Category: Dean Phillips

Dean Phillips Statement on Congressional Inaction

Credit: Reuters, Edgard Garrido

Dean Phillips, candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, released the following statement on the Congressional inaction in the face of the Trump Administration’s separation of children from their parents:

“When kids are slaughtered in schools, Erik Paulsen offers thoughts and prayers. When kids are separated from their parents, Erik Paulsen ‘hopes’ the Administration will reverse its policies. Erik Paulsen is a member of Congress. He can pass either HR 3923 or HR 5950 or draft a bill to cease the practice NOW. We can’t wait until January,” said Dean Phillips. “This is yet another example of Erik Paulsen’s lack of leadership and action on important issues facing our country, even as Republicans and Democrats appear to be united in moral outrage.”

“Hope won’t end the practice of children being separated from their parents. Action is needed,” concluded Phillips.

Commentary: Elections suffer from a pay-to-play system

Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United, a campaign finance reform organization based in Washington, DC.

Since 1999, over 200,000 people in the U.S. have died from prescription opioid overdoses. Thousands have been from Minnesota. For context, over 116,000 Americans lost their lives in World War I. It’s an epidemic that crosses all demographics, socioeconomic statuses, and communities.

This crisis is exacerbated by a broken political system that’s been flooded with unchecked special interest money. It’s corrupting Washington and directly hurting Minnesotans.

Politicians pander to special interests like Big Pharma that are ready to shell out tens of millions of dollars to elect politicians who will protect their profits.

One of the worst offenders of this pay-to-play system is right here in the 3rd Congressional District, Congressman Erik Paulsen.

Since joining Congress in 2009, Paulsen has abandoned his job as a representative of the people to do the bidding of the special interests. The numbers are telling. Continue reading “Commentary: Elections suffer from a pay-to-play system”

Erik Paulsen Questioned Repeatedly at First Public Events in Nearly 7 Years on His $8 Million Debt to Special Interests

Congressman Paulsen struggled to explain his links to special interests

Yesterday, a select group of Minnesota voters had their first chance in nearly seven years to ask Congressman Erik Paulsen a question at a ‘town-hall’ style setting, and they had a lot to ask. Voters repeatedly challenged him on the more than $8 million he’s taken from PACs in the last ten years. Paulsen is solidly within the top ten recipients of special interest money in the entire United States Congress.

Paulsen’s constituents asked him to explain his financial connection to industries such as Big Pharma and Big Oil, organizations like the NRA and his refusal to sign The Minnesota Way pledge TEN times. This is in addition to the four times he was questioned about his lack of town halls in the last seven years. Continue reading “Erik Paulsen Questioned Repeatedly at First Public Events in Nearly 7 Years on His $8 Million Debt to Special Interests”

DFL Chair Calls on Erik Paulsen to Apologize After His Super PAC Calls Constituents ‘Animals’

Paulsen has refused to sign DFL Candidate Dean Phillip’s pledge to keep SuperPACs out of Minnesota’s Third Congressional District

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Ken Martin today called on Republican Representative Erik Paulsen to apologize after his Super PAC called concerned constituents in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District “animals.” In an email ahead of his restricted town halls, Paulsen’s Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) said concerned citizens will “show up in droves, like the animals they are.”

“This hateful comment embodies exactly why Minnesotans in the Third Congressional District are demanding new leadership. Using the guise of your big-money Super PAC to refer to your own constituents as ‘animals’ is cowardly and abhorrent. It’s time for Erik Paulsen to follow Dean Phillips’s lead, reject PAC influence, and bring civility back to Minnesota’s Third Congressional District.”

DFL Candidate Dean Phillips has challenged Paulsen to sign The Minnesota Way Pledge to reject special interests and PAC influence, value conversations with voters, and commit to running an open, accessible campaign. Paulsen refused at yesterday’s event after 40 days of silence. If Paulsen signs the pledge and return the PAC money he got this cycle, Dean Phillips has agreed not to self-fund his own campaign.

Erik Paulsen Refuses to Sign on to the Minnesota Way Pledge that Includes Proposals He Previously Supported

Hamel, MN – At a hastily noticed town hall meeting that was held at 10:00 AM on a work day and restricted to randomly-selected ticket-holders, Erik Paulsen was challenged by several of his constituents on issues related to campaign finance reform, and asked why he has so far refused to sign The Minnesota Way pledge that includes proposals he himself has supported as recently as 2016.

Paulsen’s response was that he “doesn’t have the latitude of inheriting millions of dollars and spending it on his own campaign” – an apparent reference to Dean Phillips, who has to date contributed $5,400 to his campaign, the maximum allowed by an individual, and in-kinded a total of $19,596.52.

