Forward Independence Party candidate Mike Newcome makes a campaign stop at Turner Hall in New Ulm last week. Submitted photo

NEW ULM – As the race for Minnesota Governor heats up, some of the candidates have been stopping in New Ulm.

Mike Newcome, the Forward Independence Party-endorsed candidate for Minnesota Governor, visited Turner Hall in New Ulm last week. He asked voters if they feel served by either of the two major parties in the last 30 years, or if they are looking for leaders who will move forward with a common-sense approach.

Newcome is from White Bear Lake where he graduated from high school. He would later earn a degree from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in sales and marketing. He worked in the energy-efficient lighting and energy industry for many years, including as Vice President of Sales for an energy efficiency company. He would later start a private equity business specializing in renewable energy.

Newcome said both his parents were active in Minnesota governance, which instilled a lifelong respect for civic responsibility. In college, he even assisted with Ross Perot’s campaign for president, but what is driving him to run for governor now is to give voters another option.

“We don’t have a party for the people by the people,” Newcome said. “We don’t have a government that serves the people. This is not just an election governor, it’s for the heart and soul of the state.”

Newcome said his goals are to get things done in Minnesota instead of bickering between the two parties. That is why Newcome is not running for either of the two major parties, but has instead taken an endorsement from the Forward Independence Party.

Newcome said the Forward party platform is to accomplish goals through cooperation. Forward will endorse candidates who identify as either Democratic, Republican, or something in between, as long as the candidate is able to cooperate.

“We don’t want it to be all about the party,” he said. “The party is going to be about helping to find the solution instead of helping the party.”

Newcome believes most Americans do not identify with either major party.

“Minnesotans feel both parties are damaged brands,” he said. “Since Forward is the only party working on behalf of the citizens and common sense.”

Newcome said since starting his campaign, he has found the top issues voters are concerned about his fixing the broken promise of government.

“They want to see fixes in how our government operates,” he said. “They have seen the partisan mismanagement that left us open to waste and fraud. The trust is broken between the voters and they want solutions, not talking points.”

He said the solution is to remove department heads of state agencies responsible for fraud and replace them with the most qualified people instead of those who were appointed through loyalty to a political party.

“I won’t appoint the person who gave the most to my campaign,” Newcome said. “You need to bring in people with qualifications to reform this agency.”

With new people in charge of state departments, Newcome believed they could transform the role of state agencies and create a culture in which agencies are beholden to voters instead of the political party in charge.

Newcome is calling this proposal “The Big Fix.”

He also called for the elimination of unfunded mandates for counties. The goal would be real sustainability by shrinking government without cutting good programs.

Newcome acknowledged that after fraud, the top issue facing Minnesota is the recent crackdown on illegal immigration in the Twin Cities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Newcome said most Minnesotans supported removing violent undocumented people from the state and country, but how it was done was also important.

“Having federal agents running around wearing masks is not doing it,” he said, “and stopping every person of color is indefensible.”

Newcome said even before the death of Renee Good, he was calling to de-escalate the situation and believes the problems will continue until federal agents back down.

“We do need to remove violent people, but not the people who lived and provided to the country for years,” he said. “Now there only crime many of them committed is being undocumented.”

Newcome acknowledged the federal government had a job to do and enforce its policies, but he believed the counties need to assist in turning over violent undocumented offenders to ICE and create at least a minimum of cooperation between agencies.

Newcome placed the blame for a lack of meaningful immigration reform of the federal government. He believed both parties had ignored the immigration problem, and now the fight was on the street.

Newcome said he would call on the federal government to resolve the immigration issues impacting the United States.

On the economy, Newcome wanted to improve Minnesota’s business climate. He said compared to surrounding states, Minnesota did not look like a good investment. He said the corporate tax rate was too high. He recommended a sliding scale based on the number of employees and infrastructure.

He also wanted a reform to Minnesota’s new family leave policy. Newcome believed it was detrimental to businesses and was built as a one-size fits all approach.

“It is a bad policy that puts a burden on the public sector as well as schools and small businesses who cannot replace people on leave,” he said. “This is a job killer.”

This policy, combined with the recent fraud and ICE crackdown, has made Minnesota unattractive to businesses looking to relocate.

Newcome previously worked for renewable energy companies and supported many renewable energy projects as a way for Minnesota to grow its energy requirements. He said solar and biomass had great potential, but believed nuclear power was the best option in terms of energy efficiency.

“It is good to have a mix of renewables like solar or wind, but that will not solve the short-term needs,” he said. Newcome acknowledged some people were concerned about the effect of nuclear power and the potential danger, but said it was the cleanest energy solution available.

Newcome warned against the rise of data centers used to power Artificial Intelligence (AI). He said these energy centers often take up a lot of natural resources and power.

“We don’t have the capacity to manage that,” he said. “Minnesota needs a task force this session to discuss our energy needs.

Newcome said he promises to return to New Ulm during the campaign to speak with more constituents. He plans to return later this spring.