Tag: 3rd Congressional District

Bigfoot Asks: Does Erik Paulsen Really Exist?

New digital ad features the search for Minnesota’s most hard-to-find elected official

Excelsior, MN – Phillips for Congress released a new digital ad today featuring an interview with Bigfoot, who has been inspired to find Minnesota’s most elusive figure: Congressman Erik Paulsen.

Congressman Paulsen did not hold a public town hall meeting for more than seven years.  He’s rarely caught on camera in Minnesota, and he’s almost never seen in public — and when he is it’s not for long. He’s so good at hiding that even Bigfoot is impressed.

In fact, the only way to guarantee an Erik Paulsen sighting is to contribute $2,700 to join his “Eagles Club” or write a $10,000 PAC check to help fund his negative TV ads. Continue reading “Bigfoot Asks: Does Erik Paulsen Really Exist?”

Dean Phillips Releases Open Letter to Congressman Erik Paulsen

Excelsior, MN – Dean Phillips offered the following open letter to Congressman Erik Paulsen today:

Congressman Paulsen:

In April of this year, I invited you to make a mutual pact to campaign the Minnesota Way, which – in addition to eliminating PAC money, self-funding and spending from outside groups – would have ensured at least two public voter forums per month.

Continue reading “Dean Phillips Releases Open Letter to Congressman Erik Paulsen”

Key Vote Alert: Rep. Paulsen Votes to Permanently Slash State and Local Tax Deductions, Put Social Security and Medicare on the Chopping Block

© Greg Nash

After voting to give massive handouts to the wealthy and corporations at the expense of the middle class with last year’s Tax Scam, Republicans are back for more. Rep. Paulsen, as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, voted yesterday topermanently cap the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, costing Minnesota families thousands of dollars per year. Rep. Paulsen also put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block by voting to increase the deficit by at least $631 billion, on top of the $1.9 trillion deficit increase that resulted from the GOP tax scam.

“Rep. Erik Paulsen voted to permanently slash the State and Local Tax deduction that hard working families in Minnesota rely on to save thousands of dollars a year and put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block by adding another $631 billion to the deficits Republicans have already racked up thanks to their tax scam,” said DCCC spokesperson Rachel Irwin.“Voters know that as long as Paulsen is in office, their access to affordable healthcare and retirement security are at risk.”

 

Dean Phillips Announces Everyone’s Invited! Video Project

Campaign invites grassroots supporters to showcase their creativity

Credit: Alvimann via Morguefile.com

Excelsior, MN – Dean Phillips’s campaign for Congress today announced the kickoff of their “Everyone’s Invited! Video Project.” As negative political ads funded by outside special interest groups crowd the airwaves, Phillips is inviting his tens of thousands of grassroots supporters to showcase their creativity by making a homegrown ad of their own.

Phillips for Congress made hours of footage available for this crowdsourced storytelling project, along with campaign photography, and encouraged supporters to use either or both.

“This campaign is powered by the grassroots, and it’s built on listening to people,” said Zach Rodvold, Campaign Manager for Phillips for Congress. “The energy and creativity that thousands of Dean Team members bring to this race is inspiring – so who better to tell our story than them? People are tired of politicians talking over them, so we’re handing over the director’s chair. I can’t wait to see the stories that unfold.” Continue reading “Dean Phillips Announces Everyone’s Invited! Video Project”

Take a closer look at Dean Phillips for CD3

To the Editor:

I recently came across Nathan Dull’s letter to the editor entitled “Paulsen is better than Phillips for CD3,” published on Aug. 31, and realized it is light on facts.

Among other things, the letter states that Paulsen does the right thing for our environment. In reality, Erik touts his image as an environmentalist (portrayed by his Boundary Waters TV ad and joining an environmental caucus), but he gets low grades on his actual voting record for climate change, according to the League of Conservation Voters. To further prove my point, the City Pages article, “Erik Paulsen Discovers that Climate Change is for Real After All” describes Paulsen’s self-serving reasons for finally changing his ‘beliefs’ about the environment.

