Dan Feehan, candidate for the First Minnesota U.S. Congressional District, addressed the delegates of the Brown County Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) convention in the New Ulm public library, Saturday.

NEW ULM–The Brown County Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party held its county convention in the New Ulm public library, Saturday.

During the convention Mindy Kimmel, State House DFL candidate for 16B and Dan Feehan, U.S. congressional candidate for First Minnesota, addressed the delegates.

Kimmel was born and raised in New Ulm, graduating from the public high school in 2003. She attended college and graduate school before moving back to the New Ulm region.

Kimmel ran for the House seat 16B in 2018 against Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska). Her campaign brought out more DFL voters than past elections.

“What is important to me is to be a representative of the community,” she said. “Part of what I am excited about is talking to voters.”

One of her top issues was fighting for the expansion of Highway 14 from Nicollet to New Ulm. She said the need for road expansion has been an issue since before she could drive.

Kimmel said the governor’s plan for funding the Highway 14 was realistic but legislative support was still needed.

“We’ve got to fight to ensure Highway 14 is expanded, not just from Nicollet to New Ulm, but to the border.”

Kimmel said her other top issue was affordable healthcare.

“I am sick and tired, literally, of my friends having to crowdfund their healthcare on GoFundMe and Facebook,” she said. “We’ve got to adequately fund our healthcare so everyone can have the healthcare they need; including lowering the cost of insulin. I think healthcare is a human right, and we’ve got to make that affordable for all.”

Kimmel also wanted to find solutions to the childcare crisis and fully fund public schools.

“To make those changes and realistically to keep Minnesota a state that will vote for a Democratic president we’ve got to turn out as many people as we can,” she said.

Feehan also spoke on his campaign. He ran for Minnesota’s first congressional seat in 2018 but lost a narrow election to Jim Hagedorn. It was the fifth-closest election in the country.

His motto for the 2020 campaign is “People First.”

“It’s partly about my journey as a combat veteran in Iraq, as a middle school teacher and working in the Pentagon where people had to come first,” he said. “If people didn’t come first, dire consequences.”

Feehan commented on losing 2018 by inches. He said those inches have mattered his whole life and it is humbling to know you sometimes win or lose by inches.

“The reality for our neighbors and friends in southern Minnesota is that people are living their lives by inches every single day,” he said. “When you are getting up and have to choose between prescription drugs and your groceries, you are living your life by inches. When you are living on a farm that you are not certain of the future of, because of the prospects of bankruptcy in the middle of a trade war, you are living your life by inches.”

Feehan said together, Democrats could win by miles by putting people first.

Feehan took questions from the delegates. He was asked about the potential impacts of coronavirus of southern Minnesota’s economy.

Feehan said stopping the spread of disease is about getting the information ahead of the disease. That way people know what to look for and can prepare, but he did not see that happening with coronavirus.

“I see Gov. Tim Walz doing that the best he can for Minnesota, but he can’t do that for the whole country,” Feehan said. “It is encouraging to see funding get passed to fight this, it is all about information and messaging.”

He warned if the information is not spread, the disease will spread and impact more than public health; the economy as well.

Feehan wanted to see representatives in Washington, D.C., embrace the fact coronavirus was here and what individuals could do about it. He said if people don’t want to acknowledge the disease, it cannot be contained.

“It’s not about inducing panic, it’s about treating people with respect enough to inform them about what is out there and what they can do about it,” Feehan said, “because you actually can do something about it.”

Asked about campaign finance, Feehan said Citizens United was passed 10 years ago and allowed corporations to be treated like people. Feehan said there was little he could do as a candidate to fight finance corruption, but one thing he could do was refuse corporate PAC money on his campaign.

“The status quo in Washington, D.C., is protected by corporate interest,” he said. Feehan said the Democratic party was not immune to this problem, it was an issue that went across party lines.

He said during the 2018 election, $7 million was spent against Feehan’s campaign, but it is unknown where this money came from. He said one of the super PACs responsible took money from Ukrainian citizens.

“There are tons of things that could be done, but there is not the will to do it,” Feehan said. “Until you elect people that want to retain their integrity, that will not change.”

The 2020 state DFL Convention will take place from May 30 through May 31. The Congressional District Convention will be held on May 16 in Albert Lea.