Dean Phillips Challenger Says Single-Parent Homes ‘Chief Barrier’ to African-American Advancement

Republican congressional candidate Kendall Qualls said the “chief barrier to the advancement of the African-American community is the rise of single-parent households,” not “racism, police brutality or white privilege.”

Qualls is running against Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03), a first-term Democrat who unseated former Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen in 2018.

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DFL Immediately Begins Smearing New Dean Phillips GOP Challenger

Republican Kendall Qualls, a former U.S. Army Captain and businessman from Medina, filed his paperwork to run against Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) on Tuesday. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, of which Phillips is a member, immediately began smearing Qualls, claiming he couldn’t “say why he’s running for Congress.”

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Dean Phillips Schedules Town Hall After Minnesota Sun Report

Rep.-elect Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) announced that he will be holding a town hall December 17 after a Sunday Minnesota Sun report found that he had yet to schedule a public meeting that he promised for “early December.” “To that end, Phillips announced his first public town-hall meeting will be held in…

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Minnesota Media Gives Dean Phillips a Pass on Pelosi Speaker Nomination

Dean Phillips

Rep.-elect Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) is declining to state his position on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12), but Minnesota’s media doesn’t seem to care. Phillips called for “a new generation of leadership” in the Democratic Party on the campaign trail, but has mostly avoided the subject ever since his election.…

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House Winners And Losers: DFL And GOP Both Flip Two Seats in Minnesota

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party won five of Minnesota’s eight congressional districts, adding to an already decisive night of Democratic victories across the state. There were, however, some key Republican upsets throughout Minnesota, particularly in Minnesota’s First Congressional District where Republican Jim Hagedorn was called the winner early Wednesday morning. Republican…

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Dean Phillips Unseats Erik Paulsen in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District

Millionaire businessman and heir to the Phillips Distilling Company Dean Phillips has unseated Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN-03) in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District. Phillips ran his campaign on fighting the corrupt influence of money in politics, while attacking Paulsen for not making himself available to his constituents, at one point garnering…

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Tina Smith Listed Among Top 10 Most Vulnerable Senators

Tina Smith

Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) was recently listed as one of the top 10 most vulnerable senators seeking reelection in the nation, joining fellow Democrats like Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). Unlike like her Democratic colleagues, however, Smith is campaigning in her first race for the U.S.…

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Dean Phillips Violates Own Campaign Pledge By Loaning Himself $1.3 Million

Democrat Dean Phillips has been railing against the corrupt influence of money in politics ever since announcing his bid for Congress, but on Thursday revealed that he was loaning his campaign $1.3 million. One of the pillars of Phillips’ campaign is his “Minnesota Way” pledge, which asks candidates to “reject…

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In Campaign of ‘Truth’ and ‘Decency,’ Phillips’ Campaign Manager Blames Republicans for Bomb Threats

Democrat Dean Phillips’ campaign manger suggested that Republican rhetoric is to blame for the recent bomb threat targeted at prominent Democrats, such as President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. “I don’t know whether flipping the House is enough to put a stop to this madness, but just imagine what it…

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Ryan, Trump Step In for Paulsen In Final Weeks

House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump both made last-ditch efforts to bolster Rep. Erik Paulsen’s (R-MN-03) campaign in its final weeks against Democratic challenger Dean Phillips. Phillips’ energized campaign has attacked Paulsen left and right for being a “rubber-stamp” politician who doesn’t make himself available to his constituents,…

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Letter Condemning Paulsen Attack Ads Written By Wealthy Dem Donors

A group of local business owners recently condemned Rep. Erik Paulsen’s (R-MN-03) attack ads in an open letter, but records show that almost all of the signatories are donors of his opponent. The letter, peddled by The Star Tribune and promoted by nearly every major Minnesota news outlet, rebuked the…

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Dean Phillips Dines With Liberal Elites for Massive Hollywood Fundraiser

Democrat Dean Phillips participated in a Hollywood fundraiser Tuesday night with five other congressional candidates at an attendance cost of $5,000 per person. Phillips, who is running for Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, has been highly critical of the influence of money in politics while on the campaign trail, so much…

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Erik Paulsen’s Wife Threatened at Their Minnesota Home

Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN-03) recently revealed that his wife was threatened at their Minnesota home last week, saying the political animosity towards him and his family has been taken to the “next level.” While the Minnesota congressman is used to receiving threats, he said his office has “had to refer…

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New Poll Shows Paulsen Gaining on Phillips

A new poll shows incumbent Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN-03) closing in on Democratic challenger Dean Phillips (pictured, right) in what could end up being Minnesota’s most expensive and competitive congressional race. According to KSTP and SurveyUSA, Paulsen trails Phillips 44 percent to 49 percent, a seven-point increase for Paulsen from…

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Paulsen and Phillips MPR Debate Devolves Into Attacks About Attack Ads

Dean Phillips and Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN-03) finally met for their second debate Friday, but each spent most of his airtime arguing over the other’s television ads. MPR’s moderator began the debate by questioning Paulsen on one of his ads that criticized Phillips as a “hypocrite” for his stance on…

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Minnesota Democrats React In Outrage Over Brett Kavanaugh Vote

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to narrowly sneak by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Minnesota Democrats are outraged at the prospect. During Thursday’s historic hearing, Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford painfully recalled a decades-old high school party at which the alleged assault occurred. After hours of…

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Phillips Campaign Compares Paulsen to Bigfoot While Attacking Republican for Not Making Enough Public Appearances

Democrat Dean Phillips recently called on Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN-03) to agree to more public appearances in the race for Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, even comparing the incumbent congressman to Bigfoot. Watch the ad: In an open letter to Paulsen, Phillips challenged his opponent to agree to meet for three…

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Flurry of Attack Ads Points to Importance of Minnesota in Midterm Elections

Minnesotans may soon resort to turning off their televisions lest they suffer through the swarm of political attack ads invading their homes. The high numbers of ads, and the even higher amount of money being spent on them, highlights Minnesota’s importance in the 2018 midterms. “There’s no way around it:…

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Polls Show Tight Races in Minnesota’s High-Stakes Elections

Pete Stauber, Joe Radinovich

A new poll shows that Minnesota Democrats are fighting to hang on to the state’s Eighth Congressional District, which has leaned blue for nearly 70 years. The new poll comes out of The New York Times’ partnership with Siena College, which has a goal of polling “dozens of the most…

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Questions Arise in Third Congressional District Whether Democrat Challenger Dean Phillips Offers Health Benefits to His Employees

Dean Phillips

Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips likes to think of health care as a “moral right,” but it was recently brought to light that the candidate doesn’t appear to provide health benefits to his own employees. In a recent attack ad produced by the Congressional Leadership Fund, Phillips is outed as being…

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Democrat Congressional Candidate in Minnesota Supports Making It A Sanctuary State

Dean Phillips

In a heated first debate, incumbent Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN-03) squared off against his Democratic challenger Dean Phillips in their battle for Minnesota’s Third Congressional District. Although Paulsen has safely held the seat since 2009, Minnesota’s Democractic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party is hopeful that their candidate can pull off an upset, since…

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Democrat Congressional Candidate Dean Phillips Supports Making Minnesota A Sanctuary State

In a heated first debate, incumbent Rep. Erik Paulsen squared off against his Democratic challenger Dean Phillips in their battle for Minnesota’s Third Congressional District. Although Paulsen has safely held the seat since 2009, Minnesota’s Democractic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party is hopeful that their candidate can pull off an upset, since the…

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