the race may hinge on what voters here, who went for Trump, think about the President now, given that Lewis has willingly cast himself in Trump’s shadow.” [Washington Post, 3/18/18]
MPR: “What’s the biggest issue in the southern metro area this election year? Health care, said Angie Craig, the endorsed Democrat seeking to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis in a rematch of their 2016 contest. … Lewis stands firm in his support for a failed Republican health care bill that would have slashed Medicaid spending and, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, increased the number of uninsured Americans by 23 million over 10 years.” [MPR, 7/17/18]
City Pages Headline: “Jason Lewis replaces Paul Ryan as Top 20 most purchasable congressmen” [City Pages, 7/3/18]
Real Clear Politics Headline: “Dem Challengers Outraise GOP Incumbents in Key Races” [Real Clear Politics, 4/18/18]
Star Tribune Headline: “Lewis again grapples with fallout from old on-air remarks” [Star Tribune, 8/7/18]
New York Times Headline: “Minnesota Congressman under fire over 2012 comments about women” [New York Times, 7/19/18]
Jason Lewis Has Gone Washington
Lewis Lies about his Healthcare Record
While Angie Craig has made lowering healthcare costs a top priority of her campaign, Lewis proudly voted for the American Health Care Act (AHCA), then joined President Trump to celebrate in the White House. Lewis’ vote would raise healthcare costs, in addition to slapping an age tax on older Americans, gutting pre-existing condition protections and jeopardizing health insurance for 28,500 in his district. When it comes to healthcare, voters trust DFLers to lower healthcare costs and prescription drug costs.
Even Lewis knows the political liability of his healthcare vote. He’s been caught lying multiple times about his record of gutting protections for people with pre-existing conditions and his defensive posture on raising healthcare premiums highlights how much trouble he’s in.
This Jason Lewis Quote Sums Up His Vote for the GOP Tax Scam
Lewis said that money is a “good way to measure how valuable people are,” and his vote for the GOP Tax Scam proves he means it. His vote provides a major tax break for the wealthy and corporations while raising taxes on the middle class over time. The bill gives more than 80% of its benefits to the wealthiest 1% of Americans and is a huge handout to large corporations. And because of how the tax scam blew up the deficit, it gives Jason Lewis and Washington Republicans an opening to revisit their favorite topic: cutting Social Security and Medicare. This won’t sit well with Minnesotans who are tired of D.C. politicians going after their healthcare and Social Security and Medicare year after year.
Lewis’ Words Line Up with His Out-of-Touch Voting Record
Lewis was considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents before CNN stories broke revealing newly-obtained audio from Lewis’ radio career. Now, he’s in hot water given the steady drip of offensive comments from his right-wing radio days. Lewis has made national and local headlines for his offensive remarks towards women, minorities, the LGBTQ community and Americans with disabilities. It’s no surprise that Lewis tried to keep these tapes from the public in 2016, his words and beliefs reveal a deeply-unhinged individual who has no place in public office. Republican leaders have failed to speak out against Lewis, and instead of taking responsibility, he has lashed out at his female opponent and the media. While his words are offensive, so are his actions in Congress and given his first term in office it’s clear that his beliefs stack up with his voting record that attacks the most vulnerable.
THE PATH TO VICTORY
Angie Craig narrowly lost to Jason Lewis in one of the closest margins in the country in 2016 – with a third party candidate receiving over 7% of the vote. The district is mostly suburban and has a greater share of college-educated voters than the state of Minnesota and the country as a whole. Lewis’ record is offensive anywhere, but he will have a particularly tough time defending it in this district given the trends. Democrats and DFL candidates have a history of performing strongly here.
President Obama won this district twice, while Senators Franken and Klobuchar each won this district in their most recent reelections. Clinton lost this district by one of the slimmest margins in 2016. Additionally, third party candidate Paula Overby, who won 7.8% of the vote in 2016, will not run for the seat this cycle, giving Craig an even greater opportunity in 2018.
While Lewis ran as an outsider in 2016, now he’s a creature of the Washington swamp. In his first term, Lewis became the ultimate D.C. insider. He’s put his Party and special interests ahead of the people he was elected to represent while facing ongoing controversies around his offensive statements that make him vulnerable heading into November.
Lewis claims he’s an independent voice, yet he’s latched himself onto Trump’s agenda, voting with him 90 percent of the time in D.C. While Trump narrowly won this district, he’s now underwater statewide with Democrats leading by 12 points on the generic ballot. This won’t help Lewis as he’s facing multiple controversies and a voting record that’s out-of-step with Minnesota values.
Craig has outraised Lewis every quarter and has more cash on hand heading into November. She’s got the right values, the right experience and the right priorities to best represent this district, and is making healthcare a key issue while Lewis lies his way through his first term.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer heading into November: Angie Craig represents the best of Minnesota values and will fight for working families, while Jason Lewis has gone to Washington and voted against the interests of his constituents.