Category: State Issues

Rep. Erik Paulsen and Dean Phillips face off in first debate for Third District seat

The following article by Jessie Van Berkel was posted on the Star Tribune website August 21, 2018:

The debate at a St. Louis Park hotel quickly grew testy, with both candidates attacking the other almost immediately.

DFL challenger Dean Phillips and Rep. Erik Paulsen greeted each other at the end of Tuesday’s 3rd Congressional District debate in St. Louis Park. Credit: Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune

U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen and DFL challenger Dean Phillips clashed over health care, tax reform, immigration and other issues, trading barbs Tuesday in the first debate of their increasingly heated fight for a Minnesota House seat.

The debate at a St. Louis Park hotel quickly grew testy, with both candidates attacking the other almost immediately. Paulsen, a Republican, referenced Phillips’ personal wealth when he said that people who are not millionaires should be able to run for Congress, while Phillips pressed Paulsen to reject campaign donations from interest groups and hit him for voting for most of President Donald Trump’s agenda.

“I’ll stand up to my own party,” Paulsen said, whether that’s protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, opposing “misguided tariffs” or pushing for a vote on immigration legislation.

View the complete article here.

Dean Phillips Releases First TV Ad: “Coffee and Conversation”

Ad highlights Phillips’s experience as a business owner, and his mission to get people talking again

Excelsior, MN – Today Dean Phillips’s campaign for Congress released its first TV ad, titled “Coffee and Conversation.” The ad highlights Dean’s background as a business owner who takes care of his employees, including at Penny’s Coffee where they voluntarily pay a $15 per hour minimum wage. It also features Dean’s Government Repair Truck, a 1960 International Harvester milk truck that he drives around Minnesota’s Third District in an effort to get people talking again.

“I approach public policy the same way I’ve helped build businesses – by soliciting ideas from everybody, by being innovative, collaborative and always finding ways to do more with less,” said Dean.

“And since representation begins with listening, I’ve spent the past year and a half traveling the district in my Government Repair Truck, having thousands of conversations with people of all perspectives and backgrounds. From those conversations, I know there is so much more that unites us than divides us. We must listen to people again — not the special interests that have corrupted Congress.”

Transcript of “Coffee and Conversation”:

“I love coffee and conversation. I’m Dean Phillips, and I started Penny’s Coffee to build a better business. Where we pay a livable wage, and where people have a place to just talk. I think we need more of that in Congress, so this is my Government Repair Truck. I’m running for Congress because if we are ever going to address things like the cost of college and healthcare in this country, we’ve got to start listening to people, and not the special interests. I approve this message because change starts with coffee and conversation. And everyone’s invited.”

The ad can be seen here.

 

MN03 Paulsen-Phillips TwinWest Debate

If you weren’t able to attend the above debate August 21, the UpTake.org has posted a replay on their website.  Here’s a link:  http://theuptake.org/2018/08/21/mn-cd3-debate-erik-paulsen-and-dean-phillips/

 

Projections Show Most Minnesota Congressional Races Up For Grabs

The following article was posted on the KSTP website August 20, 2018:

The FiveThirtyEight, which partners with ABC News, recently released their Election 2018 forecast for the US House, which shows a majority of Minnesota’s Congressional Districts are competitive.

“Minnesota certainly for its size, has a ridiculously disproportionate number of competitive seats,” said Nathaniel Rakich, FiveThirtyEight Election Analyst. “I don’t know of any other state that has half of its districts, fully half of its districts competitive.”

KSTP 2018 Election Coverage

The FiveThirtyEight offers users three different options for viewing the projections from a lite version with only polling data, or options with fundraising, and a more in-depth model that includes projections from other non-partisan election analysts.

View the complete article here.

DFL Chairman statement on Keith Ellison receiving the DFL endorsement for Minnesota Attorney General

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Ken Martin today released the following statement on Keith Ellison receiving the DFL endorsement for Minnesota Attorney General:

“Today, members of the DFL State Central Committee endorsed Congressman Keith Ellison for Minnesota Attorney General. Our Party stands with him in his campaign and we look forward to working together to keep this seat.

“As Attorney General, Keith will be a champion for families and fight to hold powerful interests accountable. With Ellison in place as the People’s Lawyer, voters can trust that their best interests will be priority number one. From predatory landlords, to opioid manufacturers to employers with discriminatory hiring practices, Keith Ellison will ensure all Minnesotans will enjoy a fair economy and equal opportunity.