FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Steve Andreasen announced today he is seeking the endorsement of the DFL Party to be their candidate in Minnesota's First District, saying the District needs a more independent voice in Congress. Andreasen, a national security aide in the Clinton, Bush Sr., and Reagan administrations, made his announcement at the Rochester Government Center.
"Growing up in Minnesota, I learned from my parents and others the importance of family, hard work, respect, moderation and tolerance. These are the values that I would bring to Congress," Andreasen said. "I'm running because I believe that Minnesotans in the First District want a Representative who will reach across party lines to find common sense solutions to our nation's challenges."
Andreasen said he would focus on improving national security and restoring and strengthening the economy. "Providing for the security of Minnesotans and the nation will always be my first priority," Andreasen said. "This District deserves an experienced voice on these issues in the United States House of Representatives, and I can be that voice."
Andreasen said his priorities on the economy would be restoring fiscal balance, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and moving as quickly as the economy and budget permit to put domestic priorities- education, prescription drugs, and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure- back on the front burner.
Andreasen also said he would work to pass meaningful reform in areas that for too long have been neglected by Congress, including campaign finance, agriculture, and- as demonstrated by the Enron scandal- protecting workers' retirement plans. "In many cases, the warning bells have been ringing for years, but the House of Representatives has failed to find bipartisan solutions to avert a crisis." On the issue of campaign finance reform, Andreasen said "John McCain's bill to restrain the influence of money in politics is a good start. I applaud its recent passage in the House, and it should have passed by at least one more vote, that of this District's Representative in Washington."
Andreasen said he sought to advance a tall agenda: "It cannot be accomplished overnight. But we must get moving now."
Andreasen lives in Rochester. He is a national security consultant and is writing a book on nuclear weapons, arms control and missile defense policy.
Paid for and authorized by Andreasen for Congress