Tag: 3rd Congressional District

Two major political handicappers find Minnesota’s Third District slipping out of Erik Paulsen’s grasp

© Greg Nash

Heading into the 2018 midterms, it was clear 3rd District Rep. Erik Paulsen was in for the fight of his political life: Although the Republican congressman has easily won five terms in this moderate, west metro district, opposition to President Donald Trump runs high here, and national Democrats have put it high on their target list as they go all-in on a campaign to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

With less than 50 days to go until the election, though, Paulsen may be in for more than just a tough fight: Two major election forecasters said this week that it’s more likely than not that the congressman will be out of a job next January.

The Cook Political Report and the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics are two of the most prominent outlets that assess the competitiveness of U.S. House, Senate, and governor’s races. To this point, they had rated the contest between Paulsen and Democratic challenger Dean Phillips as a “toss-up,” along with about two dozen other House races around the country.

View the complete September 20 article by Sam Brodey on the MinnPost website here.

Paulsen Ad Quotes WCCO’s Pat Kessler Out Of Context

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A new campaign ad from Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen is generating a lot of comments from WCCO’s viewers, and questions about whether the ad is legal.

That’s because WCCO-TV’s own Pat Kessler is actually featured in the ad, edited in a way that makes it seem as though he’s endorsing Paulsen’s attacks on Democratic candidate Dean Phillips.

Kessler reported that it is a “wildly out-of-context ad,” which took what he actually said and edited it to make it sound like he said something different.

View the complete September 20 article by Pat Kessler on the WCCO.com website here.

Don’t be Fooled: The Truth About the Alphabet Soup at the End of Those Attack Ads

We’re sure you’ve been been seeing the mudslinging ads attacking Dean Phillips by massively distorting the fact and using quotes out of context.  There’s always “legalese” at the end of those ads.  Most people don’t know what those organizations are.

Here are the Facts

These ads are coming from people who are doing everything they can to protect Erik Paulsen’s seat in Congress.  They’re doing that to make certain they control what happens in Congress after the election be it another tax cut for the rich, attack on our health care, moving to dismantle Social Security and Medicare “because the deficit is out of hand”* and so much more.

Rep. Erik Paulsen — We find it interesting that after holding his seat since the 2008 election, Erik Paulsen has nothing positive to say about what he’s done for his constituents, which only leaves him the option of parroting the falsehoods of the PACs supporting his re-election.

CLR (Congressional Leadership Fund) — This Super PAC is the dishonest organization that released the CIA confidential security clearance application of a DFL candidate in Virginia to use for political purposes.  It was formed in 2011 and is closely aligned to House Speaker Paul Ryan.  Their purpose is to elect Republicans and do what they can to oppose the election of Democrats.

NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) — This is an organization that supports the election of Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. Its leadership is made up of Republican Representatives..

Open Secrets’ Report of 2018 Expenditures:  https://www.opensecrets.org/races/election?id=MN

Washington Post post of media money reserving spots:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2018/09/16/National-Politics/Graphics/tracking912_18.pdf?tid=a_inl_manual

MPR News:  Who is Spending in Your District? (Updated daily):  https://features.mprnews.org/2018/campaign-spending/#

Open Secrets Listing of Paulsen Independent Expenditures this Cycle:  https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/other-data?cid=N00029391&cycle=2018#ind

*  There are theories out there that this tax cut (it wasn’t a rework of the tax code and benefits for average Americans go away in 5 years) has cut the income coming into the Treasury and exploding the debt. That will allow a Republican majority in Congress to do away with social service programs because they can’t be paid for — because they cut the taxes of the richest American and corporations.

 

Kroll violates federal law at Paulsen campaign event

Erik Paulsen and Bob Kroll have made it all too clear that they’ll go to extreme lengths to further their own personal political agendas, even if it means violating federal law’

Today, Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police member Bob Kroll appeared in his official capacity as a Minneapolis Police Officer to endorse Erik Paulsen at an event in Wayzata. Kroll’s appearance and endorsement directly violates the Hatch Act, which prohibits State and Local officers from using their “official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election or a nomination for office.”

