A letter I wrote for the Grand Rapids Herald about Stewart Mills III’s misleading campaign:

STEWART MILLS III IS MISLEADING US AGAIN

Stewart Mills III pledged to run a positive campaign. But just recently, one of his ads was rated false. Now the multi-millionaire candidate for Congress is at it again, misleading voters in the 8th District about Congressman Nolan’s record on the Export Import Bank.

In his recent ad, Mills III claims that Nolan voted to give the bank millions to undercut steelworkers. That is false. The Export Import Bank gives loans to companies in other parts of the world making American exports competitive with other countries such as China. The bank’s main objective is to create and sustain American jobs. That is right — American jobs.

Radical Mills III ignores the fact that the Export Import Bank does a lot of good for the 8th. He wants to do away with the bank — which would lead to many workers being laid off in Minnesota and the 8th Congressional District. Mills ignores the fact that Baby Elephant Ears Inc. of Cambridge, Bay Side Recycling, Bendtec, Ikonics all of Duluth, and Hibbing’s Electric Power Door and Iracore International are all companies here — in the 8th District — that have relied on the Export Import Bank. These are American jobs in our part of Minnesota, but unfortunately if you work at one of these places Stewart Mills III doesn’t support you or your job.

Finally, Mills III forgets to tell you that the Export Import Bank doesn’t cost the taxpayers anything. In 2013, the bank turned over $1 billion back to the US Treasury.

I’ll close by quoting President Ronald Reagan, “Exports create and sustain jobs for millions of American workers and contribute to the growth and strength of the United States economy. The Export-Import Bank contributes in a significant way to our nation’s export sales.”

It’s time for Stewart Mills III to stop the fear mongering and misleading campaigning and start telling the voters of the 8th District the truth.