Jason Lewis (Minnesota politician)

In 1990, Lewis ran for Congress in Colorado's 2nd congressional district. He was defeated by incumbent Democrat David Skaggs.[15]

In October 2015, Lewis filed to run for U.S. Congress in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district,[16] and was endorsed at the Minnesota Republican Party's convention on the 6th ballot on May 7, 2016.[17] He won the four-way August primary with 46% of the vote.[18]

The race was widely considered one of 2016's most competitive congressional elections.[13][18][19] Roll Call journalist Alex Roarty wrote that Lewis had not openly embraced Donald Trump, but that he had been "unafraid to embrace many of the presumptive presidential nominee's trademarks: tough talk, an aversion to political correctness, and a focus on border security."[12]

During the campaign, a number of Lewis's opinions from his radio and internet career were publicized by the news media, including comments he made about women and slavery. Lewis said on his radio show: "You've got a vast majority of young single women who couldn't explain to you what GDP means. You know what they care about? They care about abortion. They care about abortion and gay marriage. They care about 'The View.' They are non-thinking."[18]

In an update to his book on states' rights just before the campaign, Lewis questioned the federal government's role in outlawing slavery: "In fact, if you really want to be quite frank about it, how does somebody else owning a slave affect me? It doesn't. If I don't think it is right, I won't own one, and people always say 'well, if you don't want to marry somebody of the same sex, you don't have to, but why tell somebody else they can't?' Uh, you know, if you don't want to own a slave, don't. But don't tell other people they can't."[20]

Lewis said, "liberal reporters and typical politicians may not like the bluntness of the way I've framed some issues in my career as a voice in the conservative movement"[12] and that his comments were "taken out of context by his opponents and the media".[18]

On November 8, 2016, Lewis was elected to the United States House of Representatives, defeating Democratic nominee Angie Craig and independent Paula Overby.[21]

In 2018, Angie Craig ran against Lewis again and defeated him in the November 6 general election with 52.8% of the vote to Lewis's 47.2%.[22]

Lewis was mentioned as a possible candidate against Senator Al Franken in 2014, but did not run.[23] In August 2019, Lewis launched a campaign for that seat, now held by Tina Smith.[24] Lewis pledged not to distance himself from Trump or his policies.[25]

Lewis authored a bill that would provide education and vocational training resources to at-risk youth and young criminal offenders instead of levying penalties against them for petty offenses.[29] He reintroduced the SAFE Justice Act, a criminal justice reform bill.[30]

Lewis was a critic of the war on drugs, which he compared to failed policy of alcohol prohibition in America.[31][32] He cosponsored legislation to let states set their own policy on cannabis and to remove cannabis from the list of Schedule I drugs.[33]

Lewis supported the March 2017 version of the American Health Care Act (the GOP's bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act).[34] On May 4, 2017, he voted to repeal the ACA (Obamacare) and pass the American Health Care Act.[35][36]

In 2011, Lewis said that prohibitions on same-sex marriage were not discriminatory against gay people, because they would still be free to marry those of the opposite sex.[37] In 2013, he argued against same-sex marriage, comparing gay people to rapists, speeders and polygamists.[38][39][40] Lewis said that prohibitions against same-sex marriage could not be legally challenged on the basis of discrimination, because rapists and speeders could not reasonably argue that they were being discriminated against by prohibitions on rape and speeding.[38] "The gay-rights lobby is playing underhanded to get their will and in the process they are shredding the Constitution of this country", he said.[38]

Lewis suggested that households headed by gay parents might be harming their children and that more research was needed to confirm that they were not.[38]

He called the decision of school boards to allow transgender restrooms and locker rooms in public schools an "abomination".[41]

Lewis voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[42] He voted against the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, a bill that increased discretionary spending by $300 billion.[43] After his vote he said, "I ran for Congress to get the economy going again by reducing taxes, regulations, deficits and debt. A $300 billion increase in discretionary spending along with hiking the debt ceiling fails on all accounts."[43]

Lewis authored a bill that would mandate an audit of the Department of Defense.[44] He later praised the department's decision to undergo an audit in 2018.[44]

In 2011, Lewis decried laws prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace, claiming such laws are unconstitutional because they interfere with free speech.[45] The same year, he mocked women who claimed to have been traumatized by unwanted sexual touching and kissing.[45]