I previously voted for Paulsen based on the recommendation of his predecessor, Jim Ramstad. And even though Erik Paulsen talks like he’s a moderate, he votes the party line 98 percent of the time (FiveThirtyEight.com). Now I know that Paulsen’s quotes don’t match his votes. He actively opposes consumer protection, funding education, environmental protection, financial sector regulation, gun control, labor rights and wages, racial equality, countering Russian interference and women’s rights (Politicsthatwork.com). Continue reading “Take a closer look at Dean Phillips for CD3”

Dem leads GOP incumbent in Minnesota congressional race: poll

The following article by Michael Burke was posted on the Hill website September 10, 2018:

© Greg Nash

Democratic businessman Dean Phillips holds a 9-point advantage over incumbent Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) ahead of November’s midterm election in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District in results from new polling within the survey’s margin of error.

Phillips has the support of 51 percent of respondents, while 42 percent say they’ll support Paulsen, a poll conducted by The New York Times Upshot and Siena College found.

Paulsen has comfortably won elections for the seat since 2008, but the Cook Political Report rates the race as a “toss-up.”

View the complete article here.

Five takeaways from the NYT/Siena polls of Minnesota’s Third and Eighth Congressional Districts Email Facebook Twitter Print

The following article by Sam Brodey was posted on the MinnPost website September 10, 2018:

Credit: MinnPost

A fresh round of polls conducted by the New York Times and Siena College is offering the first clear glimpse into two of Minnesota’s highest-profile U.S. House races: the contests in the suburban 3rd District and in northeast Minnesota’s 8th District.

In CD3, the poll gave a big, nine-point advantage to Democratic candidate Dean Phillips, who is challenging six-term GOP incumbent Erik Paulsen. In CD8, an open-seat race, the poll found Democrat Joe Radinovich with a one-point lead over Republican Pete Stauber.

The NYT/Siena polls were carried out and completed over the weekend, and they featured an innovative twist: The results were posted live, with poll-watchers able to see who preferred Democrats or Republicans in real time. By the time the dust settled, the pollsters had called some 18,675 people in CD8 and actually spoke to 504 of them; in CD3, they contacted 21,046 and reached 500.

View the complete article here.

Our taxes are up 23 percent, thanks to Erik Paulsen

To the Editor:

Remember the Republican tax cut bill that Rep. Paulsen worked so hard to pass? It’s the one that massively cut taxes for corporations and the top 1 percent.

For us, it will mean a 23-percent increase in our taxable income and a 35-percent increase in our federal tax bill. We are retired and pay estimated taxes throughout the year. Our CPA did the arithmetic with the new tax bill and our 2017 income to figure out what we should be paying in estimated taxes for 2018 and he shared all the numbers with us. The result has been a 23-percent increase in our estimated tax payments; the final results are above.

We know this tax bill cut taxes for corporations and the top 1 percent; they are undoubtedly grateful to Rep. Paulson (sic). Wonder what it did for your 2018 tax bill.

Gwen and Mason Myers, Minnetonka
Minnetonka Sun-Sailor, September 10, 2018

Truth

Dean Phillips has released a new commercial restating what he’s said before. He points out his opponent and the Paul-Ryan connected PAC supporting him for the lack of truthfulness in their attack ads.

Seems to us to be an attempt that only expands upon the current administration’s “trickle down” efforts to include their concept of “alternate facts”.

Truth IS truth.

Dean Phillips Sets the Record Straight in New TV Ad

In “The Truth,” Phillips takes aim at Erik Paulsen’s atrocious healthcare record

Excelsior, MN – Today, Dean Phillips released a new television ad, highlighting his long history of taking good care of his employees and calling out Congressman Erik Paulsen for taking millions from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries while voting to increase healthcare costs and gut protections for pre-existing conditions.

The ad – entitled “The Truth” – also sets the record straight after Erik Paulsen and the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) launched a coordinated and misleading TV campaign against Phillips. Erik Paulsen is the 6th biggest taker of special interest money in Congress, and benefits from millions more in spending from outside special interest groups like CLF*. Continue reading “Dean Phillips Sets the Record Straight in New TV Ad”