State DFL, GOP leaders accuse parties of not prioritizing Minnesotans’ safety

The DFL is calling out the state Republican party for “a refusal to take and enforce basic safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19” citing several recent GOP campaign events where masks were not worn. State DFL Chair Ken Martin says “the MN Republican party unsafe events could be spreading COVID-19 across our state, landing people in the hospital and even killing them.” Minnesota GOP party chair Jennifer Carnahan counters that “it seems very disingenuous that Chair Martin would go after the party and talk about us not following guidelines and laws and protocols when again when they let our cities burn to the ground every single day.” Carnahan is referring to recent riots in Minneapolis. She says masks are provided at GOP events. Martin calls what he sees as the GOP’s unwillingness to wear masks in public “shameful” and says “MN Republicans are making it harder for us to get back to that normal life that we all want to get back to.” Carnahan responds that America is at a “crossroads” and counters that the real danger Americans face is the kind of lawlessness seen in recent riots in Minneapolis and elsewhere. She says, voters “can vote to stand with the safety, security and well-being America’s families, businesses and communities or they can continue to vote to watch the lawlessness that has taken over our state now for most of the summer now continue.”