McFadden signs 13-point pledge outlining plans if he's elected

MOORHEAD, Minn. – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden signed a 13-point pledge Thursday outlining what he would do if elected.

The promises include moving funding from “broken” school districts to charter schools, visiting every one of Minnesota’s 87 counties each year and writing legislation to support oil pipeline projects.

“I wanted to make a commitment to the good people of Minnesota. … I’m going to be accessible, I’m going to be accountable, and I’m going to take action,” the challenger said at a news conference at Courtyard By Marriott here.

After his talk, McFadden signed at the bottom of a large poster board titled “McFadden’s Contract with Minnesota,” which displayed each of his promises.

McFadden promised that if elected, he would not run for re-election if he voted with either party or the president 97 percent of the time – a jab at the incumbent, Sen. Al Franken, who McFadden has accused of being too partisan.

“Al Franken is the most partisan senator in the Democratic Party,” McFadden said, repeating a theme of his campaign. “He’s voted with President Obama 97 percent of the time.”

Asked what was wrong with voting frequently in support of a president, McFadden said, “I just think it’s common sense.”

“I don’t think there’s anybody in Minnesota that agrees with another person 97 percent of the time,” he said. “I don’t even agree with my wife 97 percent of the time. It’s extreme.”

McFadden also pledged to author or co-sponsor a Balanced Budget Amendment and a No Budget, No Pay Act.

“If you don’t pass a budget, you don’t get paid,” McFadden said of the way Congress should be. “Al Franken has only passed one budget in five years,” he added.

McFadden’s contract points ranged from the specific to the vague.

He promised to hold town hall meetings each quarter and publish the reasons for each of his votes on his website.

He also promised to “streamline our regulatory process” and “work with both parties to simplify our tax code.”

Asked how he would go about remaking the tax code, McFadden said, “We’re going to start with a blank sheet of paper.”

“We’re going to have two guiding principles,” he continued. “One is simplicity and the other is transparency. That’s not a partisan issue. It is a special interest issue, but I’ll fight hard for it.”