Progressive policies hurt real people. My home state is proof.

I live in Texas now, but I grew up in Minnesota.  

If you’ve read my newsletter during the election season, you might recall that I wrote about that fact a few times, especially after Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.  

Minnesota was a lovely place to grow up and I have childhood memories of cold winters, boating in the summer and kind friends and family. 

But Minnesota has changed a lot since then.  

My latest: Trump takes a sledgehammer to the government. It's both messy and necessary.

Minnesotans fell prey to the idea that progressive values will create a utopia. They have elected mostly Democrat politicians for decades, who in turn have raised taxes and welcomed illegal immigrants. 

That has become even more clear now that Donald Trump is president. 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday that he would not cooperate with federal law enforcement’s efforts to deport illegal migrants to their home countries. 

“I want to speak directly to people who are undocumented. We love you. We care about you. In the city of Minneapolis, we will stand up for you, and we will do anything in our power to help. Because you’re not an alien in our city, you’re a neighbor,” Frey said at a press conference.  

He also said that local law enforcement would not be “gathering information showing who is and who is not documented.”  

Frey’s insistence on defying federal law is not only wrong but also an example of just one of many progressive policies that have hurt Minnesota.  

In 2022, crime soared in Minnesota above the national average. Minnesotans suffer under a high income tax rate, and Minnesota has lost tax-paying residents since 2019.  

Progressive policies aren’t just bad ideas – they have awful consequences for real people. Minnesota is a stark example of that.

Are progressive states out of step with what America needs? Let me know: nrussell@gannett.com.

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