Tag: 3rd Congressional District

Dean Phillips Leads Call For Reform to Be the First Item on the Agenda in 2019

In letter to Congress, Phillips and other House challengers unite in call for sweeping reform bill to be H.R.1

Excelsior, MN – Dean Phillips today led a coalition of House challengers who are calling on Congress to make a government and electoral reform bill the first item on the agenda for the next Congress in 2019. In a letter to the House of Representatives, coordinated by Phillips and 11 other House candidates, they write:

“Restoring faith in our elections and in the integrity of our elected officials should be a top priority that all members of Congress can agree upon. Without these reforms we will be unable to truly regain the public’s trust or tackle the challenges of our day, like the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs, the opioid epidemic, or building an economy that is strong for working families. For those reasons, these reforms must be sweeping, and they must be bold. They must be the very first item Congress addresses. We must not yield on this demand, the American public is counting on us.”

Key elements of the bill would include: reforming the role of money in politics to ensure more transparency and accountability in our elections, eliminating foreign money from our political system, limiting the undue influence of mega donors and special interests, incentivizing small dollar donors, as well as lobbying reform, ethics reform, redistricting reform, and voting rights protections. Continue reading “Dean Phillips Leads Call For Reform to Be the First Item on the Agenda in 2019”

Despite not hosting a public Town Hall for seven years, Paulsen calls himself ‘one of the more accessible members of Congress’

‘Congressman Paulsen certainly has an interesting definition of the word accessible’

In an interview this week with KARE11, Congressman Erik Paulsen called himself “one of the more accessible members of Congress,” despite not holding a single public Town Hall for seven years. Paulsen’s statement came in response to DFL candidate Dean Phillips’ viral Bigfoot ad, which WCCO’s Pat Kessler called true and KARE11 rated as ‘mostly true.’ 

“Congressman Paulsen certainly has an interesting definition of the word accessible,” said DFL Executive Director Corey Day. “The only people Erik Paulsen is accessible to are the special interests and corporate PACs who have donated millions of dollars to his campaign. What’s more, Congressman Paulsen and his Republican allies have resorted to attacking Dean Phillips in ads that are consistently revealed to be inaccurate, misleading, and flat out false.”

“Dean Phillips is offering voters a clear alternative, showing them what true accessibility looks like. He’s appeared at over 120 public campaign events to which everyone is invited, not just wealthy donors. And unlike Erik Paulsen, the sixth biggest recipient of special interest money in Congress, Dean hasn’t taken a penny from PACS or special interests.”

LCV Victory Fund Trolls Erik Paulsen in New TV Ad

Cartoon Shows Paulsen, Trump Canoeing Through Polluted Waters; Highlights Paulsen’s Votes to Dump Coal Waste Into Waterways & Gut Limits On Methane Pollution

Minneapolis, Minnesota– In a new TV ad, LCV Victory Fund calls out Rep. Erik Paulsen (MN-03) for trying to deceive voters about his record of siding with Trump and corporate polluters.

Paulsen has attempted to convince voters that he’ll stand up for Minnesota’s environment, focusing his first TV ad of the cycle on efforts to protect the Boundary Waters. But Paulsen has continually voted to gut protections for clean air, water and public lands, earning a 14 percent on LCV’s 2017 National Environmental Scorecard. That included votes to block the Clean Water Rule and cut millions from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which recently provided $4 million to protect an addition 50,000 acres of the Boundary Waters.

Last month, the Trump administration announced they will be allowing mining exploration just outside of the Boundary Waters and stopped an environmental review of how mining would impact the wilderness area.

View the complete October 2 article by Alyssa Roberts on the League of Conservation Voters’ website here.

House Candidate Phillips Says We Can Do Better on Health Care

Grass-roots efforts aim to raise turnout in Third District

Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen and DFL challenger Dean Phillips at their debate earlier in the campaign. Credit: Glen Stubbe, StarTribune

In the competitive Third District race for Congress, pitting Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen against Democratic businessman and first-time candidate Dean Phillips, supporters on both sides are turning to grass-roots efforts in hopes of boosting the Nov. 6 turnout — and securing a victory.

At an Eden Prairie house in late August, a group of volunteers organized by progressive activists from Indivisible MN03 gathered over white wine and cheese plates to write out postcards to urge women to vote for Phillips. Indivisible picked out 12,000 women who are under age 35 and voted in the presidential election but not in the 2014 midterm, hoping to encourage like-minded voters to push Phillips to victory.

