Minnesota — 4th District

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Opposes Republican tax and budget cuts

McCollum has consistently opposed Republican federal budget and tax reconciliation packages, voting against H.R. 1 ('One Big Beautiful Bill Act') and the FY2025 budget resolution in 2025. Her economic focus centers on federal investments in infrastructure, worker rights, and keeping local economies growing.

• Voted Nay on H.R. 1, the reconciliation bill addressing federal funding, debt limit, and tax policy in 2025.
• Voted Nay on H.Con.Res. 14, setting the FY2025 federal budget framework and debt limit reconciliation instructions.
• Voted Nay on the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 during the 118th Congress.

“At home in Minnesota, Betty is working to improve our environment, promote excellence in public education, provide quality, affordable health care, and ensure investments in transportation infrastructure to keep our Twin Cities and East metro economy strong and growing.”

R Republican Paul Wikstrom

Supports tax relief and spending cuts

Wikstrom pledges to protect and expand tax cuts while containing federal deficit spending and national debt. He advocates eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, expanding the child tax credit, eliminating the death tax, and cutting regulatory red tape with a one-in/two-out rule.

• Proposes eliminating taxes on tips, eliminating taxes on overtime, expanding child tax credits, and ending the death tax.
• Calls for containing federal deficit spending and national debt.
• Proposes cutting red tape by requiring Congressional approval for major regulations and implementing a 'One-in/two-out' rule.

“Protect and Expand Tax Cuts – eliminate tax on tips, no tax on overtime, expand child tax credits and eliminate the death tax to protect farms and small businesses.”

“Cut Red Tape - require Congressional approval for major regulations and follow One-in/two-out rule for new regulations.”

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Supports targeted transparency measures

McCollum supports specific federal government transparency legislation, such as voting in favor of publishing unclassified records regarding Jeffrey Epstein. She routinely opposes Republican spending control resolutions and full-year continuing appropriations bills.

• Voted Yea on the Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R. 4405) in 2025.
• Voted Nay on Republican-led continuing appropriations and budget reconciliation bills.

“The Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R.4405) was a bill passed by the 119th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on 11/19/2025”

R Republican Paul Wikstrom

Demands mandatory audits and fraud controls

Wikstrom makes stopping government fraud a central pillar of his campaign, pointing to state spending scandals like Feeding Our Future. He advocates for mandatory federal spending audits, making fraud controls a mandatory condition for appropriations, and establishing a fraud crime stopper hotline.

• Mandatory audits for all major federal spending.
• Prohibit appropriation of program funds without required fraud-prevention controls.
• Propose legislation creating a fraud crime stopper hotline.

“STOP THE FRAUD- I will fight to stop the fraud by restoring integrity to the government, so that your hard earned tax dollars are not stolen and diverted from the programs that help the vulnerable in Minnesota.”

“No appropriation without controls – require fraud-prevention measures as a condition of funding.”

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Supports public school and tuition affordability

McCollum focuses on promoting excellence in public elementary and secondary education while working to keep higher education tuition affordable for students and families. She is endorsed by Education Minnesota.

• Supports increased federal funding and quality improvements for public K-12 education.
• Advocates for affordable higher education tuition across the district's post-secondary institutions.
• Endorsed by Education Minnesota.

“And, with more than twenty higher education institutions in the Fourth District, Betty is committed to keeping tuition affordable for students and families.”

R Republican Paul Wikstrom

Focuses on academic basics and vocational training

Wikstrom argues that Minnesota public school performance has declined due to rising administrative overhead and political agendas. He advocates refocusing classrooms on academic fundamentals like phonics, restoring reading specialists, and expanding vocational training.

• Focus K-12 education on academic basics like reading phonics rather than political agendas.
• Expand vocational and technical training opportunities.
• Address growth in school district administrative overhead compared to direct teaching expenditures.

“Fix the Education System – prepare our children to succeed by focusing on academics, not political agendas, and expanding vocational training opportunities.”

“We need to return important learning tools to the classroom like phonics! We need to bring back reading specialists.”

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Supports first responders and gun safety laws

McCollum supports federal investments in first responders and law enforcement resources to build safe communities. She complements this with support for sensible gun violence prevention measures, earning an 'F' rating from the NRA.

• Supports federal funding for first responders and community safety resources.
• Supports sensible gun violence prevention legislation.
• Voted Nay on the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act of 2025 (H.R. 875).

“A strong supporter of safe and strong communities, McCollum supports federal investments for our first responders and ensuring that America’s infrastructure is world class.”

