Excelsior, MN – Erik Paulsen and the special interest PACs and outside groups bankrolling his campaign are continuing to run a dishonest campaign, seeking to distract attention from Paulsen’s voting record on healthcare, taxes, and gun violence prevention that are deeply unpopular in his district. A new ad released today by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), ironically titled “All True,” continues this well-coordinated disinformation campaign.
The latest ad repeats a debunked attack on healthcare benefits at Penny’s Coffee, which has been debunked as false and misleading by local TV stations, and was called mostly false, distorted, and out of context by Politifact just this week. The ad also repeats the false claim that Phillips sought to profit off a marketing campaign that was the subject of a complaint filed by a private citizen. Phillips challenged this claim in a letter to the FTC earlier this week, citing that the complaint was filed by a private citizen to an industry group two years after he had stepped down from his position as CEO of Phillips Distilling and had no financial stake in the company.
A stinging report by Politico, released today, outlines Republicans’ coordinated effort to buy seats with attack ads full of lies and distortions in districts like MN03:
“Republicans have twisted facts in some ads to an extraordinary degree as they fight to save their House majority, weaving narratives about Democratic candidates that are misleading at best — or blatantly false at worst… The aggressive tactics highlight a party grappling to save its majority. Many of the Democrats who’ve come under attack have short or nonexistent records in political office, leaving Republicans to pick over their personal lives for any scraps to use against them.”
Yesterday, Phillips announced his intention to create a Truth in Political Advertising commission if elected, to help protect voters from misleading information spread by groups like Paulsen for Congress, the NRCC, and CLF the same way that consumers are protected from misinformation over the airwaves now.
Phillips is capturing attention from around the country for running a positive, people-powered campaign built on contributions from more than 65,000 individuals – and zero PACs, special interests, or members of Congress. In April, Phillips challenged Congressman Paulsen to join him in signing the Minnesota Way Pledge, a mutual pledge to eliminate special interest money and self funding, and reduce or eliminate spending from outside groups on both sides. Paulsen has refused to sign, and is now the 5th biggest taker of special interest money in all of Congress — while benefiting from millions more spent on his behalf.
NOTE: Erik Paulsen has only aired ONE ad talking about how he’s voted. And, when you look at his full record, it’s the least he could do to protect the environment. The League of Conservation Voters has issued an ad refuting his record on the environment.