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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden said Wednesday that in his first 100 days in office he would sponsor or co-sponsor legislation to amend the U.S. Constitution to require the federal budget be balanced.

He would also sponsor bills in support of building the proposed Keystone pipeline and other pipelines, he said.

It’s part of what McFadden is calling his “Contract with Minnesota,” which he said would also  have him supporting legislation to repeal the medical device tax and to simplify the tax code.

McFadden is also promising to “post reasoning on his Senate website behind every vote he casts.”

Finally,  McFadden repeated a pledge not to seek a second term if he votes with “any president or party,” 97 percent of the time.

“My ‘Contract with Minnesota’ is a promise to the people of this great state to be an accessible and accountable Senator who will take action to get this country back on track,” McFadden said in a statement.

McFadden is running against DFL Sen. Al Franken.

A constant refrain from McFadden is that Franken is a rubber-stamp for the policies of President Barack Obama.  The 97 percent figure comes from a Congressional Quarterly analysis of Franken’s voting record.

Franken points out that he has opposed the Democratic White House on several issues, including renewable fuel standards and that he has worked with Republicans on a number of pieces of legislation.

Franken says he casts all of his Senate votes in the best interest of Minnesotans.

Also on Wednesday Franken's campaign released a TV ad that says McFadden supports tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas to places like China.

“Investment banker Mike McFadden’s support for tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas to places like China proves he will always put profits over people,” said Alexandra Fetissoff, Franken campaign spokesperson.

A McFadden campaign spokesman responded by accusing Franken of running "one of the most dishonest campaigns in Minnesota history."

“Sen. Franken is so desperate to turn attention away from his 97 percent voting record with President Obama that he will tell lies to the people of Minnesota to earn their vote,” said McFadden spokesman Tom Erickson. “In the Senate, Mike will work to close tax loopholes that corporations use to move jobs and their headquarters overseas.”

Politics and Government News

Capitol View®

Mark Zdechlik

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McFadden lays out what he says he would do in his first hundred days in the U.S. Senate.

McFadden unveils ‘Contract with Minnesota’

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