I will not loot the US Treasury to buy your vote with your own money. I will not vote for legislation allowing the Federal Government to spy on you without due cause and an appropriate warrant. I will not presume to tell you how you feel or what to think, nor will I mandate that you change to accommodate the same from others. Every decision I make will be based on how it restores and strengthens your rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So if you want honest, intelligent, peer representation in the United States Senate in place of a typical career politician, I am willing to accept the call to serve again and begin restoring integrity to our Federal Government.

I want to work where I can succeed, I want to keep what I make, I want to live where I choose, I want to eat what I like, I want to travel how I want, I want to think and speak what I believe. I don’t want or need the government to make these and other decisions for me, and I believe most people would agree. Unfortunately, over the past century the progressivists in our government have become evermore convinced that individual citizens cannot be trusted to make the correct decisions for the good of themselves, society in general and increasingly special interest groups. The government therefore continually creates additional mandates to control our lives and takes ever increasing amounts of what we create to pay for it.

I blame myself for our country devolving into such a dysfunctional mess. For years I have simply voted against who I felt was the worst of the two major party candidates. Even worse, I completely skipped over the local elections (school board, city council, county, etc.) because I didn’t even know who they were. My actions, or lack there of, allowed elitists and billionaire financed special interest groups to hijack our country. Many of our elected representatives are merely puppets. They sponsor or vote for bills written by their biggest donors and repeat talking points provided by lobbyists. They seldom take the time to understand the legislation, yet they are rewarded with decades in office.

I, like many others, have come to realize that further inaction is not an option if we want to restore the promise of America for our children and grandchildren. I am asking you to join me in educating ourselves on the issues facing our country and the options for addressing those issues. Instead of just checking the box next to the party we have always supported or simply voting the way some self righteous celebrity tells us to, we need to take the time to evaluate the candidates at all levels of government and make informed decisions with our votes.

I learned from my father that when you identify a problem, you have a responsibility to take action. Therefore, because I want to partner with the American people to make the necessary changes for the health of our country, I am announcing my candidacy for United States Senator from Minnesota in the 2024 election cycle. I believe that the American people can once again make their voices heard and elect their representatives based on ability, morals and character, rather than on the amount of money they can raise. I will not accept contributions from Political Action Committees (PACs) at any time during my campaign. Currently, I am fully self funding my campaign and not requesting any individual donations. I may accept individual donations in the future if I have a defined purpose. If you would like to support my campaign in the meantime however, please do so by spreading the message of my campaign to others.

Please check back as I will be adding additional content specifying my thoughts and positions on various topics. Thank you for your consideration,

Raymond Petersen.