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Hilstrom wants to be “the people’s lawyer” as Attorney General

WORTHINGTON -- A nine-term representative of District 40B in the State Legislature and former assistant Anoka County Attorney, Debra Hilstrom touts herself as the only attorney general candidate that has written laws that protect Minnesotans, the...

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Rep. Debra Hilstrom takes part in an informational hearing about HF3396 which deals with gender specific restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms and similar places, at the State Office Building in St. Paul, Tuesday, April 12, 2016. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

WORTHINGTON - A nine-term representative of District 40B in the State Legislature and former assistant Anoka County Attorney, Debra Hilstrom touts herself as the only attorney general candidate that has written laws that protect Minnesotans, then defended them in court.

“I want to be the people’s lawyer,” she said. “I like to say nobody is too big to be above the law and nobody is too small to be below its protection.”

The DFL candidate from Brooklyn Center visited Worthington Tuesday as part of a statewide tour to discuss her policies ahead of the Aug. 14 primary, arguing that the attorney general position is first and foremost one of consumer protection.

One of Hilstrom’s biggest focuses is elder abuse. She carried a bill defining what it means to financially exploit a vulnerable adult in 2008, then in 2010 prosecuted two Fridley individuals for deceiving an 82-year-old woman into giving them $66,000 - using the law from her own bill.

Hilstrom is also locked in on pharmaceutical price fixing, access to health care and the opioid epidemic - issues that affect large numbers of Minnesotans.

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“Most issues people call the attorney general about doesn’t make national news, but it might be the most important call of their life,” she said. “It could decide if they get to keep their house, keep their job or whether they have to declare bankruptcy because of excessive medical bills.”

Hilstrom’s entrance into politics came in the early ’90s after she witnessed her father, Dennis, get publicly humiliated and shamed by a member of the Brooklyn Center City Council, who said he couldn’t understand the topic at hand because her father couldn’t read.

“I just couldn’t believe that kind of conduct from an elected official,” Hilstrom said. “I wrote a letter to the editor basically saying we can disagree about the issues, but we need to treat each other with respect.”

Hillstrom went on to run for Brooklyn Center City Council and won, serving from 1994 to 1998. She was elected to the Minnesota House in 2000 and became Anoka County assistant attorney in 2010.

Hilstrom is going up against Keith Ellison, Tom Foley, Matt Pelikan and Mike Rothman for the DFL candidacy. On the GOP side, Doug Wardlow, Bob Lessard and Sharon Anderson will be facing off.

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