Jill Burcum: Minnesota candidates should make their stances clear on childhood vaccines

With measles’ alarming resurgence in Minnesota and across the nation, voters should know where political candidates stand on the most effective protection available against this disease and many other dangerous infections: vaccination.

Specifically, do candidates intend to protect — or weaken — longstanding immunization requirements for school-aged children?

Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn’s recent support for eliminating these requirements underscores why this question, and the answer to it, matters. Minnesota’s next governor could sign or veto changes to these requirements, while its next U.S. senator will be charged with oversight of the agencies responsible for safeguarding public health.

Voters shouldn’t have to guess if they’ll continue protecting children, elders and others vulnerable to developing serious complications when infectious diseases strike.

For decades, Minnesota and other states have required kids to get certain shots to attend school, with some exceptions for medical reasons or personal beliefs. This provided a critical line of defense against harmful and once-common childhood diseases such as polio, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, mumps and rubella.

But the policy has become a victim of its own success. With widespread vaccination keeping these pathogens at bay, it’s too easy to forget their once devastating toll, including death or an array of life-altering complications such as paralysis, hearing loss or irreversible brain damage.

Unfortunately, many families have fallen prey to disinformation that downplays these disease’s risks. Some have chosen to forgo vaccinations.

“During the 2025-2026 school year, vaccination coverage among kindergartners in the United States decreased for all reported vaccines from the year before,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.

But the pathogens that cause these serious illnesses haven’t disappeared. The ongoing measles outbreaks show just how quickly infectious agents can not only re-emerge but spread when vaccination rates falter.

As of Oct. 15, the CDC has confirmed 4,410 measles cases nationwide. That compares with 2,289 for the entirety of 2025. The official CDC death count stands at two, but Pennsylvania authorities have reported six deaths there. There is a lag time as federal officials confirm the cause of death.

In Minnesota, thankfully no deaths have been reported. But on Thursday, the total cases stood at 42, which eclipses the 26 confirmed for all of 2025, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

It comes as no surprise that two counties with some of the state’s lowest measles vaccination rates are hard hit.

“Since mid-September, there have been 25 cases of measles confirmed in two unrelated clusters in different parts of the state (6 in Fillmore County and 19 in Todd County),” MDH said in an Oct. 15 statement. “All of the people who got sick with measles in recent weeks were unvaccinated. Given how contagious measles is, the case count will very likely grow in the days and weeks ahead.”

In central Minnesota’s Todd County, 61.6% of those born in 2023 had received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine by their second birthday, MDH reports. In Fillmore County, it’s 66.7%. The statewide average is 86%.

Those who win elected office should be coming in with a plan to swiftly boost vaccination rates and battle the disinformation abounding on social media. That’s especially crucial with vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leading the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He’s wielded his position to steadily undermine confidence in vaccines.

It is up to states to protect kids and Congress to provide rigorous oversight of Kennedy’s dismal leadership. That’s why there’s urgency to knowing candidates’ views on vaccines. Those who are on the frontline in the battle against infectious diseases agree.

“With measles resurgent and longstanding federal vaccine recommendations being called into question, it is vitally important that voters know where candidates stand on these issues,” renowned University of Minnesota epidemiologist Mike Osterholm told me.

“The science supporting childhood vaccination is clear. Decisions about protecting children’s health should be grounded in the best available evidence, not political ideology.”

In recent years, the COVID public health response has become a convenient political target. Sadly, the Iowa gubernatorial candidate’s irresponsible stance suggests that some now see political advantage in attacking longstanding immunization requirements that have kept kids and communities safe for decades.

Minnesota and the nation are best served by leaders who have the backbone to withstand misinformed pressure to weaken or dispense with school-aged vaccination requirements. I queried the candidates vying to become Minnesota’s next governor and U.S. senator to gauge if they meet this obligation.

As governor, DFLer Amy Klobuchar or Republican Lisa Demuth will have powerful influence on state immunization policy. They can appoint MDH’s next leader. In addition, they can sign or veto any legislative changes to school-aged immunization requirements.

Demuth’s campaign did not respond to my questions. Voters should press her on it.

In a statement, Klobuchar said she would veto a proposal like Lahn’s.

“This is about keeping our students healthy and safe. I support science and evidence-based vaccine policies in our schools that keep kids healthy, and I would oppose efforts to weaken them.”

I reached out to Minnesota’s Democratic and Republican nominees: Peggy Flanagan and Michele Tafoya. I asked each to assess RFK Jr.’s leadership and whether they support school-aged vaccination requirements.

Flanagan said this about RFK Jr.: “Secretary Kennedy, through official actions and by utilizing his government platform, has been a dangerous steward of federal vaccine policy. Vaccines have been an invaluable tool for decades, and the federal government has an important role both financially and as a regulator. As a mother, I take the concerns of parents seriously. We need to ensure that guidance is grounded in fact and not unscientific fearmongering.”

On school-aged vaccination requirements, she said: “I support requirements for children to receive certain vaccinations to attend school, with appropriate exemptions.”

Tafoya did not respond. She has publicly opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates, has used her podcast to platform COVID vaccine skeptics, and has defended RFK Jr. on social media. But her views on longstanding childhood immunization requirements remain unclear.

The ongoing measles outbreaks demonstrate in real time the harmful fallout from declining vaccination rates. Minnesota and the nation urgently need leaders who will vigorously defend school-aged immunization requirements instead of those who would weaken or eliminate them for potential political gain.

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