What’s more, Phillips has already stated publicly that if Congressman Paulsen signs The Minnesota Way pledge, he will agree to forego any self-financing of his own campaign.

Continue reading “Erik Paulsen Refuses to Sign on to the Minnesota Way Pledge that Includes Proposals He Previously Supported”

Phillips Statement on Paulsen Holding Town Halls, Refusing to Campaign the Minnesota Way

Five weeks ago, Dean Phillips signed The Minnesota Way pledge and asked Congressman Paulsen to sign it as well.

“Representation starts with listening and that is why I asked Congressman Paulsen to join me in signing The Minnesota Way pledge 35 days ago,” said Dean Phillips. “That pledge is to forgo all special interest money, sign the People’s Pledge to limit outside spending and commit to twice-monthly public events that don’t limit discussion – which is why it is called the Minnesota Way. I hope one of the questions Congressman Paulsen will answer on Wednesday is why he has so far refused to sign on.”

“I encourage everyone attending to bring their passion and their tough questions, but to also treat everyone there – including Congressman Paulsen – with respect. That’s The Minnesota way! And rest assured, voters in the 3rd District will have many more than three opportunities to visit with me between now and November 6th,” concluded Phillips.

Congressman Paulsen & Special Interests: Facts:

Paulsen’s moderate badge is a misnomer

To the editor:

Alice Seagren’s May 3 letter to the Bloomington Sun Current endorsed Rep. Erik Paulsen for Congress.

Paulsen seeks re-election in the Nov. 6 midterm election. Paulsen’s DFL-endorsed challenger is Dean Phillips, a District 3 businessman who is running against Paulsen’s voting record.

Seagren writes that Paulsen is not a partisan, that he is a moderate. The word moderate is a misnomer. There is nothing non-partisan about Paulsen. He has voted with President Trump’s agenda 97 percent of the time according to fivethirtyeight.com’s “Tracking Congress in the Age of Trump.” Continue reading “Paulsen’s moderate badge is a misnomer”

Tick … Tick … Tick …Twenty-One Days Later, Rep. Erik Paulsen Still Silent on the Minnesota Way Pledge

Dean Phillips challenged Erik Paulsen to sign The Minnesota Way pledge on April 19

Excelsior, MN – Today marks three weeks since Dean Phillips asked Rep. Erik Paulsen to sign The Minnesota Way pledge in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. So far, Paulsen has refused to sign the pledge, which includes at least two provisions he once favored.

“The Minnesota Way is about restoring integrity and decency to our political process. It would dramatically reduce – or even eliminate – outside special interest money, and put the people of our district first,” said Dean Phillips. “Erik Paulsen is already on record supporting the People’s Pledge and eliminating PAC contributions. If committing to public interactions with his constituents is what’s stopping him from signing the pledge, then I would argue he’s failing at the core responsibility of representation, which is listening.” Continue reading “Tick … Tick … Tick …Twenty-One Days Later, Rep. Erik Paulsen Still Silent on the Minnesota Way Pledge”

Agree that voters have clear choice

I am writing in response to an article from a writer who suggested that voters should embrace Rep. Erik Paulsen for his support of recent tax cuts while warning that any support of Democrats in the mid-term elections would result in the stifling of the truth about what is happening in Washington (“Candidate will follow marching orders,” April 19).

I completely agree with the writer when he points out that voters will have a clear choice this fall between Rep. Paulsen and Democratic Dean Phillips.

I found it amusing that the writer pointed out that he had attended a town hall meeting in which he felt that Dean Phillips had not adequately answered a question. What a novel idea, candidates holding town hall meetings with the citizens of their district.

But then, I am certain that they have never attended at town hall meeting with Rep. Paulsen, because he refuses to hold them. The writer met with and asked questions to Mr. Phillips, while our own congressional representative refuses to give citizens that same opportunity.

It is often hard to keep track of all the different investigations that are going on at once because of the ethics issues and open corruption of this administration. And the reader wants us to believe that we should support Rep. Paulsen so that he and the current administration can continue to do wonderful things for the citizens of the Third District.

There is a reason why 40 GOP members of Congress, including the Speaker of the House, have chosen to leave office this fall. There is a reason why over 35 cabinet members and employees within the White House have either been fired or quit.

This president is reckless and, at times, unhinged. The only safeguard that we, as citizens in the Third District have, is to stand up, vote, and elect officials who listen and who are not afraid to meet with voters and truly represent us. That is certainly not Rep. Paulsen. His 100 percent voting record in support of President Trump clearly reflects who he represents.

The voters in the Third District do have a clear choice, and come November expect long lines at the voting locations that will reflect what our choice will be.

Michael Fitzgerald, Chaska
Chaska Herald, May 4, 2018