Statewide candidates hold forum in Waseca

More than 200 people attended a candidate forum offered at Waseca’s Mill Event Center by statewide Republican candidates Mike Lindell, running for governor; Wendy Phillips, running for Secretary of State; and Royce White, running for a U.S. Senate position.

 

Candidates mingled freely among the crowd both before and after their on-stage statements. Lindell gave away signed copies of his book “What Are the Odds?”

 

Lindell was greeted by a standing ovation as he took the microphone. In a talk about an hour in length, he told of starting and running his “My Pillow” business while also still being addicted to cocaine, and of a miraculous cessation of his desire for the drug after a devout prayer in 2017, after which he said, “I gave my life to Jesus Christ.”

 

He also shared the details of a dream he had in 2015 which showed him meeting in person with Donald Trump, stating all the dream’s details were accurate when their first meeting actually did occur, at Trump’s request, in 2016. Lindell stated he and Trump have become well acquainted since then, referring to Trump as “my friend.”

 

In a summary of his intended actions as governor, Lindell stated he would support brick and mortar businesses by preventing or removing circumstances which are harmful to their bottom line. He suggested there should be a dramatic increase in sales taxes imposed for on-line purchases accompanied by a decrease in taxes on in-person sales. The move, he said, would not only encourage buyers to return to stores and malls, the lower sales tax would also encourage businesses to locate in Minnesota.

 

He proposed stricter enforcement of laws which prohibit businesses from hiring persons who have no legal residency, claiming that some businesses profit unfairly when they cut costs by illegally paying much lower wages in cash to such persons. “They’re stealing from us,” Lindell stated of companies which reduce their tax burden this way while also being able to sell their goods at a higher profit.

 

He suggested Minnesota could strengthen its education system by following steps taken in Mississippi to bring about the “Mississippi Miracle,” a set of steps which moved the state’s education system ranking from 49 in 2013 to 16 in 2025. The Mississippi system, he said, entailed a return to basics along with other important moves. This included, he said, working to remove undocumented residents–and especially those who do not speak English–from classrooms so that they no longer “hold the rest of the class back.”

 

“Are the teachers’ unions going to fight it?” he asked rhetorically. “You bet they are.” Reduced costs from his changes, he claimed, “would save millions upon millions in property tax.”

 

In the field of agriculture, Lindell said his policies would include “breaking up the monopolies” held by large agricultural manufacturers and suppliers. Saying to farmers, “It’s ridiculous that you can’t do repairs on your own tractors,” he claimed they have been victimized by national and international corporations.

 

Regarding the inner city, he said he would investigate fraud and work to ensure ineligible individuals, including undocumented residents, do not receive income from social services programs. As for the homeless, he would work toward establishing housing for them, getting treatment for those with addictions, and helping all to find employment.

 

A prominent theme among the speeches of all three candidates was voter fraud. Lindell claimed a group of leaders from around the country has been acquiring evidence to show that voting machines can be manipulated to provide inaccurate results. “It’s all true,” he said of claims surrounding the fraud. “The evidence is coming out now. We will open it up and be sure the rightful winners will be put in place.”

 

Secretary of State candidate Wendy Phillips referred to current office holder Steve Simon as “very corrupt,” and claimed that “the more we open Pandora’s box, the more ways we recognize we are being cheated.”

 

Phillips stated many of her highest priorities if she should gain office would have to do with “fixing” the election process. This would include ending or reducing mail-in voting, requiring identification at voter polls that provides proof of eligibility, and purging the voter rolls of duplicate listings and deceased individuals. This would lead, she claimed, to a voting system that is “hard to cheat and easy to trust.”

 

She also said she would work toward taking down “the abomination that is currently flying over our state capitol.”

 

Senate candidate Royce White spoke with great energy, telling those in attendance the country is headed for a constitutional crisis. “We are at a pivotal moment,” he stated, “when we have to decide whether we are going to give our country back to the communists or stand firm and say ‘enough is enough.” Implying that, at least partly due to voter fraud, many of the people sitting in office are not their rightful representatives Royce claimed, “You are being taxed without constitutional representation.”

 

Admitting he is somewhat “intense” for some voters, Royce claimed “I am the person for this time and these circumstances.”

 

He also stated “I can’t find a handful of senators who are not traitors.” Saying those currently in office are using their positions to build their financial portfolios, Royce warned voters not to take the “convenient” path of business as usual. “The real problem is us,” he claimed. “We’re too soft.

 

“But I’m not soft. I think we’re headed for a constitutional crisis. These are extremely dangerous times.

 

“The question is, do we think the situation is dire enough to let the government do what needs to be done.”