Matt Bruns
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Matt Bruns (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Minnesota House of Representatives to represent District 21A. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Bruns completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Bruns was born in Burnsville, Minnesota. He earned an associate degree from Inver Hills Community College, a bachelor's degree from Metropolitan State University, and a master's degree from the University of St. Thomas.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Matt Bruns advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 21A.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Barb Haley advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 21A.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Bruns' endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matt Bruns completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bruns' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a Special Education teacher, at an ALC for high school-aged students, living in downtown Red Wing, Minnesota. My days are spent working alongside students and families - advocating for their needs and preparing them for life after graduation. In that role I see how poor policy perpetuates a cycle that makes it difficult for families to change their station.
- Government is the agency of the people and its policies should improve the lives of those it serves.
- Opportunity is only present when infrastructure and institutions permit citizens to excel.
- Our people and our economy are at a tipping point. We must fight for the working class in order to improve outcomes.
Education, Worker Rights, Environment, Healthcare, Defending Reproductive Rights, Agriculture
Politically, I look up to Henry Wallace. He served in presidential cabinets in the early 20th century and was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Vice President. Wallace believed in supporting low- and middle-income families, ending hunger and poverty in the United States, and fighting for civil rights. If it were not for political games played at the Democratic National Convention in 1944, our country could very well be in a different place.
The characteristics/principles that are most important in an elected official are selflessness, diligence, and to always put the needs of the people of Minnesota in front of the needs of corporate interests.
As a Special Education teacher, I have made a profession of using data and the needs of students and their families to make decisions and drive positive outcomes.
As an elected official, if the people of my district could say their lives had improved, through an expansion of broadband, fully funded schools, affordable and accessible healthcare, protection of women's rights, farmer protections, and an expansion of worker rights, I could rest easy at night. One should lift as they climb and advance the cause of low- and middle-income families.
The first historical event that I can recall with crisp memory was the Red River Flood of 1997. I was ten at the time and perhaps it sticks in my memory so well, because I remember the news story that was playing on the television as my parents told me they were getting a divorce.
My very first job was at 13, when I began stripping beds and performing other maintenance at a hotel owned by a family friend. More formally, my first real job was at the grocery store Rainbow Foods in Apple Valley, Minnesota, where I worked for ten years, from age 16 to 25.
Favorite book, right now, is "Cat's Cradle," by Kurt Vonnegut. I love books that challenge our world views and Vonnegut does it with a sense of humor that is hard to match, real Mark Twain-y.
This is a deep cut, but "25 Miles" by Edwin Starr. If you have not heard this song, do your feet and hips a favor and get it in the cue. If you do not dance, consult a physician.
Money and alcohol have always been a struggle in my life. I have never been rich, or even wealthy for that matter, so budgeting and spending wisely have always been prominent aspects of my life.
Four years and five months ago, I made the decision to put the cork in the bottle for the last time and have been sober ever since. Should I not have changed my behavior I ran the risk of getting a DWI, losing my job, losing friends, and most importantly losing my wife. I have never been happier about any decision I have made.
There is a certain amount of romanticism tied to the two legislative chambers in Minnesota. The Senate, with its plush carpets, fine finishings, and different dress code amplifies carries a distinct weight and formality as they represent large tracts of land and a larger number of individuals. Meanwhile the House with its looser costuming is the house of the people, representing smaller districts and bringing to light diminished voices across our state.
I believe it can be a benefit for some legislators to have previous experience in government and/or politics, as you will be more familiar with jargon and processes, but it is not essential. Minnesota, in particular, has a citizen democracy. Participation in state government is open to anyone willing to work.
Over the next decade the state will have to come to grips with long term plans for the future. First and foremost, we must expand critical infrastructure, including rural broadband, so that businesses large and small can take up shop in any part of the state.
We need to fully and equitably fund our schools, including higher education, so we have a prepared and diverse workforce. The funds necessary to do this exist in holding corporate interests accountable in paying their taxes and placing a 1% tax on the top 1% of income earners in Minnesota.
In addition to funding our schools, we must also attract workers to fulfill positions vacated by Boomers as they exit the workforce. Right now, the numbers just are not there. We'll need to pull from other states as well as those coming to the country through safe and expedient immigration.
Our healthcare system needs a major retooling. To that end, I support a single-payer healthcare system, as US citizens pay an average of $10,000/year in health insurance premiums while other industrialized nations pay a third of that. While it may be difficult to enact such a system independently, Minnesota must at least allow MNCare to become an option on that marketplace for consumers to buy into.
The environment also needs our support. We will need to expand green energy and even look to products like industrial hemp and the bioplastics they provide to replace harmful single-use petroleum plastics. The ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature is collaborative. It is likely the governor will set an agenda, but he must not become inflamed should the people's body adjusts that agenda based on community needs. We then work as partners in writing and passing meaningful legislation. Adversarial relationships serve n o master and lead to poor outcomes for Minnesotans.
It is essential, no matter your employment, to build relationships. If I can tie my success as a Special Education teacher to any single component it is an ability to foster relationships with people. You build them, make positive deposits in those relationship bank accounts, and at some point - without fail - you make a withdrawal from that bank account, but the relationship survives because of the time and energy put in.
As districts are redrawn, happening during the next legislative session, we must put an end to gerrymandering and draw up districts with equal demographics and voter profiles. Politicians must earn the votes, not corral them into existence; valuing some districts while completely ignoring others.
As a legislator I would appreciate being part of the Education Policy and Finance Committee, Labor Standards Committee, Health Policy and Finance Committee, Agricultural Development Committee, Environmental committees.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 14, 2020
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Lisa Demuth
Majority Leader:Harry Niska
Minority Leader:Melissa Hortman
Representatives
Republican Party (67)
Democratic Party (67)
