Don understands that real progress requires more than just talk, it requires leaders willing to find common ground, work hard, and deliver solutions for the biggest challenges that we face today.
In America today, failed policy choices deprive far too many of the opportunity to succeed. Too many of our neighbors can’t afford housing, healthcare, or a quality education. Our working-class communities are plagued by gun violence and lack the needed investment that spurs good-paying, stable employment.
Don believes that no matter how much money you have, who your parents are, the color of your skin, or where you live, you deserve an opportunity to succeed in America. The most extreme voices are often more concerned with provoking online controversies, protesting votes, and securing media coverage than they are with doing the hard work required to ensure all Americans get a fair shake.
Don came to America as an immigrant in search of opportunity, education, and a better life. He worked night shifts as a security guard to pay his way through college. Don knows how stacked the deck is against regular folks and believes that our leaders must always be willing to put progress for families and workers over politics.
Don knows that progress isn’t easy, but he hopes to emulate the tactics of past Minnesota changemakers like Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale. Leaders who were progressive and focused on improving the lives of their constituents but had the courage and humility to find common ground with those they disagreed with to deliver results for those who needed it most.