Being a Republican at the University of Minnesota isn’t necessarily a cake-walk, but Jason Baskin is proud to say he made it out relatively unscathed by more liberal ideals.

Baskin, who is active with the Mower County GOP and has worked on a number of Republican campaigns, has been interested in politics since he was a child. As young as third-grade, he began having conversations about controversial issues with his dad.

“My dad was very intellectually engaged in politics,” he said. “We had a lot of long conversations about the role of government. That’s where my interest was piqued.”

As chairman of the U of M College Republicans — of which there were very few members compared to the College Democrats — Baskin learned the importance of political involvement.

“You’re not always the most popular guy on campus,” he joked.

Since then, however, he has found his place as part of the Mower County GOP.

“I have a deep passion for this town and this area,” said Baskin, who grew up in Austin.

Baskin’s foremost concern is keeping government control to a minimum. People should be able to exercise their rights until they infringe on someone else’s rights, he said.

Financial stability also sits at the top of his list of concerns; the government should not be spending money it doesn’t have on programs that are not necessary, he said.

“We can’t have government being all things to all people,” he said. “We will dramatically destroy the standard of living that we have and our kids and grandkids have.”

Baskin intends to do his part and continue his involvement with the local Republican Party. He may even consider running for office someday.

Until then, he just wants to make a difference while meeting and working with other local conservatives.

“I really love getting to meet people who share the same passions I do,” he said. “There’s a lot of good people out there working hard.”