Incumbent Republican Tom Emmer of Delano is being opposed by Democrat David Snyder of St. Paul for the 6th Congressional District seat in Tuesday’s election.

 

Snyder attended UM-Duluth and has a BA degree in political science and criminology. While there, he became a member of the University Student Senate and chair of the UM Student Senate.

 

He spent seven years in the Army as a chief warrant officer helicopter pilot. He trained flight students at Ft. Rucker, AL.

 

For the past 20 years he has worked as a union iron worker for Local 512 in St. Paul.

 

He is married with a daughter and a son.

 

He argues for a better future for the nation’s younger generations. 

 

“This is a historic election,” he says. It’s an election between the truth of reality and the lies of idology.

 

 Public education needs to be strengthened, he says.

 

“One of the biggest lies is that we can’t afford to fix our roads and bridges. . . I’ll help create jobs that can’t be shipped overseas.”

 

Fighting for equal pay and raising the minimum wage, investing in infrstructure and schools are his goal.

 

He argues for building a clean energy grid and putting Minnesotans back to work.

 

“Right to work is a lie,” he says. “Labor rights are the truth, strong labor protections help our declining middle class.”

 

Emmer is a native of Edina and went to school at St. Thomas Academy. He grew up working in the family business, Emmer Brothers Lumber. He rerceived his BA degree in political science from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks in 1984 and his law degree from William Mitchell in 1988. He and his wife have seven children.

 

He was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2006 and 2008 and was narrowly defeated in the state gubernatorial race in 2010.

 

Emmer contends the state’s tax money to the federal government should not go there; rather be used at home to build roads and bridges, which are his No. 1 regional priority. 

 

“For every dollar we send to Washington, DC, only 72 cents comes back,” he told a recent forum at Big Lake.

 

National security and protecting rule of law are top priorities to him.

 

Building a defense that hasn’t had funding increases in seven years is critical.

 

He feels there are enough laws on the books to handle the immigration issue and asks the courts to uphold support for the nation’s police forces.

 

“Enforce the laws on our books. Amnesty is not the solution,” he says. “It only reinforces the problem.”

 

He argues the failed economic policies of the Obama administration, with only a 1.77% increase in the economy over the past two terms, are a big concern.

 

ObamaCare needs to be repealed, he argues.

 

This congressional seat serves residents stretching from the St. Cloud area to the north, southward through Sherburne, Wright and Anoka counties, then eastward to Washington County.