R Republican Paul Wikstrom

Supports fully funding police and reducing crime

Wikstrom focuses heavily on reversing rising crime rates, such as shoplifting and carjacking, in urban and suburban East Metro communities. He pledges full funding for law enforcement agencies and strongly opposes hostile political rhetoric against police.

• Ensure full funding for law enforcement and supporting resources.
• Address rising urban and suburban crime rates like retail shoplifting and carjacking.
• Counter political hostility toward police officers to improve recruitment and retention.

“When elected I WILL HAVE YOUR BACK! I will work to make sure that law enforcement and supporting resources are fully funded.”

“Stop the Rising Crime Rates and Make our Communities Safer”

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Supports environmental protection and river restoration

McCollum is a long-standing environmental champion in the House who serves on the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee. She leads companion legislation for the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI Act) and has been endorsed by Clean Water Action and the Sierra Club.

• Leads House companion legislation for the MRRRI Act to restore and protect the Mississippi River.
• Serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.
• Voted Nay on H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, in the 118th Congress.

“Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) leads companion legislation in the US House of Representatives.”

“At home in Minnesota, Betty is working to improve our environment”

R Republican Paul Wikstrom

Supports unleashing domestic energy production

Wikstrom advocates for boosting American production of energy, food, and housing to drive down consumer costs. He calls for achieving energy independence by reducing federal regulations and creating a favorable investment climate.

• Unleash domestic energy production to lower energy costs for families.
• Pursue national energy independence and domestic manufacturing investments.
• Reduce environmental regulations that inhibit business investment.

“Unleash American Production – increase American energy, food and housing supply by reducing regulation and improving investment climate.”

“Invest in America and Minnesota starting with domestic manufacturing and energy independence.”

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Supports reproductive rights and Medicare

McCollum advocates for quality, affordable healthcare and the protection of Medicare and Social Security. She strongly supports reproductive health care access without government interference and voted against rolling back CDC COVID-19 rules.

• Protects Medicare and Social Security benefits.
• Guarantees access to affordable, quality reproductive healthcare.
• Voted Nay on H.R. 185 (terminating CDC COVID-19 vaccination rules for foreign travelers).

“ensuring all women can access affordable, quality reproductive health care without government interference.”

R Republican Paul Wikstrom

Supports market competition and transparency

Wikstrom proposes free-market healthcare solutions to increase affordability, including price transparency and interstate insurance purchasing. He also advocates stopping pharmaceutical companies from blocking generic and imported drugs.

• Increase price transparency across healthcare providers.
• Allow purchase of health insurance across state lines.
• Prevent pharmaceutical companies from blocking generic and imported medications.

“Bring Back Competition in Healthcare – increase price transparency, allow purchase of insurance across state lines, stop drug companies from blocking access to generics and imported drugs.”

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Opposes Republican immigration enforcement bills

McCollum consistently votes against Republican-sponsored immigration enforcement bills, including measures requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voting and mandatory detention for non-citizens arrested for theft or DUI.

• Voted Nay on the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) requiring documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration.
• Voted Nay on the Laken Riley Act (S. 5) mandating DHS detention for non-citizens arrested for burglary or theft.
• Voted Nay on H.R. 875 making DUI offenses grounds for non-citizen deportation.

“The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), was a bill passed by the House of Representatives on 4/10/2025... Vote: Nay”

R Republican Paul Wikstrom

Supports enacting stronger border laws

Wikstrom advocates for federal legislation to strengthen national borders and immigration enforcement as part of his core campaign platform.

• Enact federal laws to strengthen national borders and immigration enforcement.

“A Congress that will enact laws to further strengthen our country and our borders”

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Supports global leadership and defense funding

McCollum serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and supports strong U.S. international leadership in global health, human rights, and food security. She authored the Global Food Security Act and recently criticized Donald Trump's comments blaming Minnesota for foreign cyberattacks.

• Serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense (formerly Chair and Ranking Member).
• Author of the bipartisan Global Food Security Act.
• Voted Yea on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2024.

“Betty strongly supports a robust U.S. global leadership role in advancing international development, global health and human rights.”

“‘It’s outrageous that he blames American cities and the State of Minnesota for attacks from foreign entities that he provoked,’ she said.”

D Democratic Betty McCollum

Supports gun violence prevention laws

McCollum strongly supports sensible gun violence prevention legislation, a position that has earned her an 'F' rating from the National Rifle Association.

• Supports federal gun violence prevention legislation.
• Holds an 'F' rating from the National Rifle Association.

“She supports sensible gun violence prevention legislation which has earned her an “F” rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA).”