Jason Lewis and the Electoral Connection

Mayhew's Argument:

 

• Members of congress are single minded seekers of re-election.
• To achieve this goal of re-election members use advertising, credit claiming, and position taking.
• These three activities help the member of congress be seen in a favorable fashion to their constituents and stay better connected to them.
• As a result of these, re-election occurs. 

 Jason Lewis and the Electoral Connection

      

Advertising:

-Effort to disseminate ones name among constituents in a way that creates a favorable image but has very little issue content.  

1. Jason Lewis has a newsletter that he sends out so that constituents and others interested can see what he is up to and get all the latest news that effects the district and his political office.
2. Franking is also another way Jason Lewis uses his incumbency to reach out to his constituents and spread his name.

3. Jason Lewis used twitter, especially during his campaign trail, as a way of advertising his name!

Credit Claiming:

- Acting to generate a belief that you are personally responsible for causing government to be doing something voters think is important. 

1. Jason Lewis is on several committees: Budget, Education and the Workforce, and Transportation and Infrastructure. By being on these committees Jason can claim that his impact of these categories in Minnesota are largely to his credit.

2. Here we see Jason Lewis Credit Claiming about his importance in the Education and Workforce committee, helping better our workforce by educating young people to be equipped with technical skills.

Position Taking:

- Taking a stance on an issue to show voters that you are aligned with them. 

1. Jason Lewis has co-sponsored 15 bills in congress that range from tax reforms to accountability and labor sovereignty. By doing this Jason is backing/taking a stance on issues he believes aligns him with his constituents. 

     2. This video shows Jason Lewis taking a stance against modern politics today, saying how he is not a political insider, and that he is here to not shy away from tough issues and fight for his constituents. 

- These activities of advertising, credit claiming, and position taking, as well as Jason Lewis's Office and Staff, Institutional advantage, and political party will help him get re-elected to office.

Did you know?

-Jason Lewis is also the name of a male model and actor in the famous "Sex and the City" series.... 

     

Electoral Circumstances

  

Elections:

Last Election 2016:

Presidential Election:

1. Hillary Clinton - Total Votes:  1,367,716       Percent: 46.44%   
2. Donald Trump - Total Votes: 1,322,951        Percent: 44.92%

*District narrowly voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012

2nd Congressional District:

- Minnesota's 2nd congressional district has been Republican since 2001, with representatives John Kline, Mark Kennedy, and now Jason Lewis. However this statistic does not shed light on how much of a battleground district Minnesota's 2nd was this year.

Margin of Victory-  1.8%

Primary Election: 

Although this is Jason Lewis's first term, the outlook for the next primary in 2018 is looking fairly safe. Considering he will now have an incumbency advantage, and also won the last primary against three other candidates. The margin of victory in this primary was 18.2%, a strong victory. His popularity through his radio talk show, and now continuing his connections in office should gain him even more strength. 

Prediction: Safe

General Election:

Considering the margin of victory in this district last year (1.8%), I think it is safe to say that Jason Lewis is not safe with his seat come next election. Couple of things to consider are his incumbency advantage to win a greater portion of voters, his success in office, and the effects of the Republican party control of government today. If there is wide voter backlash on Republican actions in government this may make this area more of a battleground district during the next election. 

Prediction: Toss- up...... But the Incumbent will always win/ and history of Republican representatives for this district.. so basically safe seat for Jason Lewis. 

Campaign Finances: 

Total Campaign Contributions: 

• Angie Craig: $ 3,390,272

• Jason Lewis: $ 697,850

Cost Per Vote: 

- Angie Craig: $ 20.26

-Jason Lewis: $ 4.01

Major Issues:

