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Ballot Freedom

Right now, our political choices are restricted to those that the major parties approve for us. The fear of losing power has inspired bipartisanship to control your vote. I propose an alternative where anyone qualified and willing to represent the people should be allowed on the ballot without restrictive petitioning windows, obstructive language, and partisan control. Free the ballot, then allow ranked-choice voting to allow the people, not the major parties, to decide their representatives. Learn More

Police Militarization

Among many other needed criminal justice reforms is the transfer of excess military property to police. Having served in a combat zone, I saw the clear need for armored vehicles to combat improvised explosive devices designed to kill our soldiers. Why would police serving a peaceful nation ever require such armaments in their service to their neighbors? When equipped for war, and even trained on equipment of war, is it really any surprise that war-mentality dominates SWAT, riot, and other similarly equipped units? Learn More

Police are servant leaders who ought to report to the people as they carry out their duties in defense of life, liberty, and property. To improve police and public relations, we must:

1. End the transfer of war materiel to peace officers.

2. Reduce the scope of police duties to keep them focused on violent crime.

3. Mandate private liability insurance while ending qualified immunity for all public servants.

Housing Choice

Our housing market is overheating thanks to limitations placed on housing construction across our state, but particularly in the Twin Cities metro. Our outdated and convoluted planning and zoning system through the Metropolitan Council and cities run by Democrats and Republicans prevents the free ability for people to choose their housing and forces them into skyrocketing rents or unsustainable mortgages on inflated property values. Instead of continuing ineffective policies such as rent control and restrictive zoning, let's try freedom to develop and infill low-density residential areas. Mandates for affordable housing and restrictions on housing innovation leave the housing market and fellow Minnesotans without housing choice. The way to end rent extortion, slumlord management, and predatory lending is through a competitive market that forces landlords and sellers to compete for tenants and buyers, not the other way around. Learn More

I am an imperfect disciple of my own core values, but I hope we can use these as common ground when we discuss issues. I look forward to representing you to the best of my ability with these three values in mind.

Candor

For better or worse, I have a reputation as a professional and friend as a straight-talking analyst. I tend to err on the side of being direct, since I quickly tire of politicking and attempting to hide the facts. My military training as an intelligence analyst pushed the "bottom line up-front" since you have very little time to get the gist to battlefield commanders. You can expect that I bring that same concise and direct communication to my service as your State Senator. Any question, any time, you get a direct answer unfiltered by politics or party nonsense. This website is one such example. If we have the pleasure of meeting and discussing issues that affect you, I hope you will share your thoughts with candor.

Empathy

As a libertarian, the greatest message from our nonviolence pledge is a recognition of the dignity and respect afforded to each individual because they exist. Empathy is not only understanding the feelings of others, but treating others with compassion and trusting them to live their best life. Peace and prosperity can only be ours collectively if we treat each individual with love and kindness. That includes respecting self-determination and acceptance of choices people make that don't harm others. For me, that means shaping our communication to be inclusive, avoiding personal attacks or insults, and recognizing that the same facts can produce different options when shaped by diverse values.

Service

My history of service in the military and later as a civil servant with the USDA was an expression of my desire to fulfill a family legacy of service before self. I continue to place charity and service to others at the front of my life, and teach my children to consider the needs of others. My service is for all, not just the members of a limited demographic group. I don't subscribe to labels that attempt to say someone is representative if they check certain demographic boxes, because groups are not monolithic. Only by recognizing the value of the individual can we see the glory of our nation. I don't represent Mexican-American, service-disabled veteran, first-generation college student, Libertarian business owners; I am Jeremy J. Peichel and I represent the people of Minnesota Senate District 66.

One silly demographic truth for me has been several stereotypes applicable to elder millennials. I have bursts of social media engagement, and apologize if my Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube gets out of date. I strongly prefer direct communication, and the veil of anonymity creates an emboldened and sometimes toxic environment on the internet with violent discourse from otherwise nonviolent people.

I can also be reached directly by email at jeremy@votejjp.com. I hope we can have a respectful discourse and you can help me better represent you.