MN State Rep Brad Tabke - 8/6/26
Monday's Sweet Corn, Appleton Detention, and PFML Update
First up: Fundraising
I've got another $30,000 (literally) to raise this campaign to meet our goals. We expect there will be $2.5 to $3 MILLION dollars spent on our little ole race here to get good things done for Shakopee.
It is important that I get my message out directly to voters and need your help to do that.
You can max out with $1,000 donation. If you can afford it, please do that.
Max out your PCR. After Monday's fundraiser, we'll be sending out a whole slew of Political Contribution Refund receipts. You send these receipts to the State of MN and they deposit up to $150 per couple / $75 per person back into your checking account. It is simple and easy and helps campaigns fight back against big money.
Give what you can. I understand - groceries are expensive because monopolies have taken over our food system. Gas is expensive because our President decided to fight an unnecessary war in Iran. Insurance is expensive because our elected predecessors didn't do enough to stop climate change. But if you can give us $20, I am very very appreciative.
🌽 Fundraiser on Monday at 5:30
Monday is the night. It is a lot of fun and I'm excited to see you there!!
Lions Park Shelter
5:30 to 7 pm
All the food comes from local businesses and is locally grown (no cyclo or salmonella here, baby)
Sen Amy Klobuchar, DFL House Leader Zack Stephenson, CD2 Candidate Matt Little, maybe AG Keith Ellison, and MANY more House and Senate friends will be there.
Tickets are $30 (or just pay what you can) and kids eat free.
Get your tickets -> BradTabke.com.
Appleton Detention Center
They tried and failed to put a detention center in Shakopee.
Now our United States of America has purchased an empty private prison in Appleton, MN for a cool half-billion ($495m) as a place to house ICE detainees. They also signed a five-year contract with CoreCivic (who they bought it from) for $75 million a year.
This is bad bad bad.
I talked with the DFL Senate candidate - Kari Dorry - about it.
Gift Card Fraud
My bill to stop gift card fraud went into effect on August 1st!! This was a big problem in Shakopee and across the state. Gift cards themselves had no value and we couldn't prosecute people who were stealing the money off of them.
Working with the MN Retailers Assn, we fixed that.
WCCO Radio
I was on CCO Radio talking about how angry I am about the Appleton Detention Center.
Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
A BIG update from DEED recently about Paid Family and Medical Leave. The far right is constantly trying to find ways to scare people about PFML and the most recent one I've been getting from folks recently is the costs are going to skyrocket.
The money to fund the PFML program - giving you 12 weeks of leave to care for a newborn, get chemo, or be with a sick parent (ALL good things for a healthy society) - is .88%. With the employer paying at least half of that and the employee picking up the rest.
The program is an incredible success in it's first seven months with over 75,000 people using it to date.
The scare tactic was that the .88% would skyrocket and cast millions more. Well, that just isn't happening.
DEED announced that the costs are not going up in 2027 and I'm super proud of that. There are some things I've heard from employees and employers while door knocking that I'd like to improve on the program if I'm re-elected. We'll see in November.
Wacipi next weekend
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community's Wacipi is coming up next weekend. It is free and an absolutely wonderful event if you've never been.
Tabke for MN Campaign Calendar
We win with door knocking. And we only won by 14 last time - so help me out. Click for details.
Don't forget to get your tickets for the 8/10 AYCE Sweet Corn and BLTs fundraiser. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year!
Tickets are $30 / Kids eat free. But if you can, donate $75 or more per person. You can get it fully refunded by the State through the PCR program. It's a good deal and helps us out a lot!