• Jobs and Economy:   Excerpt: "You can’t tax and spend your way out of a tax and spend crisis. Moreover, overregulation is hampering business growth and stifling job creation... It’s time to get our economy working for all Americans, and that means making work pay again. It means encouraging capital formation right here at home instead of abroad. It means an end to substituting bailouts for bankruptcy for the well connected and instead unleashing the real engine of economic growth: small and medium-size businesses."
• Reforming the Tax Code: Excerpt: "Today’s IRS code–filled with loopholes and tax credits for every conceivable special interest–has over four million words...We need a flatter and fairer tax code that not only treats everyone the same, but encourages work, savings, and investment."
• Education: Excerpt: "Let’s not put our children on an education assembly line with one-size fits all bureaucratic testing. We need real changes–such as merit pay, collective-bargaining reform, seniority rules changes, and school choice–in order to best serve our children."
• Terrorism and Boarders: Excerpt: "The only way to keep our homeland safe, along with slowing the influx of criminals and drugs, is to enforce the laws on the books and secure the border. Further, the fiscal cost of unlawful immigration is simply unsustainable."
• Healthcare: Excerpt: "Empowering healthcare consumers should be issue one for any representative. And we do that by undoing the costly ACA ‘essential health benefits,’ allowing individuals to buy policies across state lines, and enacting true portability by changing the tax code."

District Profile

District Information:
Population: 695,029  Men- 342,158 Women- 352,871

Major cities: The largest cities in the district are Burnsville (61,434), Eagan (65,453) , Lakeville (58,562), Apple Valley (50,201). 

Demographics:

Racial Makeup:
589,617- White- 85%
28,447 -Black- 4%
32,847- Asain- 5%
40,193- Hispanic- 6%
3,141- Native American - .5%

Religion: Main religion is Catholicism 

Income: 
Median Household Income: $77,122 (above national average)

Age: Median Age - 37.7, 18 years and over- 519,896 people, 65 years and over- 87,077

Area: 3,035 square miles
80 % urban
20 % rural 
The majority of the district is suburban like area, which blend into some rural area in the south.

Industries and Companies: 
The Largest employers in the district are Thomson North American Legal, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, 3M, Cambria, Red Wing Shoes. Some other companies that are interesting are: Divine Swine Catering the largest catering company in Minnesota, Pine Bend Refinery (Largest oil refinery in Minnesota, owned by Koch Industries), also Minnesota's largest amusement park, ValleyFair, is located in this district. 

    


Party Affiliation: 
-Three out of the Four complete counties in this district voted Trump, with only Dakota county voting Hilary. Dakota County was the only close county, the other three had Trump winning by 15- 20 % of the vote. 

- The District has been Republican since 2001.  Although in the recent election congressman Jason Lewis won 47.11 % to 45%, which explains why this district was on the national scene as far as a battleground district in the recent election. 

Member Profile

Biographical Information:-  http://jasonlewis.house.gov/
Born: September 23rd, 1955 (61 years old)

From Waterloo, Iowa. Lived in Colorado for some time, then moved to Minnesota where his mother is from.

Education: BA, Education/ Business, University of Northern Iowa, 1974-1979
MA, Political Science, University of Colorado-Denver, 1990-1992

Family: Wife: Leigh(swim coach), Two kids: Lindsey and Lauren.

Career: Jason started his career by running his family owned automotive aftermarket business, Lewis Motor Supply. This business was stopped however, when the government put an eminent domain project through his business property. Shortly after this Jason got his MA in political science from University of Colorado-Denver. After this, Jason started up his career in broadcasting. His radio show started in Colorado, then became even more famous after moving to Minnesota, back to where his mother was from. Jason's radio show became nationally syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks and Genesis Communications. Jason has been broadcasting for over 20 years, and continues to do so when he can. 

Jason Lewis twitter-https://twitter.com/jason2cd?lang=en
Example of Show-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl7rFsd4KA4

Political Experience and Tenure:
 Term: Assumed Office, January 3rd, 2017 (Republican)

Previous Political Experience- 1990, ran against Democrat incumbent David Skaggs in Colorado's 2nd congressional district, lost 40% to 60%.

Committees: 
House Committee on the Budget
House Committee on Education and the Workforce
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Sponsored Legislation: H.R. 462: REG Act of 2017 (to amend title 5, United States Code) Yet to come up with summary of the bill. 

Interest Group and ADA scores:
ADA score: Jason Lewis too new of politician to have score yet
Interest Group : National Rifle Association- Candidate Positions on Gun Rights = 86%

Leadership Positions: Helped lead his family business in the automotive industry, then led his radio show until he became congressman for Minnesota's 2nd district. 

- Jason Lewis ran for Congress on these values; to lower taxes, handle the national debt, and restore American freedoms. 

- Jason Lewis has been know for speaking plainly, not caring for political correctness, and being energetic as well as true to his beliefs while on his talk show and in his term as congressman.