The group started sending out the postcards in February and will continue peppering the 12,000 voters through October with postcards, hoping the personal handwritten notes will resonate more than a fleeting Facebook post or TV ad. The group is also door-knocking throughout the district.

View the complete September 29 article by Kelly Smith on the StarTribune website here.

Paulsen Continues Dishonest TV Campaign

New ad from Paulsen contains even more falsehoods

Excelsior, MN – After Congressman Paulsen and the special interests supporting his campaign were called out for running false and misleading ads last week, Paulsen’s campaign is doubling down on their dishonest attacks against Dean Phillips. In an effort to distract Minnesotans from his own unpopular votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act and increase the deficit by $1.9 trillion, Congressman Paulsen’s new campaign ad throws a handful of new, deceitful attacks against the wall – and again, none stick.

“Negative ads are one thing,” said Dean Phillips. “But spending millions of dollars to repeatedly and intentionally mislead voters is beneath the dignity of a member of Congress who touts his membership in the House Civility and Respect Caucus. Minnesotans have had enough, and they deserve better. That’s why I’m on a mission to change the culture of corruption caused by big money in our political system.”  

The following is an excerpt from a “Dear Colleague” letter seeking new members of the Congressional Civility & Respect Caucus, of which Paulsen is a “ founding member”: Continue reading “Paulsen Continues Dishonest TV Campaign”

Dean Phillips to Moderate “Everyones Invited! Health Policy Issue Forum” with Healthcare Experts

Free educational discussion to be held on Monday, October 1st

Excelsior, MN – Dean Phillips will moderate a free and open-to-the-public panel discussion focused on health policy on Monday, October 1st at Normandale Community College. Phillips’s campaign for Congress is based on the idea that representation begins with listening, and everyone’s invited join in this solutions-focused conversation with experts of varied beliefs and backgrounds.

Healthcare reform is an issue that dominates conversation on the campaign trail, and is one on which Phillips and his opponent, Congressman Erik Paulsen, differ greatly. Congressman Paulsen has is the sixth largest recipient of special interest money in all of Congress, having accepted more than $1.6 million from drug and insurance interests while voting repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act and gut protections for pre-existing conditions.

Phillips, on the other hand, is a small-business owner who offers health insurance to his full time employees, rejects all contributions from special interests, and believes that we should work to improve the ACA so that no American is one illness away from financial ruin. Continue reading “Dean Phillips to Moderate “Everyones Invited! Health Policy Issue Forum” with Healthcare Experts”

With Trump in the White House, Minnesota Ticket-Splitters May Be Ready for Change

Erik Paulsen is facing a competitive challenge from Democrat Dean Phillips

Dean Phillips,Minnesota 3rd District DFL nominee, greets voters outside his campaign’s “Government Repair Truck.” Credit: Tom Williams, CQ Roll Call

PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Erik Paulsen has been a survivor.

When Hillary Clinton carried Minnesota’s 3rd District last cycle by 9 points, the Republican congressman won re-election by 14 points.

So how is it that the five-term lawmaker finds himself in trouble this year against a well-funded, moderate Democrat?

Paulsen’s Deficit Moves MN-03 From Toss up to Lean Democratic

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

Stylistically, the mild-mannered and neighborly Erik Paulsen is a good fit for this highly college-educated suburban Minneapolis seat. In 2016, he won his fifth term with 57 percent while Hillary Clinton won it 50 percent to 41 percent. But in a stunning turn, he’s now trailing badly in polls and on the verge of being abandoned by his party, in part because his votes for the GOP healthcare and tax bills shredded his moderate credentials.

Democrats have a strong nominee in vodka and gelato businessman Dean Phillips, the grandson of advice columnist “Dear Abby” and the great-great-grandson of the founder of the Minneapolis-based Phillips Distilling Company. Despite his personal wealth, he hasn’t self-funded and has sought to channel the late populist Sen. Paul Wellstone by driving around in a refurbished 1960s-era International Harvester he calls a “government repair truck.”

Republicans have sought to attack Phillips as a slicked-back, out-of-touch millionaire who calls for universal health care but didn’t offer coverage to his coffee shop employees. And Paulsen has tried to create separation from President Trump by airing an ad featuring him paddling a canoe, touting his opposition to mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area. But so far, those ads don’t appear to be denting Phillips’s advantage.

View the complete September 19 article by David Wasserman on the Cook Political Report website here.