With extreme, divisive, and offensive comments, Scott Jensen is at it again. Or rather, he never seems to stop.
Scott Jensen thinks he can get away with extreme policy positions that hurt our communities and harmful comments that tear people down. But we are dedicated to holding him accountable and ensuring he doesn’t get away with this out-of-touch extremism.
Here are five recent Scott Jensen moments that are completely unacceptable:
- Scott Jensen defended his running mate’s comments that compared abortion to slavery.
In a video of Jensen’s running mate Matt Birk speaking at a National Right to Life conference, Birk celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Birk compared safe, legal abortion to slavery and said, “women used to not be able to vote, now we let them drive.” He also reiterated that he doesn’t believe that rape victims should get able to get abortions and said that “if a woman is unexpectedly pregnant, she could be the answer to someone’s prayer.”
To make it worse, he repeated his and Scott Jensen’s intentions to ban abortion in Minnesota without exceptions for rape or incest.
Scott Jensen defended these wildly offensive comments and even praised Birk for his refusal to “back off” from his extreme anti-choice positions on abortion.
Scott Jensen’s defense of Matt Birk’s wildly offensive remarks towards women confirms he does not believe that everyone should have the freedom and power to control their bodies and lives.
- In a Facebook selfie video, Scott Jensen affirmed that he plans to ban abortion in Minnesota.
In the video, Jensen says, “We’re going to ban abortion, that’s really not news.”
Scott Jensen’s intentions are not new to us either; he’s threatened to bring an abortion ban to Minnesota, even one without exceptions for rape or incest, for months.
But, the video surfaced as Scott Jensen was frantically trying to walk back his claim that an abortion ban isn’t on his agenda if elected as governor of Minnesota.
At this point, Scott Jensen has made it clear that an abortion ban would be a priority in his administration, and we have every reason to believe him. Minnesotans deserve a leader who will reduce barriers to and protect access to safe, legal abortion.
3. In a video from a 2022 Mask Off MN event, Scott Jensen compared COVID public health policies to the Holocaust, Nazi Germany, Kristallnacht, and the rise of Hitler.
As if it couldn’t get worse, Jensen then doubled down on his offensive comments that compared COVID-19 mask mandates to the rise of Nazi Germany in an incredibly offensive Facebook video.
And he refused to apologize for his offensive remarks saying, “it may not strike your fancy — that’s fine. But this is how I think, and you don’t get to be my thought police person.”
Scott Jensen has a long track record of touting extreme and divisive policy positions. These antisemitic, hateful comments have no place in Minnesota.
- Scott Jensen threatened his opponents with political retaliation.
Scott Jensen has made a name for himself as the anti-vaccine Minnesota doctor whose COVID-19 comments were dubbed the “Lie of the Year” by Kaiser Health News.
But Jensen has also been investigated by the Minnesota state medical board for spreading COVID-19 conspiracy theories and giving reckless medical advice.
This past summer, Jensen threatened the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice with political retaliation for their investigation if elected governor.
It gets worse.
Jensen has a record of spreading both COVID-19 and election conspiracy theories. Most recently, Scott Jensen threatened jail time for and spread conspiracies about Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon for his oversight of Minnesota elections.
This kind of retaliation is dangerous and threatens the checks and balances we have in place to keep Minnesotans safe and hold elected officials accountable.
- Scott Jensen said he wants to ban abortion and have a party to celebrate it.
In a video at a St. Thomas College Republicans meeting, Scott Jensen touted, “If I get a chance
to sign a pro-life piece of legislation, we’re not just going to sign it, we’re going to have a party.”
Millions of people are grieving the end of Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.
In Minnesota, sixty percent of Minnesotans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and sixty-five percent would oppose new severe restrictions on abortion.
And an abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest, like Scott Jensen has suggested, would be even more devastating.
Minnesota is one of two states lacking a statute that terminates parental rights for alleged rapists. If Scott Jensen passes an abortion ban without exceptions for rape, Minnesotans who survive sexual assault will not only be stripped of their right to choose but would have to share custody with their predator.
These comments are not only out-of-touch with Minnesotans, they’re offensive.
Minnesotans deserve a leader that will move our state forward, not someone who will continue to divide our communities.
Sign up to hold Scott Jensen accountable for his extreme, divisive behavior.