“Erik Paulsen and Bob Kroll have made it all too clear that they’ll go to extreme lengths to further their own personal political agendas, even if it means violating federal law. We’ve come to expect this kind of misbehavior by Kroll, but it’s disturbing that Erik Paulsen would go along with these antics. Minnesotans in the Third District deserve a Representative in Congress who will put their interests above his own, something Erik Paulsen has shown no interest in doing.”

Kroll’s appearance today is not the first time he’s flouted Federal Law. In 2016, then-Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau ordered him to stop wearing his official uniform when partaking in political activities. But just last month, he appeared on a campaign mailer for Republican Tim Pawlenty in his MPD uniform.

Paulsen, super PAC teamed up to tear Phillips down with lies

To the Editor:

Here we are, about two months away from midterm election day and the voters of Minnesota’s Third District are on the edge of their seats. We are paying attention to our candidates and determining who will be the best representatives of our interests. But instead of seeing incumbent Erik Paulsen put his best foot forward, we see attack advertisements, special interest money and smear politics.

This has to end. The Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC and Erik Paulsen have teamed up to try to tear down Dean Phillips’ reputation with lies. Is that how campaigns should run? It’s incredibly misleading and quite honestly annoying. I don’t want our candidates filling the voters’ minds with falsehoods. Let’s provide facts only, please.

Here are some facts: Dean Phillips is a business owner who is passionate about getting money out of politics, saving the environment, making health care accessible to all and much more. He is being attacked for not providing health care to his employees at Penny’s, but he does, in fact, provide for all full-time employees. Continue reading “Paulsen, super PAC teamed up to tear Phillips down with lies”

A vote against Trump is a vote for decency

To the Editor:

Donald Trump routinely criticizes the media, attacks long-standing American institutions, diverts attention from serious issues that affect all Americans, insults anyone who criticizes him or his ideas and lavishes praise on dictators. He contributes to and encourages divisiveness and animosity in our country.

What can we actually do to stop or curtail Trump’s regressive agenda, since he will likely be around for several years? The answer is quite simple. First, we need to think about and act on the following critical issues that impact all of us, which Trump and his avid supporters champion but are not supported by most Americans.

A vote against Trump is a vote for: Continue reading “A vote against Trump is a vote for decency”

If Paulsen has nothing to hide, why is he unwilling to debate?

To the Editor:

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) is out of control. The Super PAC recently launched a scathing ad in their next round of attacks on behalf of Rep. Erik Paulsen against challenger Dean Phillips. The advertisement is directed towards his health care past at Penny’s Coffee. The ad was littered with false statements, insinuating that Phillips did not provide health care to his employees at Penny’s.

This is unequivocally not true.

Phillips has always provided health care to all of his full-time employees along with a $15/hour living wage. Phillips explained his small business policies at the Aug. 21 debate in St. Louis Park. This was the only debate between the two candidates that Paulsen has agreed to thus far, and it came with a price tag of $60 per person. Continue reading “If Paulsen has nothing to hide, why is he unwilling to debate?”

Erik Paulsen continues to prioritize political lip service over military service

While the Trump administration works towards exposing veterans and families to predatory lenders, the silence from Paulsen is deafening

Mick Mulvaney, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has made a series of troubling moves that will ultimately lead to countless military veterans and their families being taken advantage of by predatory lenders. Erik Paulsen, a prodigious fundraiser of campaign cash from these types of financial institutions,, has remained silent on this issue.

“It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump and his congressional cronies, like Erik Paulsen, are allowing predatory financial institutions to take advantage of America’s veterans, these companies pay good campaign money for that opportunity,” said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. “We know America’s veterans are among the most vulnerable groups to exploitation today, and the lack of leadership from a congressman who claims he’ll ‘stand up to his party or Trump’ is startling. It looks to me like Paulsen is only standing up for the unregulated financial sector who is bankrolling his campaign.”