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.
Voters also questioned Paulsen’s refusal to sign on to The Minnesota Way pledge that Dean Phillips himself signed forty-two days ago – a pledge to forego all special interest money, eliminate outside spending, and commit to holding at least two public events per month. To date, Dean Phillips has only contributed $5,400 to his own campaign, and has publicly stated that he would not self-fund if Rep. Paulsen signs the pledge to reject all PAC funding of his campaign.
“Congressman Paulsen can absolve himself of his debt to special interests with one simple stroke of a pen,” said Dean. “If he agrees to The Minnesota Way pledge and returns the special interest money he’s taken in the last year-and-a-half, then this race will be free of all special interest influence, all outside influence, and any self-funding. That’s how we return power to the people in our district and ensure that their interests always come before special interests.”
Campaigning across the 3rd District for more than a year, Dean has built the largest grassroots campaign the district has ever seen, with more than 800 volunteers and more than 6,400 individual contributors who’ve helped him raise the resources needed to run a vigorous campaign.
“I am proud to be running an accessible campaign focused on the people of the 3rd District, and supported exclusively by individuals. Meanwhile, Congressman Paulsen relies on special interests to fund his campaigns, having taken more than $8 million in the last ten years. It is no wonder why voters are asking who Congressman Paulsen is actually serving,” concluded Dean.
Download a transcript from 14 key questions: Paulsen Town Hall Transcript