Election 2018: Minnesota House Congressional District 7: Republican Challenger Dave Hughes
Dave Hughes (Republican) is running for Congress in the Great State of Minnesota. He is strong on Crime, the Border, our Second Amendment, Trade, Military and Vets. He gave Peterson a scare in 2016, losing the election by just five percentage points in a race few expected to be close.
Dave Hughes is a 21 year veteran of the United States Air Force. He currently works for General Atomics as an MQ-9 UAS (Drone) Instructor Pilot, flying operational missions guarding both our northern and southern borders and training US Customs and Border Patrol aircrews.
Dave was born in San Diego, California, attended public schools, and graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. After graduation, Dave began his active duty service in the United States Air Force.
He first worked in space weapon system acquisition. He then became a pilot, and flew the KC-135 Stratotanker, the C-21 Learjet, and the MQ-9 Reaper UAS (Unmanned Aerial System). During his career, Dave was deployed to combat zones seven times, participating in Operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Allied Force, and Iraqi Freedom. He worked in Saudi Arabia to enforce the no-fly zone in southern Iraq and in Turkey to enforce the no-fly zone in northern Iraq.
Dave flew missions from Spain and Italy during the brief war with Serbia in 1999.
Dave also deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, where he performed surface-to-air fire incident analysis for all of Iraq for the American General in charge and helped Iraqi national political leaders rebuild their national agriculture programs. Dave was again called to serve in Iraq as a lead judge to interview detainees, assess if they were a threat to Coalition Forces, and recommend either release or further detention.
Dave Hughes retired after 21 years of service as a Major with numerous awards and decorations having top secret security clearance. Dave lives in Karlstad, Minnesota with his wife, Amanda, and their seven children.
Issues include:
BORDER SECURITY & IMMIGRATION America is a country of immigrants, and we celebrate that diversity. However, immigrants should come to the United States legally, and illegal immigration should not be rewarded. Congress should pass legislation to immediately release funding to construct a wall spanning our southern border, deport illegal aliens who commit crimes, and eliminate any federal funding for sanctuary cities or states.
RIGHT TO LIFE We were endowed by our Creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The first of these rights is life. We should protect and value life from the very first heart beat to the last.
LOWER TAXES & LESS GOVERNMENT Americans deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money. Taxes are too high and unfair. We must eliminate the death tax, continue to work to lower taxes, and eliminate burdensome regulations. Congress needs to pass a balanced budget, cut spending, and start to reduce our national debt immediately. Our children should not inherit our debts.
AGRICULTURE America’s national security and quality of life depend upon our agricultural prowess. Free and fair trade is needed to expand American exports into new markets, and trade deals should ensure American products are not at a competitive disadvantage. Continued work to eliminate regulations and lower taxes will help agriculture thrive.
HEALTHCARE REFORM Our healthcare system is deteriorating, insurance rates are on the rise, and accessibility to services is becoming more difficult. Congress should allow a more competitive market, even across state lines, abolish the employer mandates, reduce coverage requirements to allow Americans to choose the plan which best fits their needs, and require more transparency in the healthcare market, such as price disclosure so that consumers may accurately compare prices.
QUALITY EDUCATION Parents should have more options available to educate their children. School choice will enable parents to choose which educational setting will best help their child achieve their own American dream. We can greatly reduce our federal Department of Education and send more funding back to states in the form of block grants to allow state governments to better educate children.